Creativity is a way for a human to express himself as a species and as an individual. The research on the therapeutic power of creative activities already started at the beginning of the 20th century. Nowadays creative activities are being used in therapy more and more widely. Creative activities in occupational therapy enable clients to, for example, find themselves, express and examine their selves and identify and solve their inner and interpersonal conflicts. Creative activities focus on the creative process itself – instead of emphasizing the end result or skill development. Creative activities can be used for example to enhance clients’ thinking and doing, communication and participation together with others. They can also be used to strengthen clients’ self-esteem and feelings of pleasure and well-being. Occupational therapy for mental health clients does not focus on fixing the disorder – it focuses on controlling the symptoms and enabling for the clients to function in their daily lives instead. Creative activities are a great way for clients’ to, for example, vent their subconscious feelings considering their illness.

The direct goal of this practice-based thesis is an updateable web-based folder of creative activities to be used in an adjustment training course Taideleiri organized by psychiatric outpatient clinic of Länsi-Pohja healthcare district. The rehabilitation in Taideleiri happens in a camp-like context, where people work in a creative group. The purpose of this thesis is to create a tool for the occupational therapists leading the group. The tool can be used to plan and implement each camp. The development goal is that the occupational therapists put the folder to use, and it boosts their time management and makes their work more qualified. The activities in the folder are supposed to encourage clients to engage in the creative process. The activities, communicating with the general goals of Taideleiri, are related to self-expression and self-examination and they work as tools for communication, rehabilitation, peer support and being in a group.

Pierce’s theory of the therapeutic power of occupation forms the base of this thesis. The therapeutic power of occupation is formed by three concepts effecting it: Appeal, intactness, and accuracy. They all base on different views of occupation. These dimensions of the therapeutic power of occupation guide the planning and implementing of the folder and the selection of the creative activities. The activities in the folder are categorized into three sections based on Finlay’s theory of group structure and Pierce’s model of the therapeutic power of occupation. Those sections are orientative activities, activities of the action phase and calming activities. The activities are gathered from different references and they are analyzed to fit the concepts of Pierce’s model.