Abstract

MELO-DIAS, Carlos; ROSA, Amorim  and  PINTO, Alberto. Therapeutic occupation activities: nursing structured interventions in psychosocial rehabilitation. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2014, n.11, pp.15-23. ISSN 1647-2160.

In its therapeutic dimension associated with the treatment of people with mental illness, occupation has been gradually implementing, gaining credibility and spreading since the beginning of the 20th century. However, it was only recently that it started being understood as a continuous adaptive process which allows individuals to develop skills, competencies and their own identity, by participating in various occupational processes throughout the life cycle and within different environmental contexts. The process of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery has the intrinsic goal of teaching and training mentally impaired individuals to perform the physical, emotional and intellectual skills needed for leading an autonomous life, with a higher level of well-being and the least possible help from health professionals. This theoretical essay aims to propose the concept of Therapeutic Occupational Activity (TOA) in Nursing, while establishing a specific dynamics between its three core elements, nurse-client-activity, as well as with its fields of use. Some theoretical formulations which sustain clinical nursing practice are also synthetized, as well as some models of understanding interventions in social behavior. Using descriptive analysis, the goals, determinants and benefits of TOAs in Mental and Psychiatric Health Nursing settings are listed to describe the foundations of the planning process with emphasis on the nurse’s autonomous role in the diagnosis, prescription, performance and evaluation of interventions.

Keywords : Therapeutic occupation activities; Nursing; Psychosocial rehabilitation; Mental health.

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )