ABOUT
My name is Valerie Sanderson, and I am the creator of the Student Mental Health Matters (SMHM) online resource.
The motivation behind the development of this online resource is my lived experience with obtaining higher education while living with several mental health conditions.
My hopes and aspirations for this online resource are
- to increase mental health awareness within the college environment
- increase knowledge of resources available to students
- aid students in the development of healthy evidence-based coping mechanisms to promote engagement in meaningful occupations
- and to reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions, especially among students
SMHM online resource was developed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapists collaborate with individuals' that are experiencing challenges with daily tasks due to any ailment (including mental health conditions) and can provide new occupations that help increase self-esteem, self-efficacy, confidence, and autonomy, all which have been shown to improve engagement, participation and performance in daily tasks.
OT aims at improving participation in activities of daily living, productivity (school and work), and social participation which positively contribute to improved quality of life.
Occupational therapists can use occupations as a means and an ends when working with individuals with mental health conditions.
- Occupation as a means can be done by using occupational tasks to reduce symptomatology of an ailment. An example would be incorporating exercise or another valued activity that has been shown to improve self-esteem, self-efficacy, and lessen the symptoms of anxiety so that an individual can feel confident when engaging in social participation while in school.
- Occupation as an ends is when an individual can fully participate in activities that are deemed valuable and important. An example of occupations as an ends would be addressing the impact anxiety has on sleep by teaching an individual to perform activities such as deep diaphragmatic breathing and sleep hygiene to reduce symptoms of anxiety and improve quality of sleep.
What Are Occupations
A Deeper Look
Activities that human beings of all ages engage in on a regular basis are termed occupations by occupational therapists. It is clear that every human being has a desire to do tasks and participate in activities that they find of value and interest.
Occupations that an individual participates in are developed over time and have meaning and purpose to the individual. Various activities can be defined as occupations.
Listed below are some occupations that students may notice themselves having difficulty engaging in due to the negative symptoms associated with anxiety disorders:
- Showering
- Personal hygiene and grooming
- Health management and maintenance
- Home maintenance
- Meal preparation
- Rest, sleep preparation and participation
- Participation in formal and informal education
- Job performance (if working while in school)
- Participation in leisure activities
- Social participation with peers, family, and/or in the community
The picture below depicts the occupation of social participation
