Potac Information

The Mission of POTAC is to support the practice of psychiatric occupational therapy through education, information, and advocacy for consumers, health care providers and the community. The Psychiatric Occupational Therapy Action Coalition (POTAC) recognizes that oppression and systemic racism exist, and that change begins with each of us. Through its Steering Committee, membership, continuing education events, advocacy, and information, the organization encourages all involved to be aware of this. Anti-racism, anti-oppression starts with an awareness of thoughts, language, and actions. Such awareness should lead to the necessary, but difficult discussions in order to positively change the mental health community and the profession of occupational therapy. The Steering Committee encourages its members and affiliates to be actively involved by working to end racism and to provide social and occupational justice for all marginalized groups. The Psychiatric Occupational Therapy Action Coalition (POTAC) had its roots in an original group of San Francisco OTs working in mental health, the OT Psych. Forum, organized by the Sr. Occupational Therapist at San Francisco General Hospital, Judith Levins Leiber, MPH, OTR in the early 1980s. The group was developed for the purpose of continuing education, networking, and promotion of mental health OT practice. The group, always well attended, met monthly on Friday afternoons at the SFGH. By 1995 it was becoming obvious that OT jobs were disappearing and that there were many fewer OTs who were working in mental health settings. Two members of the OT Psych. Forum, Ruth Ramsey, MS, OTR/L and Eileen Auerbach, MS, OTR/L called together a group of psych. OTs to discuss beginning a more activist effort to reinvigorate the practice of psychiatric OT. They called this group the Psychiatric Occupational Therapy Action Coalition. As POTAC developed, its mission statement was to revitalize the practice of psychiatric occupational therapy through education, information, and advocacy for ...