“Occupational therapy is the art and sciences of helping people take part in everyday living through their occupations. This means helping people to safely take part in looking after themselves, enjoying themselves and contributing to their communities”.
(Occupational Therapy Board of NZ, 2016).

“Occupational therapists achieve this outcome by working with people and communities to enhance their ability to engage in the occupations they want to, need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement. Occupational therapists have a broad education in the medical, social behavioural, psychological, psychosocial and occupational sciences which equips them with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to work collaboratively with people, individually or in groups or communities. Occupational therapists can work with all people, including those who have an impairment of body structure or function owing to a health condition, or who are restricted in their participation or who are socially excluded owing to their membership of social or cultural minority groups. Occupational therapists believe that participation can be supported or restricted by the physical, affective or cognitive abilities of the individual, the characteristics of the occupation, or the physical, social, cultural, attitudinal and legislative environments. Therefore, occupational therapy practice is focused on enabling individuals to change aspects of their person, the occupation, the environment, or some combination of these to enhance occupational participation”,
(World Federation of Occupational Therapy, 2011)

Waitematā DHB Occupational Therapy also provides services in the following areas:

• Inpatient services
• Community services
• Child Women & Family Services.