Frontline Magazine

Mental health services in Ireland have been evolving over the last 12 years, in line with “A Vision for Change” (2006), a blueprint for future mental health services. Overall, there is much more of a national awareness of mental health issues and the importance of mental health promotion. In terms of service provision, the HSE and other organisations have worked together on significantly advancing the development of mental health services for general adult, older persons, children and adolescent populations, in line with A Vision for Change’s recommendations.

In this article I will describe the role of the Occupational Therapist in the area Mental Health of Intellectual Disability. In the first section I will describe the concepts behind the profession, and then briefly describe some of the assessments used. This will be followed by the largest section which will include a description of the interventions with case study examples. Finally the conclusion will bring each of these strands together.