Module 4: Chronic Conditions Impacting Health

Just for OT: Practitioner to Coach Program

An 7-hour fully self-paced condition-focused course series that supports occupational therapy practitioners in using coaching-informed strategies to address chronic health conditions within OT scope and practice.
Module 4 focuses on applying health and wellness coaching principles to common chronic health conditions frequently encountered in occupational therapy practice. In addition to condition-specific considerations, this module emphasizes clinical reasoning, occupational analysis, and ethical integration of coaching-informed strategies to support health management, participation, and quality of life.

Occupational therapy practitioners will explore how behavior change, routines, habits, and environmental contexts intersect with conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, mental illness, substance use, and weight-related care. The content is designed to strengthen decision-making around when and how coaching approaches can be used appropriately within occupational therapy intervention.

This module is delivered entirely through self-paced learning and is designed to complement the coaching skills developed in Modules 1 and 2 by strengthening practitioners’ understanding of core health behavior domains.

Format

Self-paced online lectures

Total Hours

8 hours

Target Audience

Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapy Students, Occupational Therapy Assistant Students. 

Level

Introductory

Category

Occupational Therapy Service Delivery, Professional Issues, Foundational Knowledge

Instructional Methods

Recorded lectures with presentation slides, Curated additional resources, Practical application exercises, Self-reflection activities

A few words about this course

This self-paced continuing education course equips occupational therapy practitioners with practical, evidence-informed knowledge for supporting clients with common chronic health conditions. Learners review condition-specific health and wellness considerations and examine how these factors influence occupational performance, participation, and quality of life.

Content covers cardiovascular disease, diabetes, weight-related health concerns, dementia (including caregiver considerations), mental illness, and substance use. Instruction emphasizes scope-appropriate occupational therapy strategies for supporting health management and maintenance, including habit and routine development, task and environmental modification, client-centered education, and interprofessional collaboration.

Agenda

  • Obesity & Weight Inclusive Care  (2 hours)
  • Cardiovascular Disease (1 hour)
  • Diabetes (1 hour)
  • Dementia & their Caregivers (1 hour)
  • Mental Illness (1 hour)
  • Substance Abuse (1 hour)

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to:

1) Describe evidence-based lifestyle and self-management considerations relevant to common chronic health conditions (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, mental illness, and substance use)


2) Explain how chronic health conditions influence function, participation, and occupational performance across contexts.


3)Identify scope-appropriate occupational therapy strategies to support health management and maintenance for clients with chronic health conditions.

Course Completion and Cancellation Policy

Course Completion:  To receive CEU credit, participants must complete all 7 instructional hours.

Participants must pay for the Module 4 in full, complete a post-course evaluation, and complete an exam with a passing score of 70% to receive credit.


Learner Cancellation: A full refund is available if cancellation is received at least 24 hours prior to the start of Module 4. No refunds will be issued once Module 4 has begun.


Program Cancellation: If the course is canceled by Aspire OT, all registered participants will receive a full refund.

Special Needs and Accommodations: Please contact the Program Director for any special needs or accommodation requests at jschwartz@aspireot.us

What OTs and OTAs are saying

“It’s relevant in the field of OT as it can directly affects our patient’s daily lives and activities as well as functional ability, treatment, performance and outcomes.”


— Occupational Therapy Practitioner in Jaclyn's Course OTs Role in Medication Management

“I would recommend this course to other practitioners to educate them on our role with medication management and how we can help patients and also our treatment as well.”

— Occupational Therapy Practitioner in Jaclyn's Course OTs Role in Medication Management

“Very organized and informative overview of the topic; included information to take and apply immediately.”

— Occupational Therapy Practitioner in Jaclyn's Course OTs Role in Medication Management
Instructor bio
Click here to check out Jaclyn's company "Health Coach OT": https://www.healthcoachot.com/

Listen to her podcast: https://healthcoachot.podbean.com

Jaclyn Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L 
Aspire OT Instructor

Dr. Jaclyn K. Schwartz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, NBC-HWC is an occupational therapy practitioner and National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach with over 15 years of clinical experience across acute care, early intervention, outpatient, and community-based settings. In her clinical roles, she has used coaching-informed interventions to support behavior change, self-management, and follow-through with individuals and families managing complex health needs.

Dr. Schwartz completed advanced training in health and wellness coaching and holds board certification through the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. Her coaching practice is grounded in evidence-based behavior change theory and integrated within occupational therapy services, rather than practiced as a separate or parallel role.

As a clinician-researcher, Dr. Schwartz has led NIH-funded research focused on medication adherence and health behavior change, with an emphasis on translating evidence into practical, ethical, and scope-aligned approaches that can be implemented in real-world practice. She has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and is recognized for her contributions to the profession, including induction into the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows.

Dr. Schwartz teaches in the Just for OT: Practitioner-to-Coach program, where she focuses on helping occupational therapy practitioners develop coaching skills that strengthen collaboration, support client autonomy, and enhance professional sustainability within occupational therapy practice.


DISCLOSURES
Financial: Jaclyn is compensated as an Aspire OT instructor
Non-financial:  Jaclyn is the Director of Health Coaching at Health Coach OT in Collaboration with Aspire OT
Logo AOTA Approved Provider
Aspire OT is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity approval ID# 15573. This Hybrid activity is offered at 0.7 CEUs, Introductory Level, Occupational Therapy Service Delivery, Professional Issues, Foundational Knowledge.
The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA or indicate AOTA approval of a certification or other professional recognition.
The 7 self-paced hours for this module are

Registered with CE Broker

Aspire OT reports directly to CE Broker for those states that require it: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

  • CE Broker Tracking Number: 20-1380912
  • Individuals must complete the required steps to set up their Aspire OT account. You can view those steps here. 
  • Course completions are reported within 48 hours.
  • Refer to our FAQ for more information.

Course Author

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This course is being offered by Aspire OT.