There are a number of different therapist jobs that somebody that can go into for a very rewarding career. All types of therapy jobs revolve around a therapist working diligently to help their patients to overcome limitations that are keeping them from living life to its fullest potential. For example, a physical therapist will typically work patients that have some kind of physical limitation that is the result of either an illness or an accident. Massage therapists will work mostly with patients who are dealing with muscle problems, like back or neck pain. Another type of therapy profession that many may not have heard of is known as occupational therapy.
Occupational therapist jobs deal with some of the same things that a physical therapist might deal with and there is certainly some overlap between the two professions. With occupational therapist jobs, a therapist works to help someone adjust to new changes in their life that affect their physical, mental and emotional well being. They work with patients that may have a mental disability to perform basic tasks that are needed in their day to day living. They might also work with someone who has lost the use of their legs and now relies on a wheelchair. They would likely help this person learn to adjust to not being able to use their legs and teach them how to make better use of their arms instead.
This type of therapist job might also deal with helping someone with a mental handicap that causes them to experience short term memory loss. The therapist might help a patient like this by showing them how to make a list that will allow them to recall things later on. Occupational therapist jobs may also deal with a patient who has problems with hand-eye coordination by giving them a series of exercises to perform that will increase their coordination skills. They may also deal with patients that suffer from a mental illness to live peacefully with the rest of society.
Occupational therapist jobs are usually performed in rehabilitation centers or hospitals, but a therapist in this profession can also work in clinics, educational environments, nursing homes and even perform their own private practice. As society ages, with the baby boomers entering their retirement years, the career prospects for these types of therapy jobs look very promising. By the year 2018, it is estimated that the number of occupational therapists will increase by 26%.