Mental Health Occupational Therapist
Occupational therapy (OT) is a vital component of mental health care. OTs help people build independence, connection, and meaningful activities and routines that enhance quality of life.
If you like understanding the mind and body and enjoy ‘doing’ with people, then mental health OT might be for you!
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Mental health occupational therapists (MHOTs) draw on their expertise to help individuals reconnect with meaningful activities, enhancing engagement in tasks that promote better mental and physical health. Using specialised assessment skills, MHOTs provide targeted interventions to improve participation in daily activities and social interactions. They apply innovative strategies and break activities into manageable components to support recovery and occupational engagement. A key difference in OT is understanding the sensory environment in relation to occupational performance.
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Undergraduate
In Australia, various universities offer a 4-year undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy, with some including an honours pathway.
Clinical placement
A significant component of the OT degree is experiential, with typically 1000 hours of work-integrated learning required to graduate. Newly graduated OT’s wishing to work as an MHOT are required to complete a credentialing process.
Postgraduate
More recently, Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA) has recognised a range of two-year postgraduate Master's in OT degrees that are accredited by the Occupational Therapy Council of Australia Ltd (OTC) and recognised by AHPRA. This degree provides a pathway into OT for those with a non-health degree seeking a career change.
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OTA has a rigorous endorsement program whereby OT’s wishing to be recognised as holding knowledge, skills and experience in mental health can apply. Details of the credentialing process can be found on the OTA website. The endorsement process recognises the level of competency required to provide mental health care. The process for seeking endorsement via the OTA requires at least 2 years of full-time supervised mental health practice and a demonstrated range of clinical experience.
To maintain OTA Mental Health Endorsement, practitioners must complete 10 hours of mental health-specific continuing professional development (CPD) each year. Endorsed practitioners must also maintain formal professional supervision (generally every four to six weeks) and keep records of both CPD and supervision activities (Occupational Therapy Australia, 2024).
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Occupational therapists can gain employment in mental health with an undergraduate degree or a postgraduate master's degree.
Employment is typically under a generic award wage, with various pay grades and levels of expertise. It depends heavily on the employment sector (public or private) and the state in Australia.
In the public sector, occupational therapists are employed under the relevant state health allied health award. In New South Wales, for example, this is the NSW Health Service Health Professionals (State) Award, which provides classification levels from Allied Health Level 1 (early-career graduate) through to Level 5 (New South Wales Health, 2025). Progression through these levels is based on experience, demonstrated competence, and endorsement status. Private practice, NGO, and NDIS roles offer a different range of remuneration structures and may provide greater flexibility but less structured mentorship for early-career practitioners. Telehealth has also significantly expanded the range of practice contexts available to MHOTs in rural areas, enabling access to clients across large geographic catchments (AIHW, 2024).
Once an OT becomes accredited as an MHOT, they may be eligible to claim Medicare rebates through the Better Access Initiative. Under this program, OT’s are required to deliver treatment using focused psychological strategies for people experiencing mental health disorders. All registered OT’s can apply to become Medicare providers and must complete this registration before offering Medicare‑funded services.