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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. Welcome to the show notes for Episode 200 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. This course explores the evolving landscape of school-aged mental health in a post-COVID world and the expanding role of occupational therapy in supporting students’ emotional, behavioral, and functional participation. Dr. Monica Keen examines current mental-health trends, trauma-informed care, behavior changes following the pandemic, and evidence-aligned OT strategies for school settings. Participants will learn practical, occupation-based approaches for addressing emotional regulation, engagement, and school participation within a tiered model of support. This course is part of the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community, where school-based practitioners come together to deepen clinical reasoning, explore meaningful topics, and translate evidence into real-world practice. If you’re looking to earn CEU’s for this course and access a full library of professional development opportunities, you can join the community here 👉 https://www.otschoolhouse.com/collab Learning Objectives —Learners will identify three mental illness diagnoses of school-aged children. —Learners will identify reasons/events for childhood mental illness and how it impacts occupational engagement. —Learners will recognize the role of OT in addressing these mental health issues in the school setting Guest Bio Dr. Monica Keen is the Program Director of the Doctor of Occupational Therapy Program at Presbyterian College and has been a licensed OT for 36 years. After a long career spanning mental health, acute care, skilled nursing, and 27 years in school-based practice, she transitioned to full-time academia in 2022. She also teaches pediatrics and mental health labs as an adjunct at Baylor University and previously taught for seven years at MUSC. Dr. Keen has authored book chapters and presented widely on school-based OT, mental health, and handwriting, including multiple webinars and a doctoral capstone on OT’s role in supporting children’s mental health. She has been featured on the OT Schoolhouse Podcast and presents nationally on school-based mental health. She currently serves as Co-Chair for Mental Health within the South Carolina Occupational Therapy Association. She holds degrees from MUSC, Boston University, and the University of St. Augustine. Her professional passions include mental health, trauma-informed care, pediatrics, and autism. Dr. Keen lives in Greenville, SC, and enjoys running, hiking, college football, and spending time outdoors with her two Boston Terriers. Quotes “Trauma results in fundamental reorganization of the way the mind and the brain manage stress.” —Dr. Keen “Adversity is not experienced the same by all people.” —Dr. Keen “A mass exodus… and people not wanting to go into teaching because of low pay and the burden from the pandemic.” — Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L Resources 👉The Body Keeps the Score (Book) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4s4CiUm (affiliate link) 👉The Body Keeps the Score (Audio Book) on Spotify 👉 Collab Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies Hey there. And welcome to episode 200 of the OT school house podcast. It is great to have you here today. And wow, I have been waiting to say episode 200 ever since, like, Episode 185 about and I hope it would happen, you know, during ot month. But we're close enough, you know, just the beginning of May. And today, I am super excited to hit this milestone with you all, whether you've listened to all 200 episodes or this is your first one, I'm happy to be here to celebrate with you, and I'm also excited to share a very special episode with you. Today, we're dipping into the school based ot collaborative professional development archive to share with you a fantastic a ot a approved course by Dr Monica keen. In this course, Dr keen dives into the world of post covid school age mental health, and she explores how we can use what we learned from the covid era and continue to use those strategies in our schools. Today, you'll get practical tips on supporting students emotional as well as their functional participation. And trust me, this episode is packed with insights, and Dr King's energy is like just inspirational. Trust me, you will be fired up by the end of this episode. Now what you're about to hear is the audio version of Dr King's presentation, and if you are a member or decide to become a member of the school based ot collaborative. You can actually hit pause right now head on into the collaborative and catch the video version with all the slides and resources directly inside the community. Or you can continue listening and then go into the community and take the quiz to earn your CEU certificate for this audio version. We've snipped out the Q and A for you know, privacy, but our community is buzzing with experts like Dr keen and others ready to answer your questions all about ot inside our OTP lounge. I also want to give a big shout out before we get started, to every single person who joined us at a ot a inspire, as well as the school based ot meetup that Jamie from Miss Jamie OT and I hosted. It was fantastic. Getting to meet so many of you. I wish I had the opportunity to have like, a 10 minute conversation with every single person. There just so many good things there, talking about case loads, talking about things that are going great, as well as some of the things that are not going as well. I like talking about all of it, your stories, your support. They mean the real to me, and you all made me blush a little bit every now and there, when you talked about how this podcast, how the articles, how the collaborative even have really helped you in your school based ot journey, I cannot thank you enough for coming up, having the courage to say hi and and sharing with me everything that's going on in your school based ot career. You made my weekend a blast. So thank you, and I have to give one more final thank you to everybody who came to my session at a ot a you know, we talked about services in the least restrictive environment, which is not always