Title and role changes for certified occupational therapy assistants require redefinition by AOTA and states.

I believe rhar I undersrood E. Nelson Clark's (1993) guesr edirorial suggesring that an experienced cerrified occupational therapy assistant should be permirred to work withour supervision from a regisrered occuparional rherapisr in mental healrh serrings. I agree wirh Allen's (1993) response to this editorial. in which she pointed Out professional responsibilities in mentaJ healrh serrings rhar she believed were not inrended for rhe role of cerrified occuparional therapy assisrant. I realize rhar Clark's main point was not to recommend a ririe change; however, I thoughr he was saving that certified occuparional therapy assiswll[s are already "certified occuparional therapists' (1993, p. 4). I helieve that Clark's reference ro certified occuparional rherapy assistants as "cerrifiecJ occuparional therapisrs" gave many cerrified occupational therapy assisrants the feeling rhar if someone in Clark's posirion referred to them as "certified occuparional rherapists," rhen rhey should have rhe ritle of therapist. In rhe summary of a title sUlvey on certified uccuparional therapy assistanrs, Brown srated rhat reader response ro Clark's editOl"ial prompted the surve}' and stat, ed, "The article suggesred thar the COTA ririe be changed ro COT (cerrified occupational therapist) and that COTs be allowed to pracrice wirhour supel-vision in mental health serrings" (1994, p. 5). To my knowledge, Clark did nut notify the readers of his 1993 editorial thar he rhoughr the title should /'/01 he changed to include rhe word therapist, even rhough letters continued ro he written in favor of the tirle that he used in reference ro certified occuparional therapy assistants, My sratement rhat appmpriatc tirles have not been suggesred was based on rejections of previous suggestecl tirles, In 1970, res()lurion 250-70 to