Christos Petrides

Occupational Therapist

Christos Petridis graduated with first-class honours in Occupational Therapy from the Department of Health Sciences at the European University of Cyprus in 2021. He is passionate about the client-centred approach, supporting each individual to reach their highest level of functioning and promoting autonomy and well-being in everyday life. His holistic practice is based on the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E) and the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), emphasising the dynamic relationship between individuals, their occupations, and their environments.

Committed to lifelong learning, he continually expands his knowledge and skills through international conferences, postgraduate seminars, and specialised training. He holds certified training from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens focused on geriatric care.
Since October 2023, Christos has been working at Mind and Health, a multidisciplinary mental health centre, providing individual and group interventions for adults with psychosis, neurodevelopmental disorders, dementia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In parallel, he is active in the community, designing and implementing initiatives that promote social inclusion and active participation, especially for marginalised and socially excluded groups.

In the past, he gained practical experience at the Psychiatric Clinic of Nicosia and at the Shelter for Unaccompanied Minor Asylum Seekers of Hope for Children in Larnaca, where he presented at the European Federation of Occupational Therapists (EFOT) workshop.
Through the Erasmus+ programme, he worked at the Theotokos Foundation in Greece with adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, focusing on vocational rehabilitation and social inclusion. He then provided occupational therapy at the General Hospital of Attica KAT, supporting neurological patients following strokes, traumatic brain injuries, or spinal cord injuries.

Since January 2024, he has served as Treasurer of the Pancyprian Association of Occupational Therapists and has contributed to the design of Cyprus’ National Mental Health Strategy.

Specialization

Occupational Therapy

What is occupational therapy?

Occupational Therapy is a client-centred health profession concerned with promoting the health and well-being of people, in which treatment takes place through the therapeutic use of occupations. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to reach their maximum level of independence and functioning so that they are able to participate in activities of daily living (WFOT 2012; AOTA, 2022).

What are the occupations?

Occupations are any activities that people do in their daily lives, which give meaning and purpose to people’s lives, and which people want, must or need to do (WFOT, 2012).

Examples of occupations are:

Self-Care occupations (feeding, dressing, sleeping, moving, mobility, personal hygiene e.g., toilet, brushing body and teeth)
Productivity occupations (work, education, responsibilities/obligations e.g., raising children and pets, shopping, laundry, meal preparation, paying bills, managing finances, managing and securing housing, making appointments, medication)
Leisure occupations (recreation, fun, entertainment, social interaction, play, hobbies, relaxation, group membership) (CAOT, 2022).

Who is Occupational Therapy for?

Occupational therapy is aimed at people of all ages who have any loss or lack of physical, sensory, mental, cognitive, or developmental function, whether congenital, or the result of illness, accident, or aging.

What can be the occupational therapy interventions?

Depending on the needs of the patient, occupational therapy can be offered individually, in groups or systemically (e.g., to members of a family).

Depending on the damage, abilities and goals of each client, occupational therapy interventions can target:

Developing, establishing, or maintaining basic *skills of the treated person, necessary to perform the activities of daily life *Motor, Social interaction, Cognitive-Perceptual skills
Training new techniques and strategies to the patient, to successfully perform activities of daily living / changing the way they are performed (in a different way than usual, e.g. in hemiplegia, tying shoelaces with one hand)
Adapting and modifying the environment in which the client lives and interacts in order to eliminate barriers and promote accessibility and safety raining in the use of adaptive/special equipment and assistive technology (such as shower chairs, casters, wheelchairs, dressing and feeding equipment)
Training in the use of adaptive/special equipment and assistive technology (such as shower chairs, splint fabrication, wheelchairs, equipment for dressing and feeding).
The education and counselling for caregivers and family
The training and counselling of school or work personnel
Developing a structured, healthy, balanced and productive routine (AOTA, 2022).