Development and content of a school-based occupational therapy intervention for promoting emotional well-being in children

The development and content of an occupational therapy intervention promoting emotional wellbeing, for children with subclinical anxiety, is described. Development and trialling followed a four-step process: (1) reviewing theory; (2) reviewing evidence; (3) incorporating expert opinion; (4) trialling. The intervention consists of eight group sessions, led by an occupational therapist, over 8 weeks of an academic term. It is proposed outcomes will be achieved by providing children with knowledge about health promoting occupations and how to participate in, balance and sustain these. This paper offers a guideline for the development and description of similar interventions to facilitate more robust evaluation of clinical practice. KEYWORDS Health promotion, mental health, occupational therapy, school-based, wellbein