As demand for occupational therapists increases, severe shortages in remote and regional communities are causing stress and burnout in the industry.

The surge in demand for Occupational Therapists has been prompted by a rapid rise in children requiring treatment for issues relating to emotional regulation and behaviour.

According to OT Vivienne Williams, parents report feeling at their wits end and are seeking advice from experts who can help identify the cause of the issue.

While rewards or punishments might work to curb behaviour issues in the short term, Ms Wiliams said in the long run they may do more harm than good.

Parents may benefit from seeing an OT if they believe their child has emotional regulation issues caused by sensory, social, emotional, trauma, executive function and learning difficulties.

The therapists can then help work with the child and family to build awareness, resilience, and coping strategies, based on the child’s needs.

“Kids who get stuck on one idea, one desire, one solution often get stuck and escalate when their desire cannot be met,” said Ms Williams.

“They can also struggle when something needs to change unexpectedly. We find when this happens, parents get frustrated, the child gets extremely upset and melt-downs can occur.”

Sam Hunter, Occupational Therapy Australia CEO said demand for occupational therapists has never been higher.

“Helping children who struggle to manage their emotions is one area Occupational Therapy Australia is seeing soaring demand for assistance in.

“It is the third largest and fastest growing allied health profession in the country. Their work with children addresses developmental delays and supports every day activities, which in the long term, maximises their potential."  

But the soaring demand is leaving regional and remote OTs burnt out and struggling to keep up with demand.

Jo Murray is an occupational therapist, a Director on the Board of Occupational Therapy Australia, and co-founder of Townsville-based Apricus Health, offering a range of allied health services.

Her business has had five positions advertised for the past 12 months, none of which have been filled. Of a further six new graduate positions recently advertised, only one has been filled.

“The lack of supply is causing tremendous stress right across the sector,” Ms Murray said.

“It’s a really complex issue - the number of students enrolling in OT has reduced significantly, you have people leaving the profession as a result of burnout, and then if people do relocate here to take up a new position they often cannot find housing.

“With an existing workforce shortage and current tertiary education reforms, there is also an issue of lack of lecturers to teach in universities.

“I think we need to be going into high schools and encouraging more young people to consider allied health as a profession,” she said.

Ms Williams said parents - especially those without access to an OT - should aim to spend quality time with their kids, at least 30-60 minutes per week, as a strategy to build connection and manage emotional meltdowns.

“This could be chatting to them or doing something together that interests their child.”

While this doesn’t seem like a long time, Ms Williams said it could make a significant difference in controlling outbursts.

“This builds a secure base and the child then tends to be much more cooperative because they’re feeling connected.”