What Does an Occupational Therapist Do?

An occupational therapist, or OT, is a university-trained health professional who helps people of any age do the everyday things they need and want to do. That might be getting dressed, writing at school, cooking a meal, going back to work or joining in with friends. OTs look at the person, the activity and the place where it happens. Then they help by building skills, finding new ways to do a task, or changing the equipment and surroundings.

This guide explains what occupational therapy is, what an OT does for children and adults, what happens at a first appointment, how OT differs from physiotherapy, and how to pay for it in 2026.

What is occupational therapy?

Occupational Therapy Australia describes occupational therapy as a person-centred approach that helps people take part in activities they find meaningful. The word "occupation" doesn't only mean a job. It means everything you need, want or hope to do in your day and your life.

Allied Health Professions Australia groups these everyday occupations into three kinds:

Self-care: showering, dressing and preparing food.
Productive activities: education, work, volunteering and caring for others.
Leisure and social activities: a hobby, a community group or time with friends.

An OT can help when injury, illness, disability, developmental delay, emotional or mental health difficulties, or the effects of ageing make these activities hard.

Healthdirect explains that OTs are experts in how three things fit together: what you want or need to do, your physical and mental health and abilities, and your environment. An OT works with you to make everyday living easier, and to keep, regain or improve your independence.

OT usually follows three steps:

Assessment: the OT finds out what you can do, what you find hard and what you want to do.
Planning: you set goals together, often with family, teachers or other health professionals.
Therapy: the OT works with you on those goals and checks progress along the way.

To reach a goal, an OT might:

help you build skills, such as hand strength for writing, or the steps of preparing a meal;
find a new way to do a task, so it is easier or safer;
change the surroundings, such as the set-up of a desk, classroom or bathroom;
suggest equipment and show you how to use it;
teach family, carers or teachers strategies to use every day.

What OTs help with

Allied Health Professions Australia lists the main areas of everyday life where OTs give support:

Daily living: showering, dressing, grooming and eating.
Running a household: shopping, budgeting, looking after a home, caring for others and driving.
Learning: taking part as a learner at school or in study.
Play and leisure: play, hobbies and interests.
Social participation: joining in with family, friends and the community.
Work: paid and unpaid work.

Healthdirect adds that OTs can help people use their hands, for example with handwriting or after an injury. They can also help people deal with stress and emotions, manage fatigue, and live with long-term conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes and neurological conditions.

What does an occupational therapist do for a child?

For children, the main "occupations" are play, learning and looking after themselves. Raising Children Network says OTs help children and teenagers to:

look after themselves, such as feeding, dressing, washing and cleaning their teeth;
take part in home, preschool, school and community activities;
take part in play and leisure;
move around more easily, for example with ramps;
regulate emotions, manage sensory sensitivities and cope with difficult situations.

OTs can help with many areas of a child's development, including thinking, emotions, behaviour, sensory processing, social interaction, play, gross motor skills (big movements like running and climbing) and fine motor skills (small hand movements like using a pencil or scissors). They focus on the child's strengths and work in a family-centred way.

Children might see an OT because of a physical disability, autism, learning difficulties, developmental delay or intellectual disability, or after an injury or illness. Our articles on how occupational therapy builds school readiness and occupational therapy for autism go into more detail.

What does an occupational therapist do for adults?

For adults, OT often focuses on staying independent at home, at work and in the community. An OT might help someone:

adjust to life after an injury, an illness or a new disability;
relearn everyday tasks, such as personal care, cooking or managing money;
go back to work or study, or keep working;
manage daily life and routines with a mental health condition;
manage fatigue and live with a long-term condition;
find and use equipment that supports their independence;
get back to driving or using transport;
stay safe and independent at home as they get older.

Where occupational therapists work

OTs work in hospitals, rehabilitation centres, community health centres, schools, aged care, mental health services, private practices and government organisations. Many also see people at home, school or work. Seeing the real place where a task happens helps an OT understand what gets in the way.

What happens at a first OT appointment

The first appointment is usually an assessment. Your OT will ask about:

what you or your child can do;
what you find hard or struggle with;
what you want to be able to do, and your goals.

The OT may also watch everyday tasks, at the clinic or in the places where they usually happen. Afterwards, you talk about what they found and agree on goals and next steps. Your OT can then give you advice and techniques to reach your goals, and may suggest equipment.

Before the appointment, Raising Children suggests you:

write down your concerns and the tasks that are hard;
note the support you already get;
gather reports from other professionals, such as a speech pathologist or psychologist;
ask about costs, waiting times, and whether the appointment is in person or by telehealth.

You can read how OT appointments work at our Runcorn clinic on our service page.

OT, physiotherapist or speech pathologist: what's the difference?

These professions often work together, but each has a different focus:

Occupational therapists focus on everyday activities, and the skills, equipment and surroundings that make them possible.
Physiotherapists focus on physical function and movement, such as mobility and recovering from an injury, and on reducing pain.
Speech pathologists focus on communication, and on eating and drinking safely.

For example, after a stroke, a physiotherapist might work on walking, an OT on getting dressed and cooking, and a speech pathologist on talking and swallowing.

How to check an occupational therapist's qualifications

Occupational therapy is a regulated health profession in Australia.

Degree: OTs complete a university degree in occupational therapy. This is either a bachelor's degree, or a master's degree after another degree.
Registration: to practise, OTs must be registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia and meet its standards. "Occupational therapist" is a protected title, so only registered OTs can use it.
Check the register: you can look up any OT on the Ahpra register of practitioners. It also shows if an OT's registration has been suspended.

