Postsecrets & mental health & occupational therapy Part I



This is where OT comes into the mental health arena..whether its substance abuse or depression….providing nutrients for a new, fragile yet determined, beginning

I thought the card above was beautiful.

Postsecret = OT activity?

Many of you have probably heard of “Postsecret” by now – people write a secret on a postcard and decorate it, then submit it to Postsecret – some end up on the website, others end up in his multiple books. I am fascinated by them because some of the secrets are truly beautiful, and others are truly horrifying, and others are filled with so much anguish that the cards almost leap off the page and choke me. It’s 3am and I can’t sleep and I was looking at old Postsecrets on the website. I found a ton that seem like the person could benefit from OT in some way (mental health), or that the message was an OT one.

Many people don’t realize that OTs can work in psychosocial settings -ie mental health. This is not as common as it used to be, but it’s still possible. In fact, one of my Level II three-month fieldwork rotations will be psychosocial, and probably involve a lot of groups that deal with mental health issues. I think it would be a great idea to use these cards somehow. It may be having them (meaning mental health group patients) make their own to send in on their own time to get it off their chest, it may be making secrets they are willing to share in a group, or making postcards to send to others that express themselves, or even picking out postcards of others that have struck them in some way, and talking about them.

Feb 01, 2008 | Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 1