the most fun topic to talk about, but I appreciate you being there. We had a packed house. Really had fun with it, and I hope you all had fun, as well as learned a lot about helping students or helping you to determine services in the least restrictive environment. All right. Well, we are going to jump in with Dr keen right now. Thank you so much for being here again. Appreciate it. Happy 200th episode to all of those of you who will celebrate it. And yeah, enjoy this episode. I'll catch you at the end. Amazing Narrator Hello and welcome to the OT school house podcast. Your source for school based occupational therapy tips, interviews and professional development. Now, to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jayson Davies, CLASI is officially in session. Jayson Davies Please help me in welcoming Dr Monica Keen. Dr. Monica Keen Hey, how's everybody doing? Thank you so much for tuning in. Tonight. I am coming to you guys from Greenville, South Carolina, so there is a huge time difference. And as you can see in the background, my Christmas tree is all lit up and it is dark outside. So it's really cool to know that I am reaching you guys where you're still experiencing sunshine over in California. So thank you so much for having me. It's always a pleasure to to partner up with Jayson and to talk about school age, mental health, children, children mental health in general. Just a brief little disclaimer before we get started. I always the day of my presentations, I get into this frame of thought about, you know, what do I really want to focus on? What is a point that I really want to get across? And in this particular presentation, you know, I find that occupational therapists are always looking for an. Activity, an intervention, you know, something hard and tangible that they can do to address something, and I appreciate that more than people will ever know. However, I am going to challenge you guys tonight to think about how we need to start modifying our approach with our clients, particularly our children. I'm still focusing on mental health in a post covid world, because when I began this research, it was during the covid crisis, and I've been eagerly awaiting the results of how mental health is in a post covid world. And so as I was sharing with Jayson, as I was preparing for this, I learned a bunch of new stuff about how mental health has changed in a post covid world, for our children well, and really for the world at large. So without further ado, let's jump in. We're going to do a brief review. Let me see come on in advance, would you? There we go. All right, so some learning objectives for tonight. I want you to be able to walk away from this presentation to be enlist three significant mental illness diagnoses that our school day children are facing at this point. And let me be clear that when I say school aged, I am talking about ages three, from the time when children can start in public education all the way up to age 21 and of course, when we start at the age of three, we are coming in with some special needs. We have qualified to be able to come into school practice. Number two, I want you to be able to identify reasons and events that impact child mental illness and how that impacts their ability to engage in occupation. And then, number three, recognize the role of occupational therapy and addressing these mental health issues. So covid, 19 has had some lasting impacts on everybody, and I know that some people are probably feeling that, oh, my goodness, you're still talking about covid. Yeah, I am, because it is still having great impacts, not only on our children, but public education as a whole, when I retired, it was in 2022 and I was really excited, because that was the year in 21 everybody was coming back into the school, and I was excited to have everybody back. And I was like, things are going to be back to normal. And oh my goodness, how wrong I was. That was the year that I saw the most challenging behaviors, not only in special education, but in regular education as well. And it was because of that that my desire to learn more about what is going on here, to make these significant changes in behavior, what's going on, and that is what got me to studying about how did covid impact our kids so but in order to do that, we have to look at three different sets of people. So I want you to envision, if you will, a triangle, and at the top of the triangle we're going to have teachers. In the middle of the triangle, we're going to have parents, and then at the bottom of the triangle, we're going to have children. And as I talk about this, I want you to understand that the anxiety and depression that's happening in our teachers rolls down to our parents. The parents picks up what is going on with our teachers, along with their anxiety and depression and stress, and it's coming down on the shoulders of our our school age children, and so just bear that in mind as we talk. So mental health continues to be a challenge again for all three of these groups of people, teachers, parents and students, and because of that, we are continuing to struggle both with things that have happened in the past as well as new issues that have arisen because of the changes that have come along because of covid. So new considerations have been surfacing, and it really does help us to better understand why there has been a shift in behavior. And I would love to know, you know, for those of you who are school based practitioners. Have you seen the same thing? And if so, I would love to hear what in particular that you're seeing. So let's do a little bit of review. Let's go back to March of 2020, when covid just literally stopped the world on its on the dime. Life as we knew it was no more. I mean, it would. I'll never forget. You know, I come home from work on a Friday, and then I get notified over the weekend that the school is closed indefinitely, that we're going to online learning, and they'll let us know when we can go back in the building. And as you sit. Process that you have to remember that none of us had a say in what was going on. So from teachers to parents to kids, we lost all control through no fault of our own, and as a result, too, public education took a massive hit