As part of the European Public Health Week (EUPHW) 2025, COTEC hosted a powerful and timely webinar titled “Championing Mental Health at Work for Occupational Therapists.” Held on 12 May 2025, the event aligned with EUPHW’s daily theme, “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right,” and brought vital attention to the emotional well-being and resilience of the occupational therapy workforce across Europe.

Elevating Mental Health in the OT Profession

Occupational therapists regularly navigate complex, emotionally demanding environments, yet their mental health often remains a secondary concern in healthcare systems. This webinar aimed to shift that narrative—providing both reflective insight and practical strategies to sustain and protect the well-being of occupational therapy professionals.

Two internationally recognized experts delivered keynote presentations:

Dr. Samantha Ashby

Associate Professor, University of Newcastle, Australia

In her session, “Exploring Professional Resilience Strategies,” Dr. Ashby addressed the systemic and personal contributors to burnout, emphasizing that resilience must be nurtured through supportive work cultures, collegial reflection, and ethically grounded leadership. She introduced frameworks that shift responsibility from the individual to the organizational level, arguing that resilience is a collective necessity, not a personal luxury.

Dr. Áine O’Dea

Occupational Therapist and Founder, Radiant Consulting, Ireland

Dr. O’Dea’s presentation, “Neuro-Affirming Workspaces in Healthcare,” introduced a paradigm shift for how occupational therapy environments can evolve to accommodate neurodivergent professionals. She offered compelling insights into sensory-friendly design, inclusive communication practices, and the importance of psychologically safe teams that value cognitive diversity.

Participation and Reach Across Europe

The event garnered widespread interest and engagement across the continent. Based on registration data, participants represented a range of countries, including Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, and others. Most registrants identified as occupational therapists or worked in related fields such as mental health care, academia, or disability services.

The data from the registration forms reveal the strong alignment with COTEC’s values of transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity:

• Over 95% of registrants gave explicit consent for their data to be processed under GDPR and for the webinar to be recorded or shared.
• Attendees expressed enthusiastic support for making workplace wellbeing a more visible and strategic concern within the profession.
• Registrations reflected a high interest in topics related to resilience, neuro-inclusivity, and public health advocacy.

Engaged Dialogue and Practical Takeaways

Beyond the presentations, the webinar featured an interactive Q&A session, where participants raised critical questions and shared real-world experiences—from managing burnout in under-resourced systems to advocating for inclusive workspaces in public health institutions.

Key takeaways included:

• Mental health advocacy must extend to professionals, not just service users.
• Resilience-building is an ethical obligation for organizations.
• Neuro-affirming practices are foundational to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Occupational therapists can be changemakers in shaping mentally healthy workplaces.

Alignment with EUPHW’s Vision

This year’s overarching EUPHW theme — “Health is a Political Choice”— was reflected in the webinar’s content and ethos. By foregrounding the well-being of the occupational therapy workforce, COTEC emphasized that mental health is both a rights-based issue and a systemic priority.

In her address, COTEC President Anu Söderström stated:

“To truly advocate for clients, we must first safeguard the mental health and dignity of those who deliver care. Occupational therapists deserve to work in systems that value and protect their wellbeing.”

Recording and Resources

A full recording of the webinar is available on the COTEC Europe YouTube channel.

All COTEC member associations and professional networks are encouraged to:

• Share the recording with colleagues and students.
• Incorporate the content into training modules or reflective supervision sessions.
• Begin or deepen local conversations on resilience and neuro-inclusive practice.

Moving Forward

By participating in European Public Health Week 2025, COTEC reaffirmed its commitment to occupational justice, workforce sustainability, and inclusive healthcare systems. This webinar was not only an educational opportunity—it was a call to action to ensure that those who support others are also supported themselves.

COTEC continues to advocate for occupational therapists to be not just agents of health but also recipients of health-promoting conditions within their work environments.