Problem: complex OT cases — brain injury with behaviours, chronic pain with Oscar-winning scans, eating disorders with medical risk — resist standard shapes. Answer in brief: anchor every complex letter on the stroke-letter template (function, trajectory, actions) and add one specialist module per condition: behaviour protocol, pain beliefs, pressure plan, refeeding risk. This guide teaches the anchor-plus-module method, and OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 2 trains stroke, brain injury, pain, spinal injury, oncology and eating-disorder letters across 16 topic sections.
The anchor: stroke-letter template
Function today, trajectory with two dated points, numbered actions with owners — the shape from Course 1, assumed mastered. Complex conditions add modules without changing the anchor: the reader still needs today’s function first, whatever the diagnosis. Writers who abandon the template for “special” cases produce special messes; the template holds precisely because the case does not.
Brain injury: behaviour as function
Report behaviours functionally: triggers, frequency, duration, recovery strategies that work (“agitation at personal care, de-escalates with single-step instructions and extra time”). Cognition in task terms (needs supervision for medication, independent with prompts for dressing). Risk stated plainly (wandering, aggression triggers) with the management plan attached — behaviour without a plan alarms; with a plan it informs.
Train complex-condition letters supervised? The full OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 2 covers stroke, brain injury, chronic pain, spinal injury, oncology and eating disorders across 16 topic sections with mock tests. Explore the course →
Chronic pain and SCI: beliefs and pressure plans
Chronic pain letters report beliefs and function together (“believes movement damages the spine; walks 50 metres, avoids stairs”) because the belief is the barrier the programme must address. Spinal-injury letters lead with the pressure plan (cushion, relief regime, skin status with dates) — skin integrity outranks everything — then function by level, equipment and carer regime. Both need the patient’s goal in their words, one line.
Oncology and eating disorders: risk-aware function
Oncology OT letters balance rehabilitation with prognosis honesty: current function, fatigue pattern, falls risk, home demands, what “good” looks like now. Eating-disorder letters pair nutritional risk markers (as reported by the team) with functional impact (concentration for study, meal support needs) — never diagnose beyond your evidence, always state the monitoring in place. Sensitivity with specificity: name risks factually, omit speculation entirely.
Worked example: chronic pain OT referral
Fictional case, newly written: Mrs Adeyemi, 54, ten-year low back pain, normal recent MRI; believes bending will “slip a disc”; walks 60 metres, avoids stairs and lifting; on paracetamol only; keen on hydrotherapy, fearful of gym work; lives alone, first-floor flat.
Shape: purpose (pain-management programme with graded activity). Beliefs plus function, honestly paired. Home demands (stairs as the key barrier). Goal in her words (“climb stairs without fear”). Request: assessment for graded programme starting with hydrotherapy, beliefs work included. Roughly 175 words; the programme knows exactly what to treat.
FAQs
Should patient beliefs really go in a referral?
When they block function, yes — one line, quoted neutrally. Programmes treat beliefs as primary data; omitting them hides the actual barrier.
How do I write risk without alarming?
Fact plus plan, every time: “wanders at night; door sensor fitted, family rota in place.” Risk alone alarms; risk with management informs.
What is in the course?
Sixteen topic sections on stroke and brain injury, chronic pain, spinal injury, oncology and eating-disorder OT letters including the stroke template, with 5 complete mock tests.
The matching course
OET Writing for Occupational Therapists — Course 2 takes OT writing into complexity: brain injury, chronic pain, spinal injury, oncology and eating disorders, all anchored on the stroke template — 16 topic sections with 5 mock tests. For cases that break templates, train the anchor here.
Sources and note
- OET Writing format per the official OET site: oet.com — Writing. Check current format guidance before the exam.
- Course details verified from its public staging page (read-only): 16 topic sections, 5 mock tests.
- Case and letter lines are newly written and fictional; other valid structures exist.
Put this into practice
Compare these course outlines and choose the practice that matches your next goal.
