Group work in occupational therapy: a survey of practice

This paper documents the extent to which occupational therapists use groups in practice. A questionnaire was mailed to 300 occupational therapists nationwide. Questions included the types of groups occupational therapists lead, the facilities in which the groups take place, the patients included, the activities presented, and individual and groups goals. Results were tabulated based on the responses of 120 therapists. We established that 60% of occupational therapists in all areas of practice lead groups in treatment. Of the 209 groups described by the respondents, there was a significantly greater number of activity groups than verbal groups. Also, there were significantly more groups with ten or less members than groups of more than ten. This paper describes the ten categories of groups that were identified in this study.