OT Potential Podcast | Occupational Therapy CEUs

The rapid rise of AI chat presenting as therapists has spurred a reaction to differentiate what AI can do versus the work of a licensed therapist. This is causing many people to look more closely at the question: What Is Therapy? In today’s discussion, we’ll both look back at how therapy has been understood historically and look forward to cutting-edge research like “interpersonal neural synchrony...

It’s hard to overstate how important it is for OTs and PTs to understand the new value-based care models. But, let’s be honest—they are an overwhelming and confusing alphabet soup (TEAM, LEAD, GUIDE, ACO REACH), and that’s just the acronyms. For OTs and PTs, understanding these models will be the difference between being embedded in the healthcare team of the future—where we deliver highly valued...

We all know that documentation is a heavy burden for therapists. But home health therapists arguably face one of the heaviest loads, with mandated OASIS reporting layered on top of standard clinical documentation — a dual requirement unique to this setting. They also face challenges that clinic-based therapists rarely encounter: coordinating care across disciplines — physicians, nurses, and other...

It feels like in every practice area, the importance of the vagus nerve is being talked about. But nowhere is it being researched as much as vagal nerve stimulation post-stroke. And the initial results are promising — as long as it is paired with rehabilitation. The stimulation sets the body up for new motor learning, but then the rehab actually creates the change. In this beginner's course,...

In talking to therapy start-ups this year, I've heard a common stumbling block: Credentialing. And, honestly, I was shocked when I dug into the space. It feels like the seemingly boring task of getting credentialed with insurance has turned into what honestly feels like a world of sharks. It seems like there are 3 trends at play: This is truly a bureaucratic headache: You do need to buckle up...

In the United States, approximately 49,000 people die by suicide each year . And, unfortunately, the rate of suicide has increased substantially since 2000, up about 30% .  Suicide remains among the 10 leading causes of death among persons aged 10-64 years and is the second leading cause of death among those aged 10-14 and 25-34. While these trends are multifactorial, they are particularly distres...

Fixing healthcare is simple: More people need preventative, conservative care earlier. But getting to this fix is a massively complex web of structural policy choices. The reality is that our modern healthcare system often misaligns incentives, rewarding the management of chronic sickness over the investment in wellness. We've seen a shift toward market consolidation, where vertically integra...

SEO has long been the absolute best way to maintain a consistent therapy client caseload for outpatient therapists. But, for therapists in all settings really, understanding and optimizing your digital real estate is often a secret sauce for career growth. In today's course, we want to help you: Recognize how important your digital real estate is to your practice. Optimize your presence with...

For years, "Occupational Therapy in Primary Care" has felt like a professional aspiration-a "gold standard" we discussed in classrooms but rarely saw in job postings. Today, that reality is shifting. Following the 2020 statutory mandates in Norway and Sweden that solidified OT as a required primary care service, the global tide is turning. In the United States, we are moving pa...

Thumb osteoarthritis is a common condition in older adults. By age 50, the prevalence is about 8% in men and 25% in women-and it increases with age, with meta-analysis data suggesting that by age 80, approximately 39% of women have radiographic signs of thumb base OA. Conservative treatment is widely acknowledged as first-line care for thumb CMC OA, including occupational and physical therapy, par...

The landscape of healthcare has been changed forever with the introduction of AI. Already, 1 in 3 adults are turning to chatbots to ask health related questions. For younger adults under age 30, the shift is even faster-nearly 30% now use AI specifically for mental health and emotional support. Amid these broad changes is a specific question for us as therapists:  What happens when the chatbot sta...

The landscape of private practice changed forever this year. With Amazon officially adding physical therapy to its marketplace, accessing rehabilitation services is now as easy as ordering a pair of shoes. This shift signifies a massive rise in public awareness of therapy services-but it also brings a new set of challenges for the independent practitioner. How do you compete with a global giant? H...

