What is an occupational therapist?

What OTs actually do

Occupational therapists look at the gap between what someone wants to be able to do and what they can do right now — and work systematically to close it. That can mean retraining skills, adapting how a task is done, changing the environment, or providing equipment.

A typical week for an OT working privately in the UK might include a home assessment for an older adult after a fall, a workplace assessment for someone returning to work after a brain injury, a session helping a child with sensory processing differences manage school, and writing a medico-legal report for a solicitor.

Where occupational therapists work

OTs work in NHS hospitals, community teams, GP practices, mental health services, schools, prisons, and private practice. Independent OTs — the ones you'll find on a directory like this — typically work with self-funding individuals, solicitors handling personal injury or clinical negligence cases, insurers managing rehabilitation, and case managers building care teams.

How OTs are different from other professions

Physiotherapists focus on movement and physical function. Speech and language therapists focus on communication and swallowing. Occupational therapists focus on everything you do all day— and how to do it again when something has changed. There's overlap, but the OT lens is always “what does this person need to be able to do, and what's in the way?”