Core values

The values and attitudes central to the OT profession include altruism, equality, freedom, justice, dignity, truth, and prudence . Altruism is the unselfish concern for the welfare of others and includes showing care, dedication, responsiveness, and understanding to clients. OT practitioners, researchers, and educators are dedicated professionals who seek to understand their clients and support occupational engagement. They are concerned with the client’s experiences and goals. Their dedication to clients may be observed in creating opportunities and resources that benefit clients in their own community and engaging in life-long learning to provide best practice.

Equality refers to treating all people equally, with an atti- tude of fairness and impartiality, and respecting everyone’s beliefs, values, and lifestyles in day-to-day interactions. OT practitioners, researchers, and educators treat clients who represent diverse backgrounds, values, and lifestyles. Because therapeutic relationships are about serving clients, OT practitioners must treat everyone respectfully and fairly and not make judgments about a client’s beliefs, values, and lifestyles. Equity differs from equality and ensures that everyone has access to the same opportunities, recognizing advantages and barriers that may exist due to diversity and social conditions. For example, some clients may not have access to therapy sessions due to transportation issues. The OT practitioner may seek out re- sources to secure transportation to therapy. In this example, failing to consider the client’s access to transportation would serve as a barrier to accessing equitable services. As the OT professional gets to know the client, they may identify barriers to services which may be personal, attitudinal, or environmental. Personal barriers include values, beliefs, and opinions. Attitudinal barriers include opinions, biases, or stereotypes. Environmental barriers may be financial, systems, political, or physical. OT personnel work to eliminate personal, attitudinal, or environmental barriers that limit a person’s ability to engage in desired occupations.

The OT practitioner also values freedom, an individual’s right to exercise choice, independence, initiative, and self direction. OT practitioners provide support and encouragement to promote freedom, enabling each client to develop their inherent potential. OT practitioners collaborate with clients to support choices and freedom, rather than controlling all aspects of the intervention.

Justice is the need for all OT professionals to provide ser- vices to those in need of them and to maintain a goal-directed and objective relationship with clients. OT professionals abide by the laws that govern practice and respect the legal rights of the client. This refers to following State Practice Acts, insurance guidelines, and maintaining privacy and confidentiality of health, research, or educational information. For example, OT professionals conducting re- search must have their study approved by an Institutional Review Board and follow guidelines for working with various protected populations of people.

Justice also includes “the pursuit of a state in which diverse communities are inclusive and are organized and structured so that all members can function, flourish, and live a satisfac- tory life regardless of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, origin, socioeconomic status, degree of ability, or any other status or attributes”. There- fore OT personnel address social justice, which refers to in- equalities that limit opportunities for people to participate in society, and occupational justice, which refers to full inclusion in everyday meaningful occupations for persons, groups, or populations .

Dignity refers to the inherent value and worth of human beings. OT professionals demonstrate this value through empathy and respect for each person. They demonstrate dignity by treating people respectfully, listening to their concerns, answering questions, supporting people’s goals, and advocating for services, resources, or rights. They respect each person’s cultural beliefs and traditions, values, and preferences.

Truthfulness is demonstrated through behavior that is accountable, honest, and accurate, and that maintains one’s professional competence. This requires OT professionals to stay current with information supporting practice, research, and education so that they can provide honest and accurate information. Truthfulness is observed when professionals ac- curately document, communicate, and represent their services.

Prudence is the ability to demonstrate sound judgment, care, and discretion. It requires dedication to continued learning, reflection, and self-awareness. OT personnel reflect on feedback from supervisors, clients, and col- leagues to continue learning and make sound judgments. They use self-reflection throughout the OT process to learn and make sound decisions. They continue to learn as new information becomes available.