Social media for occupational therapists: a practical guide

The biggest job for an independent occupational therapist on social media is explaining the profession. People know they or a relative are struggling to wash, dress, cook, write, get around the house or return to work, but they may not know an OT is the person who can help.

Your audience is wide: parents of children with handwriting or sensory difficulties, adults after an injury or illness, families arranging care for an older relative, and case managers, solicitors, insurers and employers who commission assessments. Give each group its own regular post.

Two or three posts a week is plenty. Use a team member or a willing friend as your demonstrator so you can show techniques without involving clients.

• Monday: an everyday living tip, such as setting up a kitchen to save energy.
• Wednesday: what OT involves, such as what happens at a home assessment or a sensory assessment.
• Friday: practical details, such as availability, areas covered or how referrals work.
• Monthly: a post for commissioners, such as what your reports include or your turnaround times.
• Never: a client's face, home or story without written consent.

UK title: the HCPC lists "occupational therapist" as a protected title, so only use it if you are on the HCPC Register.

UK conduct: the HCPC's social media guidance says you must make reasonable checks that information you share is accurate, true and does not mislead the public (standard 2.11), and must take reasonable steps to make sure any promotional activities you are involved in are accurate and not likely to mislead (9.3). It suggests a separate professional account, refusing friend requests from service users and moving any follow-up to a professional channel such as work email.

Privacy: the HCPC says that if information could allow a service user to be identified, including details of their health or circumstances or images relating to their care, you must not post it without their permission. The ICO says data concerning health is special category data. In the US, HHS says the HIPAA Privacy Rule generally requires written authorization before protected health information is used for marketing, where that rule applies to you.

This is general information, not legal or clinical advice. Rules differ by country and change, so check with your regulator, professional body or a lawyer before you post claims, prices or photos of the people you serve.

1. Check your page name and bio use the title only if you are registered.
2. Keep a separate professional account and do not follow clients from it.
3. Never film inside a client's home without written consent, and keep addresses, post and photos out of shot.
4. Use demonstrators and your own clinic or home for technique videos.
5. Review old posts and highlights as well as new ones.

Sources: HCPC: The professions we regulate and their protected titles, checked 15 October 2026; HCPC: Guidance on use of social media, checked 15 October 2026; ICO: What is special category data?, checked 15 October 2026; HHS: HIPAA Privacy Rule, marketing, checked 15 October 2026

Equipment posts, such as grab rails, perching stools or adapted cutlery, are some of the most useful things an OT can share. They are also where conflicts of interest creep in. If a supplier pays you, gives you free products or gives you a discount code, say so clearly in the post.

The FTC's endorsement guidance in the US says endorsements must reflect the honest opinions or experiences of the endorser. The HCPC's standard 9.3 asks you to make sure promotional activities you are involved in are accurate and not likely to mislead.

• Recommend equipment because it suits the task, not because of a commission.
• Say clearly when a post is paid, gifted or uses an affiliate link.
• Remind people that the right equipment depends on an assessment of the person and their home.
• Point people to their council for equipment or adaptations where that is an option.

Sources: FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides, what people are asking, checked 15 October 2026; HCPC: Guidance on use of social media, checked 15 October 2026

Most independent OT work comes from referrers, so a LinkedIn post about how you work can be worth more than a viral video. Keep it case-free: talk about the type of assessment and the questions it answers, never a specific client.

Ask every client or family for a review the same way at the end of your work. Google's review policy bans incentives for reviews and selectively asking happy customers. The FTC's 2024 rule in the US bans fake reviews and rewards tied to a review's sentiment.

Sources: Google Maps user-generated content policy: fake engagement, checked 15 October 2026; FTC: Final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (August 2024), checked 15 October 2026

Plan around the year: falls prevention and home safety before winter, school readiness and handwriting before September, and return-to-work topics after the new year.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Zolyp, an AI social media manager. Zolyp plans a calendar around your content pillars, writes and designs each post, and schedules it to Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Business, X, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Threads. You start in review-everything mode, so nothing goes live without your approval. Brand Brain can hold words you never want used, such as client names or "guaranteed independence". Zolyp does not check posts against HCPC standards, so read every post before you approve it. Everything in this guide works just as well done by hand.

• Week 1: check your bio, title, areas covered and Google profile.
• Week 2: film two everyday living tips with a demonstrator.
• Week 3: one assessment explainer and one post for referrers.
• Week 4: reply to reviews and messages and plan next month.