Did you know occupational therapy (OT) techniques were used by Greek physicians for the treatment of mental illness as early as 100 B.C.? Did you know wounded soldiers returning from World War I and World War II relied heavily on OT pushing the profession to standardize training, instruction, and certification? Do you understand occupational therapy is NOT physical therapy? Rather occupational therapists help patients to participate in every day occupations, which is defined as all the meaningful activities a person desires and need to participate in for daily life.

Occupational therapists are trained to work with a variety of diagnoses including traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, stroke, cerebral palsy, burns, fractures, spinal cord injury, developmental delays just to name a few. It takes the typical student four years to complete a bachelor’s degree containing the pre-requisite courses necessary for admission to professional school. Three years is the typical length for completion of professional school to graduate with a Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD).