The emphasis on community-based services for people with psychiatric disorders requires a concerted response from occupational therapists, if we are to assist people to live meaningful lives in their own communities. This article draws on the fieldwork experiences of 16 Australian and American occupational therapy students, to reflect on fieldwork education and how it may be preparing students to meet the demands of proactive practice in psychiatry. Attention is drawn to the Importance of fieldwork education in community contexts for occupational therapy students, if these future therapists are to be adequately prepared for the demands of community mental health practice.
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