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 licensed occupational therapist, and are you passionate about using your professional skills to strengthen people's functioning, independence and quality of life? Do you want to work with a complex patient group where relationships, patience and creative professional solutions are crucial? Then you may be our new colleague at the Psychiatric Department Middelfart.

We are seeking an engaged and professionally curious occupational therapist for our forensic inpatient ward P2 in a permanent position from 01.01.2027.

About us and our patients

At P2 we treat adult patients who are primarily sentenced to 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 consisting of 1 physiotherapist, social and health care assistants, nurses and educators.

Your primary treatment rooms are our ward, where you also have a workshop and a training kitchen that are closely linked to the inpatient ward. Whenever possible, we also incorporate our wonderful surroundings near forest and beach in the treatment.

Your occupational therapy role

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 enabling patients to preserve and develop their practical, social and mental skills.

You should be able to see opportunities in small steps and help translate occupational therapy assessments into concrete actions in the patients' everyday life. This requires professionalism, 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 common activity environment.

Your tasks

Your tasks will include among other things to

• Conduct occupational therapy assessments and evaluate patients' functional level, activity capacity and support needs, 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 everyday 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 the need for training and compensatory measures and, if needed, collaborate with the responsible physician on rehabilitation plans.
• Document assessments, treatment and progress in the electronic patient journal (EPJ) and communicate relevant observations to collaborators.
• Participate in multidisciplinary conferences and contribute occupational therapy perspectives on patients' treatment and rehabilitation pathways.
• Counsel patients and staff on 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 help strengthen the quality of the occupational therapy effort.

You should also be willing to take part in relevant therapeutic activities across the department when patients' needs and the department's overall tasks call for it.

We offer you

With us you will have the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a specialized psychiatric setting, where occupational therapy makes a concrete difference for the patients.

• An exciting and varied position with the opportunity to influence and develop the occupational therapy efforts.
• A close multidisciplinary collaboration with dedicated colleagues, where different professional areas contribute to the patients' treatment.
• A strong mono-disciplinary community with the department's other occupational therapists and physiotherapists.
• Monthly mono-disciplinary supervision and opportunities for professional sparring.
• A shared professional coordinator for the occupational and physiotherapist teams, supporting coordination and professional development.
• An individual introductory program with a mentor during the first six months with an experienced occupational therapist.
• Introduction to forensic psychiatry, including a course in conflict management and communicative de-escalation.
• Good physical surroundings and the possibility to involve workshop, training kitchen and outdoor areas in the treatment.
• Influence on planning your daily work tasks.
• Daytime working hours with time off on weekends and public holidays.

We prioritize mono-disciplinary sparring and cross-disciplinary collaboration so that together we can develop the quality of our treatment and create the best possible framework for the patients' rehabilitation.

We are looking for someone who

• Is a licensed occupational therapist and ideally has experience with psychiatric occupational therapy – or a strong interest in the area.
• Can work client-centred and recovery-oriented based on the patient's resources, needs and goals.
• Wants 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' everyday life.
• Is creative and proactive in developing activities, even when the constraints or patients' motivation challenge you.
• Is patient, empathetic and persistent in relationship-building and can meet patients with respect and curiosity.
• Can remain calm and act professionally in situations where patients are emotionally escalated or in affect.
• Thrives being proactive and motivating and can tailor your approach to the individual patient's situation.
• Is flexible and contributes constructively to collaboration across professional groups and teams.
• Wants to learn, develop and actively contribute to the ward's professional community.

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

About the 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 psychiatry district psychiatry.

The department has capacity for a total of 102 patients and is a diverse workplace where many different professional groups collaborate across disciplines and sectors 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 want 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
• Clinical 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 nurse. You will be informed of base salary, centrally set allowances and pension in accordance with 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 employs only staff with a satisfactory criminal record, and a public criminal background 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!

Department: Psychiatric Department Middelfart

Job title: Occupational Therapist

Working hours: 37

Workplace: Middelfart

Application deadline: 15-11-2026

Application deadline: 15 November 2026