Is It Coaching or Is It OT? Scope, Ethics, Pros, and Cons of the Coaching Model Lesson

Course Description

Coaching approaches are increasingly being incorporated into occupational therapy practice across physical rehabilitation, mental health, chronic disease management, pediatrics, and community-based care. At the same time, many occupational therapy practitioners report uncertainty about how coaching models fit within occupational therapy scope of practice, how they differ from traditional intervention approaches, and what ethical or practical concerns may emerge when using them in clinical care. This session will examine the use of coaching models within occupational therapy practice through a balanced discussion of potential benefits, limitations, ethical considerations, and implementation challenges. Participants will explore how coaching approaches may support participation, carryover, self-management, and client engagement while also considering concerns related to role confusion, documentation, reimbursement, therapeutic boundaries, and professional competence. The session will provide practical frameworks for determining when coaching approaches may be appropriate within occupational therapy services and when other intervention models may be more clinically appropriate. Current evidence related to coaching in occupational therapy and health care will also be discussed.

Objectives

Speaker

Jaclyn Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, NBC-HWC

Dr. Jaclyn Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, NBC-HWC is an occupational therapy practitioner, researcher, and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She has practiced across the continuum of care, from early intervention to acute care, and has a background in federally funded research focused on medication adherence, health self-management, and health equity. She is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Dr. Schwartz is the Program Director of Just for OT: Practitioner to Coach, an NBHWC-accredited coaching certification program designed exclusively for occupational therapy practitioners. She is also the host of The Health Coach OT podcast, where she explores how coaching can help occupational therapy practitioners produce lasting behavior change in their clients. Her work sits at the intersection of occupational therapy practice, behavioral science, and health coaching.

Loved this talk and want to go deeper? Enter for a chance to win a free seat in the October cohort of Just for OT: Practitioner to Coach Program, the only NBHWC-accredited coach training designed exclusively for occupational therapy practitioners. To enter go to https://flow.page/aspireotcoach Enter by 9/30/2026.