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This paper summarizes the results of a survey of the role of occupational therapy in provincial psychiatric hospitals in Ontario. Occupational therapy was found to provide major programming in three areas: 1) functional skills assessment and training, 2) life skills assessment and training and, 3) self awareness and personal growth. Subjects used a variety of frames of reference, but models based upon Glasser's Reality Therapy predominated. A complementary relationship was found between occupational therapy and vocational and recreational services, with occupational therapy playing a clinical or therapeutic role, while vocational and recreational services provided normalizing experiences. A comparison of occupational therapy programming in the institutions surveyed, with programming reported in the recent occupational therapy literature indicated that techniques and media utilized paralleled those used in acute and community psychiatric programs.

This paper describes the use of videotaped interviews with volunteer patients as a method of teaching interviewing skills to first and second year occupational therapy students. It is hoped that this experience will enable students to conduct interviews in clinical or community settings with greater confidence and effectiveness.

A survey of 24 institutionalized elderly people was conducted to determine their present interests and activities in the institution and those prior to institutionalization. It was found that elderly women's former interests were maintained for the most part in the institutions except for homemaking, but that less opportunity was provided for elderly men to pursue their former interests. The types of activities and interests described by these subjects tend to correspond with the types of activities commonly included in programs designed by occupational therapists for elderly residents in institutions.

This paper explores the principles of humanistic psychology and their application in the care of elderly institutionalized people. Activities already used by occupational therapists which can enhance the self-actualization process are described and other activities which could be incorporated into activity programs are suggested. The influence of staff attitudes on residents' well-being is a vital factor in geriatric care and must be taken into account in any form of programming.