Julia is a community mental health occupational therapist. You interview her and seek her biggest challenge in working in community mental health. Her response aligns with what is supported in the literature. Julia's biggest challenge as a community mental health OT is:
A) Lack of patients in need of mental health services
B) Stigma of being a community mental health occupational therapist
C) Heavy workload due to a shortage of occupational therapists in community mental health
D) Working with the interprofessional team

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The limited number of CMH occupational therapy practitioners often results in one being the sole representative of the profession on the multidisciplinary team (O'Connell & McKay, 2010). Consequently, workloads can be heavy (Haertl et al., 2009). This singular status and the increased demands for autonomy can be challenging for entry-level practitioners and those acclimated to working in well-defined occupational therapy departments (Fox, 2013; Lloyd, King, & Ryan, 2007; O'Connell & McKay, 2010; Ramsey, 2011). CMH teams expect all members to perform generic tasks along with their discipline-specific ones. This role blurring can lead to a decline in specialized skills, a diminished professional identity, and the lack of recognition of occupational therapy's unique contributions (Haertl et al., 2009; Lloyd et al., 2007; Michetti & Dieleman, 2014; O'Connell & McKay, 2010). These practice realities can be effectively mediated by participating in supervision, mentorship, continuing and/or postgraduate education, and local, state, and national association professional development and networking opportunities (O'Connell & McKay, 2010; Ramsey, 2011; Reeves & Mann, 2004).

Julia Is a Community Mental Health Occupational Therapist