Rehabilitation services in the form of Occupational Therapy Unit was present in the institute from 1922 itself when psychiatric rehabilitation was struggling for a place as a viable, credible intervention approach world-over following the ravages of the World war I. Lt. Col. Owen A. R. Berkeley Hill was the medical superintendent of the institute, then known as European Mental Hospital. Some of the heritage-creations of the patients in those times can still be seen in the O. T. unit which leave us in the world of reverie how those times would have been! The rehabilitation center and sheltered workshops were started here in 1967. Techniques like token-economy was first started in India at CIP in 1920 and called by the name “Habit Formation Chart.” The O. T. unit catered to the rehabilitation needs of both the male and female patients, when early in 1970’s a separate Female O. T. unit was created. A need to involve family in the care of psychiatric patients led to the cottages in CIP in 1960’s for patients to stay with their families under the same roof along with a rural mental health clinic at Mandar which is still functional.

In the years to follow, as the psychiatric rehabilitation acquired its own conceptual base from the “vulnerability-stress-coping-competence” model of mental disorder, the efforts were on their way to organize and integrate our resources in CIP to meet the rehabilitation needs of the patients. Today CIP is one of the premier institutes in the country offering varied rehabilitation services to various mentally ill patients.

Male Occupational Therapy Unit

The different wings of the department work in unison catering to the rehabilitation needs of the inpatients besides playing a crucial role supporting the reparative work in the institute and also producing surplus to supplement the rehabilitation resources available. The male Occupational Therapy Unit houses different sections employing various instructors who ensure maximal patient involvement in teaching a particular vocation to the patients. The various sections include- carpentry section, blacksmith section, tailoring section, weaving and chair-caning section and painting section. State-of-art machines and instruments are available for performing and training of the patients. Each Occupation Therapy Unit is managed by a trained occupation therapist. An appreciable amount of work is undertaken in the male O. T. with patient involvement like envelope-making, paper-bag making, card making and other stuffs and the finished products are sold in the market. The unit is instrumental in catering to the major thrust of repair work in the institute making the institute self reliant in this aspect. The vast stretch of land available around the O. T. is beautified by the patients who have interest in gardening, besides many patients who are farmers by occupation try their hands in making this land productive by growing common vegetables. The male O. T also houses a Physiotherapy Unit well equipped with latest instruments and caters to psychiatric patients with physical disability.

Female Occupational Therapy Unit

The female O. T. unit located within the premises of the female block meets the rehabilitation needs of the female inpatients. It is managed by as many as five instructors and skills such as needle work in the form of knitting, embroidery, crochet work, jute work are under taken. Besides these routine activities, crafts like tie and dye, dupatta making, card making, pen stand making, stuffed toy making and cooking classes are held at regular intervals.

Sheltered Workshop

Sheltered Workshop is located outside the inpatient-wing of the institute. The focus of starting this program is on therapeutic outcomes like improved self-esteem and reduced symptoms, training for gainful employment being a secondary goal. It utilizes unskilled work as a means to teaching employment-related skills like personal and social skills and appropriate work-habits and attitudes. The workshop is equipped with one of the most sophisticated machines which serve the dual purposes of faster production and exposure to the patients who are interested in pursuing these skills as their vocation. The workshop meets the printing and binding requirements of the administrative and other sections of the institute, besides offering vocational guidance to patients working here under the supervision of an in-charge, a machine man, a binder and a compositor.

Vegetable Garden and Fruit Orchard

The institute has a vast land area nourishing its own fruit orchard and a vegetable garden. These cater to the institute kitchen and the surplus is sold outside and fund is collected for welfare of the patients.