because of covid, and because of that, it impacted mental health. Because think about it, where do our school age children spend the majority of their time? That is their occupation, that is their job. Is going to school. And so picture, if you will, that occupation has been taken away from them through no fault of their own, and they have no control. So as we were talking, the world has stopped. One day you're at work, the next time you're isolated, to be in your home for an indefinite amount of time, you've had no say in what is going on. You've had no control. You've lost it. And what do we like to do as human beings? We like to be in control of what we can be in control of, and that's very little. But when we've lost what we lost during covid, that's going to impact our income, that's going to impact our health, that's going to impact our socialization, and again, we had no say. Times were at best, uncertain. Parents were wondering, you know, am I going to continue to be the breadwinner? And on top of that, they also had to take on the responsibility of being the teacher, to ensure that while they're doing their job within their home, they also have to ensure that their child is on the computer, remaining engaged and getting and understanding the lesson that the teacher is doing through hybrid means. Children's occupation, again, school has been taken away, and now new norms and routines were thrown upon society. And to think about, you know, you've been clipping along all of your life, doing the same routine week after week, day after day, and all of a sudden you've got to come up with something new. Is really challenging. It's very stressful. So I know I'm just touching the tip of the iceberg, but please try and appreciate all of these challenges that happened. So everything's changing. What happened to our teachers? Our teachers were forced to transition. Let me move this over here. Transition in an erupt in an abrupt, short period of time, very little training on how to use digital resources, and in most cases, did not even have the equipment to adequately be able to do online teaching. Of course, I can only talk about the district that I was in, but you know, the teachers, they didn't have a choice. It was, you're going online, you're going to remain on the standards that we're expecting you to maintain. You're going to teach everything. And sorry, we don't have all the resources we're working on getting that out. Just a mess. And that was just in the district that I was in. I can't imagine what was going on in your part of the world. Research does show, and this was from one of my previous presentations, in order to master the art of teaching in a hybrid means typically takes a year and a half to master all of those skills, and we were told to have it mastered over a weekend. So let that sink in and give you some perspective. Okay, so as a result, I think this teacher's face pretty much says it all. We have our teachers who are now retiring and resigning at higher rates because of covid. One of the studies done by Rand in 2024 out of 1500 participants, a quarter of those teachers were still dealing with stress again. This is post covid. 60% of those 1500 are quote, unquote, burned out. Many report that stress and disappointments of teaching just simply is not worth it anymore. 59% of teachers reported being stressed, versus 78% in 2021 so it looks like the stress might have gone down a little bit, but nonetheless, greater than 50% that's a significant amount. Female teachers have more stress than their male counterparts. I found this really interesting, that teachers of color are less likely to report difficulty with stress or coping. Don't know the the reasoning behind that, but I thought that was a very interesting statistic. 22% are probably going to leave their job at the end of the year. 17% they're just going to stop teaching, that career, that profession, altogether, which just really hurts my heart. And then overwhelmingly, there was just a quote of. Quote, deep undercurrent of discontent. If you can get into the chat, tell me, do you still feel that there is an air of discontent in our schools today? This is going to be frustrating. Jayson Davies No worries. Money, money. I got you, um, I personally, I was just writing into the chat that like, in addition to all this, you also have inflation, and teacher wages not necessarily keeping up with inflation, so you had a mass exodus, and then people just being, like, not wanting, I think, to go into the teacher industry as much because lack of pay, plus the burden that they know teachers had during the pandemic, Dr. Monica Keen you are so right, and we're actually going to talk about exactly that in just a few slides. We're still in review, and we're talking about how the prevalence of anxiety skyrocketed from 10 to almost 50% in our teachers. Depression went from almost 16% to almost 30% and then stress overall from 12.7% to almost 51% those are gargantuous leaps and some very important mental health areas. So what about our families and again, iceberg for the teachers. Now let's go on to our families. The middle of that triangle. Here are some questions that I thought many parents were probably thinking about and just appreciate how this impacts their ability to keep a household up and running. Do I have a job? Am I going to work from home. How am I going to pay the bills? Am I going to work and be my teacher, my child's teacher? Am I How am I going to maintain the structure and routine now that everybody is home under the same roof, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, how am I going to take care of my family members that are sick? Why can't I go and be with my spouse who's in the hospital? How many of us know of friends or family who lost family members to covid while they were in the hospital and we could not even go in and visit with them? I miss my kids, or the children aren't handling this well, how am I going to be able to help them? Just think about this, if we as adults were so unsettled within our own selves, can you imagine how unsettling it had to be for our children? Some concerning statistics about what was going on in our families. In our homes, there was an increased concern about domestic