Occupational Therapist sought for forensic psychiatric inpatient ward in Middelfart

Do you want to make a difference through meaningful activity, rehabilitation and recovery in forensic psychiatry? Are you a registered occupational therapist, and do you have a passion for applying your professional skills to strengthen people's functional ability, independence and quality of life? Would you like to work with a complex patient group where relationships, patience and creative professional solutions are essential? Then you may be our new colleague at the Psychiatric Department Middelfart.

We are looking for a dedicated and professionally curious occupational therapist for our forensic psychiatric inpatient ward P2 in a permanent position starting 01.01.2027.

About us and our patients At P2 we treat adult patients who primarily have been sentenced with a placement order, and who have psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and personality disorders. The patient group often has complex problems and needs an individually tailored, holistic and rehabilitative approach.

We work multidisciplinary with the patients’ treatment and development and focus on supporting the individual patient’s resources, motivation and possibilities to master everyday life.

As an occupational therapist you will be attached to P2. Here you will collaborate with staff across the ward, which consists of 1 physiotherapist, health care assistants, nurses and pedagogues.

Your primary treatment rooms are our ward, where you also have a workshop and a training kitchen, which are closely linked to the inpatient ward. When possible, we also involve our pleasant surroundings near forest and beach in the treatment.

Your occupational therapy task We want to make occupational therapy a meaningful and integrated part of the patients’ treatment and rehabilitation process. Based on a recovery-oriented and client-centred approach, you should contribute to ensuring that patients have the opportunity to preserve and develop their practical, social and mental skills.

You should be able to see possibilities in small steps and help translate occupational therapy assessments into concrete actions in the patients’ daily lives. This requires professional expertise, perseverance and the ability to build relationships – even when motivation is low or the patient’s situation is complex.

You will have the opportunity to apply your occupational therapy expertise in individual treatment, group programs and the ward’s shared activity environment.

Your tasks Your tasks will include, among others

• Conduct occupational therapy assessments and assess patients’ functional level, activity capacity and need for support, for example through ADL assessments, MOHOST, AMPS and the Assessment of Sensory Processing (ASP), where relevant.
• Plan, implement and evaluate individual treatment and group treatment in collaboration with the patient and the multidisciplinary team.
• Develop and facilitate meaningful and varied activities that support patients’ resources, motivation, participation and independence in daily life.
• Work with sensory modulation, sensory profiles and calming strategies that can help patients regulate arousal and manage restlessness.
• Actively involve patients in their own rehabilitation through shared goals, individual plans and concrete activities.
• Contribute to assessing needs for training and compensatory measures and, if needed, collaborate with the responsible physician on rehabilitation plans.
• Document assessments, treatment and development in the electronic patient journal (EPJ) and communicate relevant observations to colleagues.
• Participate in multidisciplinary conferences and contribute occupational therapy perspectives on patients’ treatment and rehabilitation pathways.
• Educate patients and staff about health promotion, prevention and measures that support patients’ functioning and participation.
• Actively contribute to preventing conflicts and coercion through professional observations, relevant interventions and close collaboration with colleagues.
• Participate in the ward’s ongoing learning and development work and contribute to strengthening the quality of the occupational therapy practice.

You should also be prepared to engage in relevant therapeutic activities across the department when patients’ needs and the department’s overall tasks call for it.

We offer you Here you will have the opportunity to develop your professional expertise in a specialized psychiatric area where occupational therapy makes a concrete difference for the patients.

• An exciting and versatile position with the opportunity to influence and develop the occupational therapy practice.
• A close multidisciplinary collaboration with engaged colleagues, where different professional disciplines contribute to the patients’ treatment.
• A strong mono-disciplinary community with the department’s other occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
• Monthly mono-disciplinary supervision and the possibility for professional sparring.
• A shared professional coordinator for occupational therapists and physiotherapists to support coordination and professional development.
• An individual induction program with a mentor in the first six months by an experienced occupational therapist.
• Introduction to forensic psychiatry, including a course in conflict management and communicative de-escalation.
• Good physical premises and the possibility to involve the workshop, training kitchen and outdoor spaces in the treatment.
• Influence on planning your daily work tasks.
• Daytime working hours with weekends and holidays off.

We prioritize mono-disciplinary sparring and collaboration across disciplines so we can jointly develop the quality of our treatment and create the best possible framework for patients’ rehabilitation.

We are looking for you who

• Are a registered occupational therapist and preferably have experience with psychiatric occupational therapy – or a strong interest in the field.
• Can work client-centred and recovery-oriented, starting from the patient’s resources, needs and goals.
• Want to actively bring occupational therapy into play and make its importance visible in the multidisciplinary collaboration.
• Can translate occupational therapy assessments and evaluations into concrete, meaningful actions in the patients’ daily lives.
• Are creative and proactive in developing activities, even when the framework or patients’ motivation challenges you.
• Are patient, empathetic and persistent in relational work and can meet patients with respect and curiosity.
• Can remain calm and act professionally in situations where patients are emotionally excited or in affect.
• Thrive in being proactive and motivating and can adapt your approach to the individual patient’s situation.
• Are flexible and contribute constructively to collaboration across professional groups and teams.
• Would like to learn, develop yourself and actively contribute to the department’s professional community.

The most important thing is that you want to bring your occupational therapy expertise into play and see opportunities for development and rehabilitation – even when the path ahead requires time, patience and alternative solutions.

About Psychiatric Department Middelfart The department consists of five forensic psychiatric inpatient wards, a rehabilitation ward and a general psychiatric inpatient ward. In addition, we provide outpatient treatment in local psychiatry and forensic district psychiatry.

The department has capacity for a total of 102 patients and is a diverse workplace where many different professional groups collaborate cross-disciplinary and cross-sector with the patient at the centre.

We continuously work to develop our treatment, strengthen patients’ recovery possibilities and create a safe and professionally grounded treatment environment.

Want to know more? You are very welcome to contact us if you would like to hear more about the position and the opportunities that come with working as an occupational therapist in forensic psychiatry.

Contact

• Chief Nurse Ditte Dall Skovborg: tel. 21 65 39 59
• Professional coordinator: Toni Nilsson, tel. 99 44 83 50
• Occupational therapist and union representative Trine Müller, tel. 21 54 51 07

Salary and employment terms The region is obliged to inform you of the starting salary for the position as a nurse. You will be told the base salary, centrally set allowances and pension according to the collective agreement for Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists and Midwives, no. 33.21.1. In addition to the starting salary, the pay may include any negotiated allowances depending on the position, your experience and qualifications. The starting salary for the position can be found via the following link: See starting salary for positions in the Region of Southern Denmark

The department only hires staff with a satisfactory criminal record, and a public criminal record check (10 years back) is obtained with consent.

Application deadline: 15.11.26

Interviews: 26.11.26

We look forward to receiving your application and meeting you!