In today’s wellness-focused world, terms like mental health and occupational therapy are used often—sometimes even interchangeably. But while they’re interconnected in meaningful ways, they serve very different purposes. Earlier this spring, Family Achievement Center’s occupational therapists, Tiana Burda OTR/L and Angie Ellingson, OTR/L and Child Mental Health Practitioner from Apricity Counseling and Wellness, and a Clinical Psychologist presented on how OT and mental health can work to treat the whole child and when a child may benefit from one or the other or both synchronously.
What Is Mental Health?
Mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how we think, feel, and behave. Good mental health enables people to manage stress, maintain relationships, make decisions, and bounce back from adversity.
When challenges arise—like anxiety, depression, trauma, or mood disorders—they can disrupt everyday life and overall well-being. Mental health is a broad umbrella that encompasses everything from emotional regulation to psychiatric conditions, and is supported by various professionals including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, and counselors.
In pediatric mental health, specifically, there are many forms of mental health therapy including: talk therapy, play therapy, Parent/Child Interaction Therapy, family therapy and SPACE (supportive parent for anxious childhood emotions) therapy.
Where Does Occupational Therapy Fit In?
Occupational therapy (OT) helps people do the things they want and need to do through therapeutic use of daily activities. Pediatric OT focuses on sensory processing related to emotion regulation thus also playing a role in mental health treatment. OT doesn’t diagnose mental health disorders, but it provides practical strategies to manage them and live well with them.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Mental Health | Occupational Therapy |
|---|---|
| Focuses on overall emotional and psychological well-being. | Focuses on function—helping individuals engage in meaningful daily activities. |
| Can be supported by therapy, medication, lifestyle changes. | Uses personalized activities and environmental modifications to support daily routines. |
| Often includes diagnosis and treatment of mental illness (anxiety, OCD, trauma). | Does not diagnose, but works with diagnosed conditions to improve quality of life. |
| Parent training and coaching (PCIT, SPACE) Parents can benefit from behavior management to help child with behaviors that are not due to sensory concerns. | Identifies a child’s unique sensory needs and provides strategies that can improve daily routines & identifies strategies for emotion regulation for a sensory perspective based on child’s abilities which may include co-regulation, interoceptive awareness, self-regulation. |
| Providers: psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers. | Providers: licensed occupational therapists. |
The Power of Collaboration
While they serve different roles, OT and mental health care providers often collaborate. A mental health therapist might help someone process trauma, while the OT helps them manage sensory triggers in real-life situations. Together, they create a holistic circle of care that addresses both inner healing and everyday living. OT and mental health can collaborate on emotional regulation and transitions to support the underlying factors that impact function.
Occupational therapy steps in to bridge the gap between things we may struggle with and daily life. OT doesn’t replace mental health treatment—it complements it. Some children benefit from OT in conjunction with mental health to promote holistic wellness.
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