OT Session Plan Template with CPT Code Examples
Therapy time is limited, and it's easy to fall into a session pattern that leans on one or two familiar interventions. This template lays out a 60-minute OT session in ten-minute blocks, pairing each block with the type of skilled service it represents and an example CPT code. A second version shows how the same hour can be restructured for a patient arriving in significant pain.
It's a planning tool for practitioners, not a client handout. Reach for it when you're building a plan of care for a new patient, when sessions have started to feel repetitive, or when you want a quick check on whether you're using your full skillset across the hour.
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This template is adapted from the OT Potential course How to Plan a Great OT Session with Rachel Egan. The premise behind it is simple: session time is precious, and a session designed on the fly tends to use a narrower slice of an OT's skillset than the clinician actually has. Sketching the hour out in advance makes the gaps visible — the warm-up that runs long, the patient education that gets squeezed into the last two minutes, the functional task that never quite connects to the patient's stated goal.
Resource Utilization
The template assumes a 60-minute one-on-one session, which makes it a natural fit for outpatient and private practice caseloads. It's most useful at two points: when you're first mapping out a plan of care, and partway through an episode when you want to look at how the hour is actually being spent.
The base version moves from aerobic warm-up through manual therapy, neuromuscular work, a functional task tied to the patient's goals, patient education, and a home exercise program review. The high-pain variation reorders that arc — opening with a modality, using aerobic work for endorphin release, and keeping resistance low with high repetition in a pain-free range. Comparing the two side by side is a useful exercise in itself: it shows how the same skillset can be sequenced differently depending on what the patient walks in with.
Instructions and Tips
Treat the CPT column as a prompt for thinking about what kind of skilled service each block represents, not as a coding reference. Whether a given code is appropriate depends on what you actually did, how you documented it, and the rules of the payer involved — the template can't answer that for you. Note that several blocks list more than one option for exactly that reason.
A few practical notes:
Adjust the block lengths before you plan a shorter visit. A 30- or 45-minute session usually means dropping a block rather than compressing all six.
The functional task block only works if you've identified the patient's goal first. If that block is hard to fill in, it's often a sign the goal needs revisiting.
Patient education is a listed block here on purpose. It's the piece most likely to get cut when a session runs behind.
Contributors
Rachel Egan
OTR/L, MS, CHT, COMT-UE
Sarah Lyon
OTR/L
Sarah Lyon, OTR/L, is the CEO of OT Potential. Sarah earned her BA from St. Olaf College and her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University. Her diverse clinical background spans multiple settings, including critical access, acute trauma, and state inpatient psychiatric hospitals. In 2011, she founded OT Potential to fulfill the industry's need for reliable, high-quality occupational therapy resources and continuing education.
As a recognized content creator, Sarah has collaborated with top healthcare brands like VeryWell Health, WebPT, and MedBridge. She blends her clinical expertise with a talent for creating clear, action-oriented content that empowers practitioners to excel. Passionate about elevating the OT profession, she has been featured on numerous industry podcasts. Sarah ultimately returned to her roots, running OT Potential and raising her family in her hometown of Aurora, Nebraska.