Occupational Therapy Creative Activities Lab Session!

23rd April 2025:

This is a backdated post, but still — our Semester 6 students had a blast during their Creative Activities Lab Session! 🥳🤩
From ballet dancing to origami, jewellery making, piano time (yes, one student even brought her own keyboard!), paper collage, penguin sculpture (it’s a Pingu Cartoon reference! 🐧), and DIY house building — the creativity was flowing!

Each of these activities, chosen by the students themselves, truly offered therapeutic experiences and opportunities for creative expression. As an Occupational Therapist to be, they need to first understand and experience the therapeutic process before applying it as an intervention with real patients later! 😉

Creative occupations such as dancing, crafting, music-making, and art-based tasks have been shown to positively impact mental health by enhancing emotional regulation, fostering a sense of purpose, reducing psychological distress, and promoting self-expression and well-being (Shukla et al., 2022; Ludowyke et al., 2023; Bukhave et al., 2025).

P/S: This activity is part of the Semester 6 subject Occupational Therapy for Psychiatric Conditions.

References:

Ludowyke, L., Lentin, P., & Brown, T. (2023). The Meaning and Purpose of Creativity in the Daily Life Occupations, Activities, Acts and Behaviors Amongst Adults Living with Mental Health Conditions: A Scoping Review. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health, 40(1), 45–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/0164212X.2023.2218121
Bukhave, E. B., Creek, J., Linstad, A. K., & Frandsen, T. F. (2025). The effects of crafts-based interventions on mental health and well-being: A systematic review. Australian occupational therapy journal, 72(1), e70001. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.70001
Shukla, A., Choudhari, S. G., Gaidhane, A. M., & Quazi Syed, Z. (2022). Role of Art Therapy in the Promotion of Mental Health: A Critical Review. Cureus, 14(😎, e28026. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.28026