This section is intended to provide a brief background on the OTPF-4 and is appropriate to use when advocating for OT services or communicating with individuals unfamiliar with the domain and practice occupational therapy.

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) outlines the domain and process of occupational therapy it grounds the profession and provides a unified vision of the scope of occupational therapy; making it a valuable resource when advocating for occupational therapy as a profession and when advocating for clients. The OTPF-4 is intended for not only occupational therapy practitioners and students, but also for anyone who interacts with or could be considered a stakeholder in occupational therapy services (AOTA, 2020). However, the OTPF-4 itself is not a model, or theory, of practice but is intended to work in tandem with additional knowledge relevant to occupational therapy- including OT models of practice, frames of reference, and related knowledge from complementary fields.

The fourth edition of the OTPF published in 2020 is the most up to date version of the OTPF. It varies from the OTPF 3rd edition in some key ways. Chief among them is closer consideration of “client.” The OTPF-4 clearly outlines not only the scope of the profession’s role with individual clients but also the role and process of OT with group and population clients, which is similar to the occupational therapy process for individuals. The occupational therapy process for populations is reminiscent of public health while the occupational therapy process with groups can be similar to population or individual processes to address occupational performance (Scaffa & Rietz, 2014 in AOTA, 2020 p. 55). In the OTPF-4 itself Table 10 is a valuable resource for further detailing the OT process for all clients and is summarized as Table 2 in this document. (See Table 2: Occupational Therapy Process for Persons, Groups, & Populations).

The OTPF-4 expanded understanding of client factors to encompass societal shifts including the addition of gender identity, the use of the international classification of functioning (ICF) definition of psychosocial, and the addition of interoception as a sensory function (AOTA, 2020). Additional modifications include matching the language and definitions in the OTPF-4 with those in the ICF, more clearly defined OT terminology, and reflecting a more inclusive relationship with occupational science. The OTPF-4 also features newly added Cornerstones of Occupational Therapy Practice, these are not concepts new to occupational therapy, but rather speak to the unique core of occupational therapy and serve to more clearly distinguish occupational therapy from other professions (AOTA, 2020). The cornerstones will likely feel familiar to experienced practitioners and are:

• Core values and beliefs rooted in occupation

• Knowledge of and expertise in the therapeutic use of occupation

• Professional behaviors and dispositions

• Therapeutic use of self

The OTPF-4 is available online from the AOTA, is free for members, and is available for purchase by non-members. Additional OTPF-4 resources from AOTA are listed here.