A Revised Occupational Therapy Definition of Client-Centred Practice

Abstract

This paper reports on the second phase of a research project to determine a British occupational therapy definition of client-centred practice. Sixty-seven occupational therapists participated in nine focus groups, structured according to the nominal group technique. These groups involved therapists working in social services, mental health, learning disabilities, paediatrics, neurology, a wheelchair service and with elderly clients and there were two groups in general medicine. A hundred and sixty-five components of client-centred practice were generated and subsequently analysed to form seven themes. Frequencies and medians of the components ranked in the top five were also calculated. In addition, three questions were asked to solicit opinions on the definition that was created in the first phase of this study and frequencies were also determined from these responses. All these data were used to inform revisions to the definition created in phase one. This revised definition was then reviewed by members of the Council of the College of Occupational Therapists as the final validating group. The resulting final definition will enable therapists to determine whether or not they are using a client-centred approach.

Barriers and bridges to client-centred occupational therapy in Sweden

“…The therapist and client should arrive at a mutual understanding of the formulated goals [5]. Sumsion [6,7] has developed a British definition of client-centred practice. In Sweden, no explicit definition of client-centred occupational therapy has been published.…”

Occupational therapists as contributors to health promotion

“…The client's participation and influence on his or her own life is a basic premise of the Ottawa Charter's discussion of the importance of developing the client's personal skills by providing information, education for health, and enhancing life skills (5). It is also a prerequisite for empowerment, as argued in individual empowerment perspectives (34,35). In the FGDs the informants talked about the influence the individual and the environment have on each other, which could indicate a focus on both personal, socioeconomic and environmental factors (6,36).…”

The most important considerations in the assessment of functional decline in seniors: a literature review

“…The client participates actively in negotiating goals, which are given priority and are at the centre of assessment, intervention and evaluation. Throughout the process the therapist listens to and respects the client's values, adapts the interventions to meet the client's needs and enables the client to make informed decisions" [27]. The aim of the assessment is to make sure that all activities that a senior need to, or want to, or expected to do are identified and the reasons for any limitations are recognised.…”