Studytool Stories

Therapeutic Use of Self(ies) follows Izabella "Iza" Martinez, a 27-year-old Mexican American woman balancing a hybrid OTA program, NBCOT prep, and a demanding ABA therapy job-alongside dating, concerts, and a complicated home life. More than a novel, it's a disguised NBCOT/OTPF study guide. Each chapter blends an exam topic with Iza's everyday life: practicing client-centered interviewing in lab mirrors intake skills, helping her abuelo adapt his bathroom teaches home safety, and ending a situationship parallels discharge planning. Chapters align with NBCOT domains and OTPF categories-Evaluation, Intervention, Service Delivery, Ethics, Specialties, and Exam Prep-making OT concepts memorable through relatable scenarios. The story's purpose is twofold: engaging readers in Iza's personal journey while embedding essential OT knowledge for effortless learning. By the time Iza sits for her exam, the reader will have traveled the same path-absorbing both the material and the deeper truth that OT principles live in everyday life.