Canadian Occupational Therapy Inter-relational Practice Process (COTIPP) Framework

The Canadian Occupational Therapy Inter-relational Practice Process (COTIPP) Framework, drawn from previous Canadian practice frameworks (i.e., the CPPF and CMCE), aims to describe the collaborative, inter-relational, and rights-based practice of occupational therapy. The COTIPP places ‘build and sustain relationship’ in the centre of the framework, indicating as the essential underlying process of occupational therapy practice. The outer edge of the framework contains an additional three foundational process that occupational therapists engage in throughout practice. These are to: (a) seek understand about context, such as understanding therapists themselves, the context in which the practice is situated, and the contexts of clients who access occupational therapy services; (b) reflect, critical reflect, and reason, indicating that therapists use deep reflection on what is or is not working in an interaction with a client, adjusting the action, and how to improve practice afterward, as well as critical reflection on how the foundations and imperatives of the system support or hinder clients to access and utilize occupational therapy, following by practice reasoning on the best possible and most ethical outcomes for clients; and (c) use justice-, equity- and rights-based lenses, to evaluate how the contexts and practice process promote or create barriers to the clients’ justice, equity, and rights as well as take action to address the barriers to occupational participation. 

The intermediate layer of the COTIPP includes six action domains: (1) connect; (2) seek understanding and define purpose; (3) explore occupational participation; (4) co-design priorities, goals, outcomes, and plans; (5) trial the plan, explore change, and refine the plan; and (6) plan for transition. Each action domain, while being considered as a separate process, is interrelated. These action domains provide a fluid process, in which occupational therapists could take a collaborative relationship-focused approach to build and sustain relationships with clients, as well as apply the foundational process, as a journey with clients collaboratively to promote their occupational participation. Of note, some action domains can be blended or not applicable depending on the practice settings.