Travel therapy offers some of the highest compensation in rehab, yet it remains one of the most logistically challenging practice areas. Succeeding on the road requires a distinct mindset shift, balancing clinical flexibility with savvy career management. Whether you are eyeing your first contract or looking to refine your travel strategy, this course walks you through the essential day-to-day con...

Most parents start their OT journey with a frantic Google search: “Does my child need OT?” Unfortunately, the answers they find are often buried in vague recommendations about “missing milestones.” In this one-hour course, former AOTA President and pediatric practice owner Alyson Stover, MOT, JD, OTR/L, BCP explores how we can move beyond ambiguity. We’ll dive into actionable strategies for improv...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) remains the leading cause of non-traumatic disability in adults aged 18–65. Because of its prevalence and the vital role of therapy in management, it is a clinical area we return to often at OT Potential . We previously explored this topic through the inspiring lens of Dr. Sarah Adam, OTD, OTR/L —a professor and Paralympic medalist living with MS. In this upcoming one-hour...

Why does therapy often feel undervalued by the systems we serve? To change the future of our professions, we must first understand the forces that shape today’s Medicare and private payer models—and ultimately, your reimbursement. In this session, we sit down with DPT and policy expert Dana Strauss to pull back the curtain on the reimbursement landscape. Together, we’ll explore why the current sys...

While the landscape of healthcare is shifting beneath our feet, the most tangible change in daily practice since the arrival of AI has been our documentation. Over the past two years, we have moved beyond the initial excitement of AI scribes and chat interfaces. As we look ahead to Therapy Documentation in 2026 , the conversation is shifting from “how do we save time?” to “how can data and analyti...

There is a foundational skillset essential to occupational therapy that often isn't covered in school: The ability to design a 60-minute session that is both clinically transformative and operationally sound. Bridging the gap between high-level evidence-like task-specific practice for stroke recovery-and the realities of billing codes and patient engagement is no small feat. It is this specif...

Occupational therapy in the NICU is one of the most specialized and sensitive practice areas in our profession. The transition from traditional clinical settings to the high-stakes, high-tech environment of neonatal care requires a fundamental shift in how we approach both assessment and intervention. Whether you are an OT looking to move into the NICU or a pediatric therapist wanting to better un...

Are you fully using the critical window of opportunity after stroke to support neuro-recovery during your OT sessions—or are you unintentionally devoting valuable rehab time to compensation? In today’s episode, we’re joined by Henry Hoffman to explore why prioritizing recovery—when possible—matters , and how occupational therapy professionals can more intentionally drive neuroplastic change after...

Mental health is one of occupational therapy’s smallest practice areas. Because relatively few OTs work in traditional mental health settings, it can feel like an enigma: What does mental health OT actually look like day to day? Where do we fit on interdisciplinary teams? And how does occupation truly show up in mental health care? At the same time, there may be no better home for occupational the...

Through OT Potential, we’ve released more than 124 podcast episodes exploring the research, ideas, and conversations shaping occupational therapy. Each year, we pause to step back and ask a foundational question: What is occupational therapy—and how is it evolving? In this special episode to kick off 2026, we expand the conversation beyond research alone to include advocacy, technology, and the fo...

Research suggests that anywhere from 46% to 84% of autistic children experience selective eating .  And the downstream risks are substantial: selective eating is linked with nutritional deficiencies , psychosocial impairment , and increased risk of developmental and psychiatric comorbidities , with severity tied to how persistent and restrictive the eating patterns become. In this OT Potential cou...

AI is going to reshape OT education—rapidly and profoundly. The real question is: How do we harness its strengths for good? How do we protect the parts of learning that are best done without it, while also leveraging AI in areas where our profession has historically struggled? One promising area is scenario-based learning, where AI can create realistic, dynamic situations that help learners practi...

For many of us, payer negotiations feel distant—something handled “somewhere up the chain,” far removed from the day-to-day work of helping patients. But here’s the truth: nothing shapes our practice more than the reimbursement rates and contracts negotiated on our behalf. Reimbursement determines who we can serve, how much time we can spend with them, what services we can sustainably provide, and...