violence. There was increased anxiety within the home, increased depressive symptoms, and 8.3% actually reported having suicidal thoughts and feelings. The increased negative interactions between our kids, including conflict, was higher and it resulted in the maltreatment of our children in the forms of yelling and shouting disciplining when disciplining was not needed, and the use of harsh words. And let me tell you something, as a person who has under you know, been verbally abused over my lifetime, the use of harsh words can be very devastating, and so here we are again, stuck in a home with these people, 24/7, no means of escape or a break. So let's talk about our little ones. Seven years and younger, increased clinginess and fear, not being cooperative, misbehavior, boredom, needing more attention. And we have to remember attention comes in both positive and negative forms. They just wanted more attention and then increase in anxiety. But yet, our children going into the teenage world, the puberty age, look how high the anxiety skyrocketed, almost from 2% to almost 24 Depression, depression in the ages of seven to 13, from 2% to almost 12% Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, three, 3% I Think that is significant simply because we're talking about an age bracket of seven to 13. Most problematic with our kid OTs were the changes in behaviors, the need for constant attention and reassurance, difficulties with academics. Let's talk about that for a minute. I can tell you that I am not the best hybrid learner. I'm a kinesthetic learner, where I need to see it, touch it, manipulate it, smell it, feel it, whatever, in order to get the best learning experience for myself. Well, that's not the case during covid at hybrid learning, our children were not able, some of them. We're not able to grasp the concepts. And I don't know if you have found this over the course of your career, but when you have a child who is not able to keep up with what's going on the in the classroom, I've noticed one of two things happen, either they shut down or they misbehave, and so we're having a situation where the children are also being advanced to the next grade when they haven't even mastered the concepts of the grade before them, and so once they get into that next grade, it just continues to pile on, on, on, putting more stress on our children, resulting in increased anxiety, increased depression, so on and so forth, and that is going to result in the misbehavior, anxiety, social isolation, when they just simply shut down and depression. All right, let's move on up into age adolescence. You know, during this time of adolescence, this is when they need the more most, quote, unquote, normalcy, right? And that was the least of what they were given during the times of covid. Studies showed that in our adolescence during covid, they were showing increase in depression, again, anxiety, PTSD, misbehavior, poor attention, increased impulsivity. You're going to see over and over, how these the areas of anxiety and depression just keep going up the ladder. So what is research showing? Now? This is where I got excited, because I've been waiting for this for a long time, and this is what I found out so far. All right, let me preface this by saying this is not, this is not a political agenda that I'm about to go over. When I did this in my last presentation, I forget where one of the comments said I think she was pushing her political agenda. And no, this came right out of research. So this is what our teachers are facing the end of federal pandemic relief funding. And so that means that the financial burden for them to bring supplies and resources into their classroom, a lot of it continues to fall on them. A new political agenda targeting public education, as we know, the Department of Education shut down, and that is where we get a lot of our help. For our educators. We are committed as educators to diversity and equity and inclusion, and especially as OTs, that is what we are driven to do. And so you know that has been threatened, deepening of inequities and access and support, and then evolving teaching as a profession. What Jayson was just talking about many of our teachers, again, they're just saying it's just not worth it. I'm finding over and over again that the support for our teachers is just becoming less and less, which, if they're not getting the support that they need, that is eventually going to bleed over into the classroom and with our students again. If you've got some comments about that, I would love to hear what you're noticing in your area of work. For our parents, our research is showing now that they're bringing in this concept, the reality of aces, adverse childhood experiences, and they are finding that if our parents had history of having had adverse childhood experience, and we're going to go over these specifically more in just a little bit that was going to directly impact how they handled themselves during the covid 19 pandemic. These adverse childhood experiences can have an impact on the individual's resilience, ability to cope, and how they regulate, how the parents regulate during their times of stress. Those who experience child maltreatment as an adverse childhood experience was more likely to carry out that same type of behavior on their children experiencing re traumatic events reported to have an increase during the isolation phase of covid, and mothers who experienced adverse childhood experiences were more likely to have less resilience, yeah, poor resilience during the covid experience. So now let's look at our children and our adolescents. Okay for our children, if they did not have a mental health diagnosis prior to covid, they were point one 5% more likely to develop one within two years post covid. If. They had a mental health diagnosis before covid, they were point 2.026% more likely to acquire a new one. And for our children, those usually played themselves out in developmental disorders and anxiety disorders, specifically ADHD and in some cases, conduct disorder. But when we looked at our adolescents again, if they did not have a mental health disorder prior to covid, they were point one, 9% more likely to develop one within two years. If they had one, they