The Present State of Fieldwork Education and the Problems of Psychiatric Occupational Therapy in South Korea

Abstract

Occupational therapy (OT) provided by psychiatric institutions across South Korea is typically conducted by mental health professionals rather than occupational therapists (OTR). There are few psychiatric OTRs in Korea, and none have studied OT through an official program. To identify possible remedies for this situation, we analyzed questionnaire surveys and interviews from 14 OTRs and compared our data to the current literature. We found that OT in Korean psychiatry departments was fraught with legal, educational, and clinical problems. There were no established minimum standards for OT education, OT was typically conducted by other mental health professionals, OTRs found it difficult to gain confidence, and students had not been given the necessary psychiatric fieldwork experience. Examining these results, we found a need for the revision of existing laws and enactment of better laws regarding OT, rationalization of treatment costs, verification of clinical effects, and reform of psychiatric OT training programs.