Hot Topic in Healthcare: Centering the Client: Translating OT Values and Ethics into Everyday Practice

Client-centered care is foundational to occupational therapy, yet translating professional values and ethical principles into everyday clinical practice can be challenging. Implicit bias, competing priorities, institutional expectations, and systemic barriers can influence clinical decision-making, sometimes creating a disconnect between what healthcare professionals value and what clients experience.

This interactive workshop invites occupational therapy students, practitioners, and interprofessional healthcare team members to critically examine how professional values, ethical responsibilities, and personal assumptions shape client interactions and occupational participation.

Through guided reflection, case-based discussions, and collaborative problem-solving, participants will explore practical strategies for recognizing bias, navigating ethical tensions, addressing structural barriers, and strengthening client-centered practice.

Participants will leave with actionable strategies to align their everyday clinical decisions with the values of dignity, autonomy, equity, and meaningful occupational engagement.

Educational Objectives

• Examine how occupational therapy core values, ethical principles, implicit bias, and professional power influence client-centered decision-making.
• Analyze clinical scenarios to identify ethical tensions, assumptions, and structural barriers that may limit client autonomy, equitable access, and occupational participation.
• Apply practical strategies that translate professional values into observable client-centered behaviors, collaborative decision-making, and advocacy within interprofessional healthcare settings.

Guest Speaker: Dr. Tyra M. Banks, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Dr. Tyra M. Banks, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA, is an Assistant Professor and Director of Student Engagement and Belonging in the Programs in Occupational Therapy at Columbia University. She holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University and a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University.

With more than 20 years of pediatric occupational therapy experience, Dr. Banks brings extensive clinical expertise in client- and family-centered care, school-based practice, and supporting underserved communities. Her teaching, research, and professional development initiatives focus on occupational therapy ethics, implicit bias, culturally responsive care, anti-oppressive practice, and structural inequities affecting occupational participation.

She is a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association and President-Elect of the New York State Occupational Therapy Association.