Occupational Therapy Australia, the professional association, also has a Find an OT directory for private practice.

Do you need a referral to see an OT?

No. You can book with an OT directly. You need a referral from a doctor to claim some funding, such as Medicare. If you're worried about your child's development, your GP or child health nurse is a good place to start.

How to pay for occupational therapy in 2026

These are the main ways people pay for OT, as at October 2026:

NDIS: for NDIS participants, OT is usually paid for from the Capacity Building budget, under Improved Daily Living, which the NDIS says can include occupational therapy to build functional skills. This funding can't be moved to other categories. Higher-cost equipment and home modifications come from the separate Capital budget. For plans created or reassessed from 1 October 2026, or renewed from 1 February 2027, NDIS funding for improved daily living skills supports, where OT sits, is reduced by 10%.
Children younger than 9: the NDIS early childhood approach connects families with an early childhood partner, who can help even if a child isn't eligible for the NDIS.
Thriving Kids: a new program for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay or autism and low to moderate support needs. It started in October 2026, and supports such as allied health are being added over time, with all supports due by 1 January 2028. As at mid-October 2026, Queensland's local services had not been announced.
Medicare, GP chronic condition management plan: if you have a chronic condition and complex care needs, and your GP's chronic condition management plan refers you to an OT, Medicare pays a rebate towards up to 5 allied health services a calendar year (10 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people), shared across all allied health types. Services Australia has the details.
Medicare for people under 25: for autism or another complex neurodevelopmental condition, or an eligible disability, an eligible doctor such as a paediatrician or psychiatrist can refer you to an OT. Medicare then pays rebates towards some assessment sessions, and up to 20 treatment sessions in a lifetime, shared across OT, speech pathology and other allied health.
Private health insurance: extras cover may pay part of the cost. Check with your health fund.
Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA): DVA may help eligible veterans with the cost.

Costs vary between OTs, and rebates often cover only part of the fee, so ask about costs before you book.

Signs it may be time to see an OT

For children, signs worth checking include:

finding everyday tasks like dressing, eating or toileting harder than other children their age;
trouble with fine motor tasks, such as holding a pencil, using scissors or doing up buttons;
trouble with big movements, such as running, climbing or ball games;
strong reactions to noise, touch, textures or busy places;
finding it hard to manage emotions or cope with changes;
not joining in with play, preschool or school activities.

For adults, it may help to see an OT when everyday tasks have become hard after an illness, injury or new disability, when fatigue or a long-term condition gets in the way of daily life, when mental health is affecting work or routines, when you want to return to work or study, or when staying safe at home is getting harder.

Occupational therapy at Queensland Therapy Center

Our occupational therapists in Runcorn work with children from age 2 and with adults, at our clinic or at home, school or kindy across Brisbane's southside, including Logan. Our OT team helps with daily living, fine motor skills, sensory processing, equipment that supports independence, and taking part at school, at work and in the community. We work alongside our speech pathologists and behaviour support team, so people who need more than one kind of support can see one team.

We are a registered NDIS provider and work with participants whose plans are NDIA-managed, plan-managed or self-managed. Private clients are welcome and pay the same rates as the NDIS price limits for therapy. You don't need a referral to book, and support coordinators and health professionals can use our referral form.

Frequently asked questions

Is an occupational therapist a doctor?
No. OTs are university-trained allied health professionals, not medical doctors. They must be registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia to practise.

Do I need a referral to see an occupational therapist?
No. You can book directly. You only need a doctor's referral to claim some funding, such as Medicare.

How long will OT take?
It depends on the goals. The NDIS says therapy that builds skills has goals and a timeframe, and that people usually need less of it as their skills and independence grow. Some people also have ongoing therapy to keep the skills they have.

Does Medicare cover occupational therapy?
Medicare pays a rebate towards some OT sessions with a referral, either through a GP chronic condition management plan (up to 5 allied health services a year, shared) or through the items for people under 25 with autism, another complex neurodevelopmental condition or an eligible disability. It usually doesn't cover the full fee.

Does the NDIS fund occupational therapy?
For NDIS participants, OT is usually funded from Capacity Building, under Improved Daily Living, when it meets the NDIS funding criteria.

Can an OT help with mental health?
Yes. OTs work with people who have mental health conditions, helping them take part in everyday activities, routines and work. They often work alongside psychologists, doctors and other health professionals.

Sources

Occupational Therapy Australia: occupational therapy frequently asked questions.
Allied Health Professions Australia: occupational therapy.
healthdirect: occupational therapy.
Raising Children Network: occupational therapist.
Occupational Therapy Board of Australia: registration. Ahpra: frequently asked questions (protected titles), register of practitioners.
Bond University: what does an occupational therapist do? Curtin University: what does an occupational therapist (OT) do?
Speech Pathology Australia: what is a speech pathologist.
NDIS: capacity building supports, capital supports, therapy supports, early childhood approach, changes to support budgets from 1 October.
Department of Health, Disability and Ageing: funding changes for NDIS supports, about Thriving Kids, Thriving Kids in states and territories, Medicare Benefits Schedule items 10958, 82010, 82025 and note MN.10.2.
Services Australia: GP chronic condition management plan.

Written by Wenjin Zhang, Clinic Director, Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Certified Practising Speech Pathologist. Last updated October 2026. General information only, not advice for your situation.

What Does an Occupational Therapist Do? A Guide for Families and Adults