Empowerment has been seen as an integral part of the rehabilitation of mental health rehabilitees. Although Empowerment is an integral part of mental health rehabilitation, it is too rarely an emerging term. In the rehabilitation of a mental health rehabilitee, important core components of supporting empowerment include activities relevant to the individual and the building of social rela-tionships. Empowerment is seen as an important part of the recovery process for mental health rehabilitators, as it involves, among other things, an increased sense of control over one’s own life. Empowerment is an individual experience and its realization can be promoted through various means of occupational therapy.

This bachelor´s thesis is a descriptive literature review. The purpose of this thesis is to describe ways in which the empowerment of a mental health rehabilitee can be promoted. The research answers to the research question “what kind of occupational therapy is there to promote the em-powerment of the mental health rehabilitee?”

The information research for this thesis was done by using the following databases: OTDBase, OTSeeker, PubMed, AJOT, SageJournals ja Ebscohost (CinaHL & Academic Search Elite). Six studies were selected to be used after the data selection process.

The results of this descriptive literature review show that occupational therapy can promote the empowerment of the mental health rehabilitee by utilizing activities that interest and motivate the rehabilitee and by enabling the rehabilitee to make decisions regarding his or her own rehabilitation. Enabling decision-making puts the rehabilitee in an active role in rehabilitation and the re-sults make it easier for the rehabilitee to commit to rehabilitation. In occupational therapy, supporting the mental health rehabilitees sense of independence and control are also significant factors in increasing the experience of empowerment. Based on the results, the right level of chal-lenges in the relevant activities also support the rehabilitees experience of empowerment. Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that occupational therapists cannot directly empower the rehabilitee, but with their professional skills they are able to support and promote its realization through various factors.