were more likely to acquire a new one in point zero 5% and for our adolescents that came in the form of anxiety disorder, substance abuse disorder, mood disorder, ADHD and increase in suicide attempts, that's very sobering, in addition To what this previous slide has shown you, in addition to depression and anxiety, again, our children, adolescents and teenagers, the gamut of the of our kids during their school, school age, time, PTSD, loneliness, I think that that is a very significant one that We need to pay a lot of attention to because how often do we hear children telling us that they're lonely? Psychological distress, anger? It's no to me, it's no wonder that these children do have anger, especially if they're not able to keep up in the classroom, especially if they have experienced something traumatic while they were forced to be home all of the time, and we have to remember as well that our young children do not have the verbiage to be able to express verbally how they're feeling, and so many of The times that expression is going to come out in the form of behavior. And we all know as OTs, behavior is a huge form of communication. There was an increase in irritability, increase in boredom, increase in fear and stress. And I thought this was fascinating as well. Eating disorders may have been reactivated secondary to covid, and that is because covid could have been a triggering event for those who had eating disorders previously, increasing the anxiety and the stress, thus causing them to fall back into what was familiar being their eating disorders. Any questions so far Jayson? Jayson Davies no questions. There's been some comments in there, but I was just going to say also, kids were at home all day. They were, you know, a stone's throw away from all the cupboards with all the food in it, as opposed to having to find eating times and defined school time. Dr. Monica Keen Exactly, and the parents as well. We have to remember, you know, they're trying to do their job. They're trying to make sure the kids are at, you know, sitting and attending in the classroom. It was just really chaos for a lot of homes. So I found this study, this meta analysis to be absolutely fascinating, notice, if you will. It was a cross sectional or a longitudinal study between America, Greece, Norway, Australia and Canada. They looked at children between the ages of eight to 18. They specifically looked at what were the levels of anxiety, pre covid and then post covid. So for anxiety, they gave specific results for America, Canada and Greece. And I'm not going to go over the numbers, simply because you can, you can read, but in each one, they increase. So for USA, 4.67 to 5.37 and then the same for Canada and Greece, it went up for depression, pre covid and post covid, they looked at America, Norway, Greece and Australia. And again, across the board, we are still seeing increased percentages in depression in all of those countries. So our children are not getting the interventions that they need to learn how to regulate and deal with the events that happened during covid, and they're still processing that. Jayson Davies All right. I hope you are enjoying this episode with Dr Monica keen. We're going to take a quick break, but when we return, Dr keen is going to dive into updated research as well as some practical strategies that we can use in the schools right now. Stay tuned. Dr. Monica Keen Okay, so now we're going to break into looking at aces trauma and resulting behaviors. And this is where I really got interested, because prior to the new statistics coming out about anxiety and depression, nothing was ever mentioned about adverse childhood experiences or traumatic events. It was this is what's going on, and this is why we're seeing an increase in anxiety and depression. But now they are saying that adverse childhood experiences did play a direct role in how our children were impacted during covid. So what is an adverse childhood experience? It is a preventable, potentially traumatic event that occurs in childhood. Now, when I read the word preventable, I read it as the child may not been able to prevent it, but it is something that did not have to happen, if that makes any sense. Some examples would be sexual abuse, verbal abuse, emotional and physical abuse, neglect, domestic violence, etc, etc. And there is an association when there has been a conglomerate accumulation of adverse childhood experiences and poor mental health, that goes to reason. But let's look at some specific things that happen when there is a buildup of those aces, emotional abuse, sexual violence and physical violence during dating was associated with increased substance abuse. If you experienced one to two aces during the pandemic, it doubled and possibly tripled your chances of falling into substance abuse. And if you experienced four or more of some aces during the pandemic, you had a higher chance of alcohol use, higher chance of binge drinking, and then a higher prevalence of increased alcohol during the pandemic, as well as a higher use of using marijuana. Now, thought this was really interesting as well. I learned that there are 10 original aces, and we now are looking to add more, which is going to be in the next slide. But let's look at what the original aces are, physical abuse. And again, these were labeled as preventable activities, not by the child, but the adult could have not done these things, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect, two totally different things, but both carry impacting results. Parental separation, then divorce again, two things that are alike, but yet so totally different, domestic violence against the mother. Now, yeah, I'm sure that it is important if there's domestic violence against the father, but there's something more specific when the children witness it happening to the mother that it impacts them at a deeper level, substance abuse of a household member, mental illness of a household member, or incarceration of a household member. So these are the 10 original aces. And if we go to the previous slide that we looked at, remember we were talking about, if individuals had experienced these in an accumulation four or more, one or two or one, it will impact and increase