Listening with the OT Heart: The Vital Role of Intuitive Reasoning in Practice

(90 minutes)

This presentation explores the often-overlooked yet essential role of intuition in OT clinical reasoning. While OT education emphasizes evidence-based practice and analytical thinking, many practitioners enter their education with a deeply personal, heart-centered motivation—an intuitive sense that OT is “right” for them. This inner knowing is not only a powerful entry point into the field but a critical tool in delivering truly client-centered care.

Participants will examine intuition as a legitimate, evidence-informed form of reasoning—rooted in neuroscience, psychology, cognitive science, and embodied knowledge. The session will explore:

• The science and theory behind intuition

• How intuitive reasoning complements analytical thinking in therapeutic decision-making

• Strategies to cultivate intuition through mindfulness, creative expression, energy work, and reflective practice

• Practical tools to integrate intuitive reasoning into OT education and clinical practice 

Through storytelling, case examples, and reflection, attendees will learn how to recognize and ethically apply intuitive insights to enhance therapeutic use of self, responsiveness, and care.

In honoring both the science and the spirit of OT, this presentation invites OT students and OT professionals to reconnect with the heart of the profession—and to trust the deep inner knowing that first called them to it.

*While grounded in the OT profession, this presentation can be adapted for any healthcare discipline seeking to deepen clinical reasoning, strengthen therapeutic relationships, and support truly holistic care.