The Seeds OT Model
An introduction to the model and the clinical questions it explores.
For OTs, students & health professionals
Room to develop your clinical thinking.
The Seeds OT Model & CPD.
Written by Nisha Bal, Principal OT. Resources for occupational therapists, students and other health professionals: clinical thinking you can read, and continuing professional development you can complete.
Browse the collectionYour way through the collection
Begin with the model.
Make room for reflection.
- 01Read the introduction →
Get a sense of the framework before reading the five parts. Watch the six-video series →
- 02Explore the five parts ↓
Follow the sequence or return to a part you want to think about.
- 03Work through the CPD →
Use the module and reflection log to connect the ideas with your practice.
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Read the framework
An introduction and five connected parts, by Nisha Bal.
Why health is never caused by one thing
Part 1 of the Seeds OT Model.
Problems are patterns, not fixed objects
Part 2 of the Seeds OT Model.
Working with conditions, not just problems
Part 3 of the Seeds OT Model.
Learning to see differently
Part 4 of the Seeds OT Model.
The formal structure
Part 5 of the Seeds OT Model.
CPD & practice tools
A module, reflection log and companion guide for your learning.
The CPD module
A structured ten-hour way to apply the model to your own practice.
CPD reflection log
Record your reflections as you work through the module.
Clinical guidebook
A downloadable companion to the Seeds OT Model.
Completion certificate
Create your certificate after completing the CPD module.
Watch the Model
Six narrated introductions, with chapters, captions and transcripts. Read each part alongside its video.
The Seeds OT Model: an introduction
Nisha Bal’s clinical reasoning framework for paediatric OT: understanding conditions and patterns, and finding a thoughtful place to begin.
What shapes a child’s participation? Seeds OT Model Part 1
Explore the six condition domains in the Seeds OT Model and how an occupational therapist uses them to understand a child’s participation in everyday life.
Understanding recurring difficulties | Seeds OT Model Part 2
How the Seeds OT Model looks at recurring difficulties, feedback loops and the conditions that can keep a pattern in place.
Choosing where to begin in OT | Seeds OT Model Part 3
Use influence and reach to identify a workable starting point, and distinguish conditions to change, accommodate or respect.
Clinical reasoning under uncertainty | Seeds OT Model Part 4
The clinician’s stance in the Seeds OT Model: widening attention, holding explanations lightly and reviewing decisions as the situation changes.
Putting the Seeds OT Model into practice | Part 5
Bring the Seeds OT Model together with its condition domains, reasoning cycle and pattern-mapping tool, then connect the learning to reflective practice.
Keep exploring
The ideas in everyday practice.
Our family articles explore nervous systems, sensory needs and the everyday work of occupational therapy.