their chances, as we talked about for alcohol abuse and substance abuse. So here are the ones that they are considering adding peer victimization. What does that boil down to? I think, for a child that's going to be bullying, whether it's cyber bullying, whether it's in person, peer victimization, battering, gambling problems in the household discrimination. And I want to kind of sit on discrimination for just a few minutes. Discrimination goes so far beyond the color of one's skin. In the previous presentation that I've done, there were specific statistics about the LGTBQ community for our adolescents and teenagers during the covid time, which pointed out that they had increased suicidal not only attempts, but also suicidal ideation. Because that community found its comfort and found its socialization and its peer connections in school, and so that was taken away, and they were back in a home where probably a lot of the parents didn't agree with the lifestyle, and so they were being judged, they were being condemned on a pretty consistent basis. And so when we see that word discrimination, let's make sure that discrimination covers a lot of different areas and not just race. The next two that we're going to talk about are really gaining a lot of traction in the world today as it relates to how it impacts our children's mental health. So contact with protective services that's not even talking about when they remove the child from the home, the mere fact that child protective services have come in into a situation in the home, again, where the child has had absolutely no control, and here they are being threatened to be removed from the home, even though that might be in that child's best interest, that is still the environment that that child is used to. That is their norm. That is where they have consistency, even though it might not be, probably is not positive consistency, the mere fact that that is being threatened and they're going to be removed from their parents, that is now considered an adverse childhood experience, foster care placement, again, being taken away from something that is so familiar to these children being put in an environment where they don't know anybody. They don't again, don't know the rules, the regulations, the schedule, the routine, and they are expected to adapt so very stressful poverty they want to add to the list of adverse childhood experiences, because poverty is going to directly impact their ability, the family's ability to get to resources, the things that they need, whether it's health care, food, being able to keep the lights on in the home, Being able to keep the water on when I talk to my students, when I'm teaching or when I'm presenting, especially to school practitioners, I always try to zone in on the fact that for children, for some children, school is the only place where they're going to get hot meals. Two of them, school may be the only place where they have electricity and running water, and so school is a safe haven for them. And so it's no wonder that poverty does play a role in being an adverse childhood experience. And then lastly, neighborhood violence is going to be added to the list as well. And I think that, you know, when we think about neighborhood violence, that comes in so many different ways, whether it's drug dealing, whether it's, you know, where active shooting is going on all the time, just neighborhood violence, where they see a lot of fighting in the streets, a lot of murders, neighborhood violence is going to be considered and with good reason to be another adverse childhood experience. All right, so in this particular study, mercera et al was looking at not only American children, but also Dutch children, and I found these statistics to be pretty disturbing as well. Almost 63% of high school students have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience out of the original framework that we talked about, the original 10 by the age of six, approximately 70% of children that from the US study longitudinal had experienced three or more out of eight of the 10 original aces for Dutch children nine to 13 years of age and regular ed. Regular ed reveal that approximately 45% had experienced at least one ACE in their lifetime, and 11% of those had experienced three or more of the 10 original aces. So again, we're not even looking at the other ones that are going to be added to the list, that for sure, we're going on in addition to the 10. So I put this in red because it's so important, adolescents who reported aces were more likely to experience depression, anxiety, drug abuse, antisocial behavior, suicidality and cognitive difficulties. All right, did you know that covid is now. Considered to have been a traumatic event. And I think that it should go without reason that that qualifies as a traumatic event. What I've done on this slide, and if I had the book with me, I learned it to one of my students. If you have not read the book, The Body Keeps the Score, oh, my goodness, please go get your copy tomorrow. That book was life changing for me, because it validates the fact that exposure to chronic trauma literally changes the biology of our brain. It alters our neural pathways and it causes different wiring within the brain, not that it can't be reversed, but to know that exposure to this trauma literally changes the makeup of our brain truly does validate why and how behavior is being impacted. So these were some of the direct quotes that I took from the book that I thought really hit home. Trauma results in fundamental reorganization of the way the mind and the brain manage stress. Recalling an emotional event from the past causes us to actually re experience that trauma, and we go back to the original sensations that we felt during the original event. Suppressing those inner cries for help doesn't stop our stress hormones from mobilizing the body when something terrifying happens, we will retain an intense and largely accurate memory of that event for a very long time. And lastly, and we've already spoke about this briefly, finding words to describe what has happened to you can be transformative, but it does not always abolish or stop the flashbacks or improve concentration. So again, think about our little ones