An entry · Work · Life
Occupational Therapist
The person who helps you get your ordinary life back, one real task at a time.
From curious to committed
Your first steps.
A first visit can be enough. It can also be the beginning.
Meet the craft
Helping out where people rebuild daily skills is one of the truest ways to feel what the work asks.
Explore experiences →Give it another afternoon
Notice what you want to come back to. Ask the teacher what regular practice would look like, and what support you would need.
Keep a note for next time →See the working day
The main route is an accredited occupational therapy degree combining health science with hands-on fieldwork.
Explore ways into the work →These are starting points. A workshop is not a professional qualification. Entry requirements and recognised training depend on the work and the country.
Before you walk in
A few things worth asking the host before you book.
- Is this session suitable for someone who has never tried it?
- What should I bring, wear or prepare?
- What is included, and are there any extra costs?
- Can you accommodate my access needs?
- What could I try next if I enjoy it?
Teach this craft? Share what beginners ask you →
Work it
Do the work.
Jobs, apprenticeships, and training that put a person in the room.
Places to begin
- Association
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
Become an Occupational Therapy Practitioner
United States
The national association lays out the honest path of accredited school, national exam, and state license, and welcomes you as a member along the way.
- Association
Royal College of Occupational Therapists
Royal College of Occupational Therapists membership
London, England
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists champions the profession across the United Kingdom and welcomes qualified therapists into a warm professional home.
Ways in
- Course
Degree in occupational therapy
The main route is an accredited occupational therapy degree combining health science with hands-on fieldwork.
- Route in
Supervised fieldwork placements
Students spend long stretches in clinics, homes and community settings, practising under a qualified therapist.
- Certification
Occupational therapy registration
You register with the national body for occupational therapists before you can practise independently.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasLive it
Live the hour.
Experiences, classes, and places where the presence is the whole point.
Ways in
- Community
Volunteer in a rehab or day centre
Helping out where people rebuild daily skills is one of the truest ways to feel what the work asks.
- Workshop
Adaptive living workshop
Workshops on assistive tools and home adaptation show how small changes give big freedom back.
Ways in, gathered by hand.
Add yours to the atlasWhy the human is the point
Occupational therapy begins with a simple, radical question, what does a good day look like for you. Then someone rolls up their sleeves and helps you build your way back to it, buttoning a shirt, gripping a fork, climbing your own stairs. An occupational therapist reads far more than a chart, they read your kitchen, your habits, the small dignities you want to keep. Their judgment is patient and personal, matching each exercise to the life you actually live rather than a chart on a wall. Progress here is measured in things that matter to you, and someone is paying close attention to make sure it does. That is care held on your behalf, tuned to your own definition of enough.
Kept nearby
