Self-determination, dignity, cultural responsiveness, evidence-informed practice, and community inclusion form the spine of the field.
Each principle has an observable behavior. Self-determination means the participant chooses the goal and can change it. Dignity means you knock, you use the person's preferred name, you do not discuss their case in a hallway. Cultural responsiveness means the plan reflects how this person's family, faith, and community actually operate.
Principles fail quietly. They erode when caseloads rise and a specialist starts writing goals in the car before a visit. Build a personal checklist and run it weekly.