who do not have the words to be able to talk about what happened to them and not express what happened to them and how that made them feel. So again, if you've not read the book The Body Keeps the Score, please get you a copy and check it out. So covid and trauma. As I said, covid 19 is now recognized as a traumatic event in the lives of some children, not all children, but some. And so with trauma comes trauma informed care, and I'm not certified in this form of intervention as of yet, but the components of trauma informed care are things that we can do at any given time in our interventions. And one of the things that I think is so wonderful about trauma informed care is that no longer do we look at the individual and in our situation, our children in the schools and say, What's wrong with you? Instead, we are now taking that approach of Tell me what happened to you. And that is such a huge shift in the approach that we're taking with our clients in order to make that relationship with them so that we can help them get past or deal with and better regulate their emotions trauma. Informed care also wants us to focus in and promote the resilience of our clients. We need to help them get back in touch with their ability to get better, their ability to regulate their emotions and their feelings, we need to get them back in touch with their ability to be to remember that they are resilient. The other wonderful thing about trauma informed care is that it really is client centered, and so you know, just like from Question one, we want to know what happened to them so that we can find out how that impacted them as a client specifically, and as OTs, when we pull on our mental health education and Our experience, we're going to help them to be be able to better navigate through that trauma, hopefully be able to give them some better cognitive strategies on how to reframe and rethink how they handled the trauma. So again, client centered care, it prioritizes a trauma. Informed care promotes and prioritizes trust and collaboration and so again, in order to have this with our client, we've got to build that relationship, and building relationships with individuals who have had trauma go on in their life is not and it's not meant to. Be an easy thing. We have to go back into our intentional relationship model and build that trust with that individual so that they feel comfortable sharing with us what's going on, and then we also you when we use trauma informed care, we want to promote the client's strengths. So instead of focusing on what they're having so many challenges with which is bringing down their resilience and it is causing increased anxiety and stress, we want to find and zone in on the things that they're doing well. We want to look at the things that they are strong in, and help them focus on that so that the other areas will come and improve with time. All right, the other thing about trauma informed care, and I know we're almost finished a trauma, informed care also has an acronym called cares, and it stands for context. We always want to understand what is the context of where our client is coming from, and so in this presentation, the context was, How did covid impact them? We want to ask questions. We we want to talk openly about the event so that they can identify the things that happen to them which are directly impacting their behavior or impacting their ability to engage in occupation and again, that's not going to come overnight. That is going to come from us using that intentional relationship model through therapeutic use of self to build that trust, respect and that friendship with our clients. Resiliency and resources is what R stands for, and we need to again, remember that we are focusing on their strengths, and we want to reinforce the resilience so that that, in turn, will decrease their stress. E stands for educate, and this is so incredibly important y'all, we have the privilege of being able to educate not only our clients, but the caregivers as well about how the trauma has impacted our clients, ability to engage in occupation, how it's impacted their behavior, If we don't understand why we're doing what we're doing. It makes it very difficult to appreciate the strategies that we are offering to our caregivers and our clients as to why they need to do certain things that that makes sense so by understanding or appreciating what our clients are going through as a result of an adverse childhood experience, as a result of trauma, that is going to help us better appreciate or understand what they are going through, and we can help open their eyes to the situation that they're in and teach them how To better regulate themselves. And again, this is for any age. School Based three to 21 we can we can work with any of those ages and educating and then self care. We want our clients to recognize that that trauma does produce stress, but we also need to remind them and empower them that engaging in self care, engaging in leisure activities, is going to help them better face the challenges that they are having, because self care always helps us feel better about ourselves. My question to you guys is, are you doing your self care, especially at this busy time of year? All right, wrapping things up, we're going to talk very quickly about internal versus external behaviors, and I do feel that we as practitioners probably cue into these things better than a lot of other professions internalized behavior. That is, of course, when we keep everything inside and we don't verbally express what's going on within ourselves, but it does come out in the form of being fearful, somatic complaints. I've got a headache. I've got a tummy ache, my neck hurts. You know, how many times have our kids in school come up to the teacher and said, on a daily basis, my tummy hurts, and we put two and two together, and we realize it's happening during a time when they're covering a subject that they don't understand. So somatic complaints are big worrying withdrawal, withdrawal and isolation, those are all examples of internalizing behaviors, whereas externalizing behaviors are going to be disruptive, aggressive, impulsive behaviors, and again, these are the children expressing how they're feeling through