Just for OT Practitioner to Coach Program: Module 3 Health Promoting Behaviors

Course overview

This self-paced 8-hour continuing education course series provides occupational therapy practitioners with practical, evidence-informed knowledge about health-promoting behaviors that commonly influence client health and functional capacity across practice settings. Rather than focusing on behavior change techniques, the course emphasizes understanding what health promotion behaviors are, how much is recommended based on current guidelines, and why these behaviors matter for health and occupational performance. Learners explore core health behaviors including physical activity, diet and nutrition, sleep and rest, stress management, mindfulness, spirituality, and community and belonging. Content is grounded in occupational therapy practice and highlights how health behaviors are embedded within daily routines, roles, and environments. Throughout the course, learners examine realistic clinical scenarios and consider how occupational therapy practitioners can support engagement in health-promoting behaviors using scope-appropriate, occupation-based strategies. This course is designed to strengthen clinical reasoning related to health management and maintenance and to help practitioners more confidently integrate health behavior knowledge into evaluation, intervention planning, and interprofessional collaboration. Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to: 1) Describe health-promoting behaviors and current evidence-based guidelines for the recommended amount of each behavior. 2) Explain how engagement in health-promoting behaviors influences health and well-being. 3) Identify scope-appropriate occupational therapy strategies to support client uptake of health-promoting behaviors. Instructor: Dr. Jaclyn K. Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, NBC-HWC