A mental health community practicum for occupational therapy students in Uruguay

Abstract

Background: In Uruguay, people with disabilities experience worse outcomes in education, employment, and health compared to people without disabilities. Regarding mental health, in 2017 the Law N°19,529 was approved to transition from a medical model to a human-rights and community-based approach. However, people with psychosocial disabilities still face barriers that impede their participation. In this context, Occupational Therapy (OT) is developing its role in mental health community-based settings. Although OT education provides training and tries to develop partnerships to collaborate with the community, there is still a theory-practice gap because of the shortage of OTs and limited practical experiences for students. Rationale for this Project: This conjuncture represents an opportunity to demonstrate the distinctive OT contributions to develop community-based programs in mental health and increase the participation of people with psychosocial disabilities. Objective and methodology: The goal of this project was to develop an OT mental health community practicum grounded in the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) and empowerment theory through the application of the multi-model approach. To facilitate the implementation of the curriculum, a handbook was developed using the evidence available in the field. To evaluate the feasibility and cultural relevance of the handbook, a panel of experts was created, which included people with disabilities, students, and both Latin American and American OT practitioners and professors. Implications: A community mental health practicum is a culturally-relevant and feasible way to improve OT education, increase participation of people with disabilities in community-based interventions, and develop strong university-community partnerships. This practicum is designed to prepare Uruguayan occupational therapy students to practice in community mental health-focused settings and contribute to the participation of people with psychosocial disabilities.