Aiming for a ‘Master’s’ in Occupational Therapy, specialising in Mental Health

WHILE it’s not typical for a doctor to refer someone with a mental health case to an Occupational Therapist (OT), Errica Canterbury, who works in the Rehabilitation and Disability Services Division of the Ministry of Health, believes that there’s a direct link between such therapy and mental health and hence has been using every opportunity she gets to help patients with both the physical and mental health aspects of their condition.

The passionate 26-year-old Occupational Therapist (OT) is one of just six in the country based at the West Demerara Regional Hospital. Although none of them specialises in mental health, Errica hopes to further her studies in the field, even if it means that she will be the only one to offer such a service in the country for a time.

OTs specialising in mental health is common regionally and internationally, just not something present yet in Guyana. “I am personally fighting hard for it. My hope is to do a ‘Master’s’ to further myself professionally so that I can continue to share my knowledge and host workshops so that it can become something normalised here,” Errica shared in an interview with Pepperpot Magazine recently.

In her bid to use OT to aid mental health, Errica started the process by getting herself a Diploma in General Psychology from the University of Guyana (UG), but she’d further need to get a ‘Master’s’ in OT (specialising in mental health) or perhaps a ‘Master’s’ in Mental Health along with a Bachelor’s Degree in OT.

Money, though, is the problem. “The only thing I don’t have to do my Master’s right now is money. I have everything else – the drive, the interest, the passion; I just don’t have the money, because it’s not cheap.”

She has already looked into the possibility of being awarded a scholarship; otherwise, she has no idea how at this point she’d be able to do the studies. Hoping and waiting to see how things work out is all she can do at the moment.

Because she knows the value of pursuing such a course, she is optimistic and plans to do the best she could to achieve her goal. “It’s something I am very passionate about and I intend to put my best foot forward in making it happen,” she expressed, adding, “It’s something that we see is helpful and beneficial, so if it means that I have to continuously work at this so that it becomes something normal here, then I am without hesitation going to put my best foot forward and push towards making it a reality.”

Just recently, Errica and the rest of OTs chipped in to make a nurses workshop related to mental health possible at the National Psychiatric Hospital in Berbice which would have benefitted approximately 20 nurses there.

The training was done at the psychiatric hospital, specifically for mental health cases. “This, I would say, is the first step and it was successful.”

The OTs did a field visit there in early 2022 when they realised that there was a need for an OT to be based at the hospital. Although there is a Cuban OT there at the moment, Errica believes that their inability to speak English fluently hinders their ability to be of optimum service. “I felt that even when there is one one there, it wasn’t someone who could help in the fullest sense and to the best of the patient’s interest.”

Because there was initially no OT at the Berbice hospital, the team of OTs decided to host the workshop. This is in addition to Errica’s personal interest in mental health. “I personally have a huge interest in mental health and Ms Barbara Lawrence was helpful in facilitating me in growing this aspect of my career,” she shared.

With each patient she works with, Errica uses the opportunity to do more than just help with their physical rehabilitation. “When the person comes with their physical limitations but exhibits sadness or depression, I get to work on both the physical and mental aspects.”

With the fresh batch of OTs who graduated recently, she is hopeful that at least one of them has an interest in mental health, so that perhaps they can eventually build a team of OTs willing to work in mental health and push this aspect of rehabilitation forward.