Exploring Occupational Therapists’ Perspectives on Client-centered Approaches

Introduction: Client-centered approaches are considered best practice in occupational therapy. Therapists adopt this focus due to education and the nature of the profession. This study aimed to investigate occupational therapists’ perspectives on client-centered approaches, their perceived effectiveness, and the factors facilitating their implementation, while also examining the difficulties encountered.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 104 occupational therapists, mainly specializing in pediatric rehabilitation. Data were collected through Google Forms, following a comprehensive literature review.
Results: Occupational therapists reported that they prioritized client preferences and used practice-based experiential knowledge to facilitate this approach. However, it was determined that barriers such as limited client awareness and institutional standards hindered its full implementation.
Discussion and Conclusion: The findings offer practical tools for facilitating client-centered approaches and suggest addressing challenges and barriers to enhance the perceived effectiveness of occupational therapy in Türkiye. These measures can promote a more client-centered approach in practice.

Keywords: Client-centered practice; Education; Intervention; Occupational therapy; Regulations