Perceptions of social work professionals on the role of occupational therapy in the treatment of mental illness, 2025

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Rob

Identifier: b7932428

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

See more See less

The collection consists of dissertations written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate Occupational Therapy program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree.

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and School of Education, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2025

Creator

Roberts, Carly (1999- ) (Author, Person)
Garcia, Andrea (Thesis advisor, Person)
Patro, John (1985- ) (Thesis advisor, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (732-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Patrons must sign a completed Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to obtain access to the collection. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Full Extent

1 Items (print book) : 43 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

This scholarship was intended to explore the convergence of social work and occupational therapy in treating mental illness and examine social work perceptions on occupational therapy’s role and impact in the treatment of individuals with mental illness through two research questions: How do social workers describe the role of occupational therapy in the treatment of individuals with mental illness?, and How do social workers describe the impact of occupational therapy on individuals with a mental health need? The research questions were formulated prior to data collection to guide the co-investigator in gathering data relevant to the scholarship’s aims. A protocol was developed for the interviewing process to ensure the reliability of the data. Reliability and validity of the data were determined through both member checking and cross-checking of themes by the research assistant. Data was collected for the study using semi-structured interviews in faculty participants’ private offices at an educational institution. Through purposive sampling, the study recruited two licensed social work practitioners, one 68-year-old male and one 62-year-old female, with at least 2 years of experience each. Results were explored using thematic analysis. The outcomes of this project included a greater understanding of social workers’ perceptions of occupational therapy in mental health. Future studies will help refine these findings. The investigation of the research questions adds to advocacy for occupational therapy practitioners as mental health practitioners and offers a perspective of another mental health discipline on the value that occupational therapy can bring to mental health teams.