Intentional Relationship Model (IRM)

  • The Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) aims to facilitate practitioners in understanding the impact of therapeutic use of self and to provide useful approaches for maximizing the positive power of the social environment in order to facilitate occupational engagement. Therapeutic relationships comprise of an interaction between client, therapist, desired occupation, and interpersonal events that occur during the interaction. The model focuses on the interpersonal events of therapy, and emphasizes on the power that therapists have in either reinforcing or inhibiting the client’s motivation. It is important for the therapist to develop the interpersonal skills for building a therapeutic alliance and to use appropriate communication styles that best support the client’s occupational needs. Otherwise, “empathic breaks” are likely to occur. Therefore, the therapist should respond with “mindful empathy" to support the client’s needs. Interpersonal reasoning is the process of the therapist monitoring the interpersonal events of therapy, the client’s unique personal characteristics, and his or her own behavior in a reflective way. The information is used to determine appropriate interactive styles and modes:

    1. Advocating: Acting to ensure that the clients have resources needed to participate in occupations;

    2. Collaborating: Facilitating autonomy and the clients’ ownership of therapy process;

    3. Empathizing: Understanding and validating the clients’ lived experience;

    4. Encouraging: Fostering hope and willingness to engage;

    5. Instructing: Providing clear expectations and explanations about the therapy process; and

    6. Problem solving: Use of reasoning and strategic questions to identify solutions.

    Mode selection is first influenced by the therapist’s own personality, and then intentional use of modes is suggested as the client’s experience of mode is predominant.

Summarized by

  • Macey Cho

Type

  • Model (practice)

Population

  • Child
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Elderly

Disability

  • All

Domain of occupation

  • Unspecified

Application Note

  • Therapists must consider the clients’ unique interpersonal characteristics and preferred ways of interacting during therapeutic mode selection.

Key Reference

  • Taylor, R. R. (2008). The intentional relationship: Outpatient therapy and use of self. FA Davis.

Year Published

  • 2008

Primary Developer

  • Renee Taylor

Primary Developer Email

  • rtaylor@uic.edu

Related Models

Life Needs Model of Pediatric Service Delivery

  • The Life Needs Model of Pediatric Service Delivery is a practice model that values the intrinsic worth, dignity, and strengths of individuals. This model focuses on the concept of need, emphasizes the values of family-centered services, and recognizes strengths and capacities of the child and family. It is used to guide pediatric service delivery to meet the long-range goals for promoting community participation and quality of life of children and youth with disabilities.

Model of neuro-occupation, intention, meaning and perception

  • This model aims to describe the symbiotic relationship between occupation and the brain, as a chaotic, self-organized, and complex system. It assumes that changes in human condition do not follow a linear path. The model views occupational therapy as a complex intervention and a result of dynamic integration of several factors and unpredictable outcomes. The concept of neuro-occupation is complex and holistic, and aims to help occupational therapists to apply the non-linearity principles.

Model of Seven-Level Hierarchy of Family-Therapist Involvement

  • This model presents a hierarchy of family-therapist involvement in occupational therapy services, with associated attitudes, specific knowledge, and skills that enable therapists to operate at each level. 

     

    The first level, no family involvement, outlines the traditional medical model of intervention. This level focuses on technical skills which are expected of entry-level therapists, with no awareness of the role of the family and client’s social context. It provides the basis for alternative types of family involvement. 

     

Occupational Performance Model (Australia)

  • The Occupational Performance Model (Australia) is a model proposing that people fulfill their occupational performance roles by engaging in routines, tasks and activities, in the domains of self-maintenance, productivity, leisure and rest, in the process responding to internal and/or external demands of the environment. This model assumes that engagement in occupations provides the sense of competence, autonomy, temporal organization, and meaning of existence to individuals. It focuses on activation of person-environment relationship through participation in occupations.

Model Type

Population

Disability

Domain of Occupation

  • © 2024 HOTheory - All rights reserved.