Correspondence 'Diversional Educational Activities in Dear
a
Mental
Hospital"
Sir,
an Occupational Therapist and am very interested in Miss Anne article in your Summer number. Although she uses the title "Diversional and Educational Activities in a Mental Hospital," she is really giving a clear description of the part played by Occupational Therapy in a mental hospital. She outlines the ideals I was trained to achieve when I was a student, and although O.T. has developed and become more specialised during the last eight years, the principles remain the same.
I
am
Coghill's
understand, therefore, that I was shocked to read in her the qualifications required for this work (p. 102), that she does not think any definite training is necessary. As long ago as 1935 the pioneers of Occupational Therapy realised that the only way to resocialise, re-educate and rehabilitate patients in mental hospitals was to provide people specially trained to do it. The training is now a 3-3J year course, covering a thorough study of psychiatry, psychopathology, applied psycholBesides ogy, general medicine, and organisation and application of O.T. demonstrating his or her ability to teach a large variety of crafts and skills, must examiners that the finalist student he or she has had pracsatisfy the tical experience in handling patients over a period of about 18 months and with them. in organising all kinds of social activities I have worked with unqualified staff and found it far from satisfactory. From over six years of experience of organising this kind of programme, I should suggest that the staff required is a team of fully qualified Occupational Therapists each one a specialist in a different art or activity, e.g.: art, music, dance, drama, etc. The other crafts and trades which Miss Coghill mentions are included in their training in any case. I may be telling your readers what they already know, and if this be so, I apologise. Yours truly, Chloe E. Gardner, m.a.o.t. Parkside, Hadley Common, Herts. You will
paragraph
on
a
Mental
Hospital"
Sir,
an Occupational Therapist and am very interested in Miss Anne article in your Summer number. Although she uses the title "Diversional and Educational Activities in a Mental Hospital," she is really giving a clear description of the part played by Occupational Therapy in a mental hospital. She outlines the ideals I was trained to achieve when I was a student, and although O.T. has developed and become more specialised during the last eight years, the principles remain the same.
I
am
Coghill's
understand, therefore, that I was shocked to read in her the qualifications required for this work (p. 102), that she does not think any definite training is necessary. As long ago as 1935 the pioneers of Occupational Therapy realised that the only way to resocialise, re-educate and rehabilitate patients in mental hospitals was to provide people specially trained to do it. The training is now a 3-3J year course, covering a thorough study of psychiatry, psychopathology, applied psycholBesides ogy, general medicine, and organisation and application of O.T. demonstrating his or her ability to teach a large variety of crafts and skills, must examiners that the finalist student he or she has had pracsatisfy the tical experience in handling patients over a period of about 18 months and with them. in organising all kinds of social activities I have worked with unqualified staff and found it far from satisfactory. From over six years of experience of organising this kind of programme, I should suggest that the staff required is a team of fully qualified Occupational Therapists each one a specialist in a different art or activity, e.g.: art, music, dance, drama, etc. The other crafts and trades which Miss Coghill mentions are included in their training in any case. I may be telling your readers what they already know, and if this be so, I apologise. Yours truly, Chloe E. Gardner, m.a.o.t. Parkside, Hadley Common, Herts. You will
paragraph
on
