Occupational therapists play an essential role in assessing, diagnosing, and enabling people to engage in meaningful activities that are part of everyday life. Many people face certain difficulties that may or may not be health related that can affect their ability to interact and communicate, their mobility and self-care, and overall the quality of the relationships in their lives. Occupational therapists help people to overcome these barriers by modifying their environment or the activity itself.

In occupational therapy, occupations refer to the everyday activities that people do as individuals, in families, and with communities to occupy time and bring meaning and purpose to life. Occupations include things people need, want and are expected to do. Visit the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) or the Occupational Therapy Board NZ (OTBNZ) for more information on the contribution made by OTs.