Pursuing the Client's Goals Really Paid Off

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative study undertaken to examine the barriers to the application of a recently created British definition of client-centred occupational therapy. Twelve therapists in one mental health National Health Service trust were engaged in semi-structured interviews. Three themes and a number of subthemes emerged from the analysis of the data. These three themes were initiating client-centred practice, therapist as partner and client as partner. Overall, the study found that there were barriers to the application of the definition of client-centred occupational therapy but that the therapists in this study found ways to overcome these barriers.