CLIENT-CENTERED FRAME OF REFERENCE
What is the client-centered frame of reference?
Client-centered practice is an approach to therapy that requires respectful
partnership between therapists and clients
Not an OT specific topic — developed by Carl Rogers (1939)
o Listen to the client
o Interaction between therapist and client
Client centered practice is an approach to providing occupational therapy, which
embraces a philosophy of respect for and partnership with, people receiving services.
Client centered practice recognizes
o autonomy of individuals
o need for client choice in making decisions about occupational needs
o strengths clients bring to a therapy encounter
o benefits of client-therapist partnership
o need to ensure that services are accessible and fit the context
Client-centered occupational therapy is a partnership between client and therapist
that empowers client to engage in functional performance & fulfill occupational roles
in a variety of environments.
o Client participates actively in negotiating goals which are given priority and
are at the centre of assessment, intervention and evaluation.
o Throughout the process OT listens to and respects client’s values, adapts the
interventions to meet the client’s needs and enables the client to make
informed decisions
What are the key concepts of the client-centred frame of reference?
Individual autonomy/choice
o Each client is unique
o Clients are experts about their occupational function
truly understand their own experiences of daily lives, express needs &
make choices about their occupations
o Clients have right to receive information to enable them to make decisions
about OT services to effectively meet these needs
information must be understandable & must enable them to make
decisions about their needs
o Respect for clients
o Involve clients in decision-making
o Meeting the clients’ needs
o Recognize clients’ experience and knowledge
o Active participation
o Negotiating goals
Partnership and responsibility
o Goal of client-therapist relationship is inter-dependent partnership to enable
solution of occupational performance issues and achievement of client goals.
o Assessment & intervention reflects client's visions & values
(accounts for roles & their environments)
o Power is a process by which client and therapist achieve together what
neither could achieve alone
o With partnership comes responsibility:
What is the client-centered frame of reference?
Client-centered practice is an approach to therapy that requires respectful
partnership between therapists and clients
Not an OT specific topic — developed by Carl Rogers (1939)
o Listen to the client
o Interaction between therapist and client
Client centered practice is an approach to providing occupational therapy, which
embraces a philosophy of respect for and partnership with, people receiving services.
Client centered practice recognizes
o autonomy of individuals
o need for client choice in making decisions about occupational needs
o strengths clients bring to a therapy encounter
o benefits of client-therapist partnership
o need to ensure that services are accessible and fit the context
Client-centered occupational therapy is a partnership between client and therapist
that empowers client to engage in functional performance & fulfill occupational roles
in a variety of environments.
o Client participates actively in negotiating goals which are given priority and
are at the centre of assessment, intervention and evaluation.
o Throughout the process OT listens to and respects client’s values, adapts the
interventions to meet the client’s needs and enables the client to make
informed decisions
What are the key concepts of the client-centred frame of reference?
Individual autonomy/choice
o Each client is unique
o Clients are experts about their occupational function
truly understand their own experiences of daily lives, express needs &
make choices about their occupations
o Clients have right to receive information to enable them to make decisions
about OT services to effectively meet these needs
information must be understandable & must enable them to make
decisions about their needs
o Respect for clients
o Involve clients in decision-making
o Meeting the clients’ needs
o Recognize clients’ experience and knowledge
o Active participation
o Negotiating goals
Partnership and responsibility
o Goal of client-therapist relationship is inter-dependent partnership to enable
solution of occupational performance issues and achievement of client goals.
o Assessment & intervention reflects client's visions & values
(accounts for roles & their environments)
o Power is a process by which client and therapist achieve together what
neither could achieve alone
o With partnership comes responsibility:
