Counselling Skills in Occupational Therapy: A Grounded Theory Approach to Explain their Use within Mental Health in New Zealand

Abstract

There is much confusion in the occupational therapy literature surrounding the use of counselling and counselling skills in the profession and debate about whether they have a role in occupational therapy. This study used the qualitative research method of grounded theory to explore how counselling skills are used in occupational therapy in the area of mental health. The data were collected via a four-phase study involving nine occupational therapists to ascertain their views on the use of counselling skills in mental health. The emerging theory revealed that even though occupational therapists sometimes say that they use ‘counselling skills’, they usually keep a focus on occupation.