The path to health and well-being is intricately linked to participating in daily occupations. Occupational therapy focuses on enabling clients to maximize their capacity to participate in life activities that are important and meaningful to them, to promote overall health and wellness.

Adolescents and adults who received and benefited from therapy in childhood may nonetheless find themselves struggling when they reach new developmental levels and/or life experiences. For example, a teenager who has adapted to the challenges of high school may leave home for college and find that living in the more chaotic setting of a dormitory triggers new symptoms. At times like these, "booster" therapy or counseling that increases self-understanding and provides strategies for adapting to the new situation is often extremely helpful.

Motor interventions performed by OTs have been shown to result in significant changes in children’s motor performance, according to a systematic review published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2013.

A 2014 study, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, found that those who participated in a 12-week wellness coaching program exhibited improvements in their quality of life, depression and stress level.