their behavior, and not so much through their verbiage. And what we need to do as the practitioner is not to react, but to respond and. And instead of getting upset to take that step back and to think about, what has this child gone through? What are they dealing with on a day to day basis, we need to be more aware of what is going on in our clients lives, so that we can better meet their needs through our interactions with them. And then lastly, what is our role as OTs? And so these are the things that I thought are so very important. Number one, please remember that every interaction is an intervention. I feel that we as OTs sometimes think that if we don't do an assessment or a test on a particular thing, then we're not addressing it, and that is so far from the truth. Every time we work with our kid OTs, we are addressing their mental health needs. Anytime you are hanging out with your friends, you're addressing their mental health needs. Every interaction that we do, we have the privilege of being able to know that we've done an intervention number two, that intentional relationship model be intentional in your relationships with everybody, but with our clients, especially those who have gone through trauma, when we're intentional and they can sense and that they know that we are truly interested in what's going on in their lives. That's where the trust is built, and that is where the relationship is formed using that therapeutic use of self. So so very important, we are the masters at that understanding the value of occupation. Now there's a difference in understanding what the value of occupation is versus engaging in occupation. Our goal is to get our clients to engage in occupation. So always know there's a difference between the two, but both of them are very important. What occupation is important to our clients? And once we've identified that, let's get them engaged in it. Know the occupation of your clients, and of course, we're going to figure that out through the occupational profile. And I would dare Gander to say that every time you go to get that kiddo out of the classroom to work with them, you need to be updating that occupational profile, because every single time you go to see that kiddo, they're not going to be the same. Their likes and dislikes might be the, you know, the same. They might vary a little bit, but we don't know when we open that door to get Johnny what kind of morning he's had. We don't know what Sarah had to deal with before she got to school. We don't know how Larry did on that test, and that just absolutely he bombed, and that's ruined the rest of his day. Always have that occupational profile being updated, become certified in tic trauma, informed care. I'm one that needs to fill that goal, but we can educate ourselves about what trauma informed care is, and we can go ahead and implement those the principles of trauma informed care. Always update the occupational profile and then lastly, but I think this is so important, appreciate the totality of your client's situation, being mindful of how the totality of what our little ones are dealing with will impact their behavior, and we can help them navigate beyond that journey. Help them to become successful in regulating their behavior and their emotions, but we must first understand, appreciate and gather the totality of what our kid OTs are going through with that the importance of occupation. This is the last slide. Occupations are the activities that people do every day to give their life meaning and purpose. Those can be done alone or with family or with friends. They can be done at home, at work, at school or in the community. Again, occupations are everywhere we go. Persons respond through adapting and innovation, whether occupations have been challenged or been threatened. This next one is so important, Adversity is not experienced the same by all people. That's one of the beautiful things about being an individual is that we experience things differently, and just because we experience things differently does not make our experience any less or any more than anybody else's. We as ot play a huge role in helping our clients adapt to their to occupations, as well as we are their biggest cheerleader to engage to participate back in those occupations, especially during their time of hardship and loss of OT, loss of engagement and occupation will not can it? Will impact the psychosocial well being of all individuals. So with that, I say thank you, and I am really interested in knowing if anybody has comments or questions. Jayson Davies All right, that wraps up episode number 200 thank you so much for tuning in to this special episode with myself and Dr Monica keen every time we have Dr Monty on the podcast. I love hearing from her. She teaches me something every single time, whether it is here on the podcast or in the collaborative like you just heard her presentation from plus, you know the knowledge is fantastic. I love it, but she is just also so inspiring, like she wants, she makes me want to do really cool things after every single time that I hear from her. Remember, if you want to dive deeper into this topic, and you want to earn one hour of a ot a approved professional development and access all the slides and resources from this course, you can do so by joining the school based ot collaborative at OTSchoolHouse.com, slash collab, you'll get this course as well as over 30 other courses, along with unlimited resources, our goal bank, our AI tools, everything to help make your life as a school based ot practitioner easier. Plus, if you do decide to join impact tier members also get full access to our back to school conference coming up this August that is packed with even more great content and more presentations to help you kick start your school year. Thank you one more time to Dr keen for sharing her expertise and for everything that you do for the school based ot community, and thank you for being a part of this 200th episode celebration. Thanks for tuning in. Really appreciate you being here, and I'll see you next time in Episode 201. Until then, take care. Amazing Narrator Thank you for listening to the OT school house podcast for more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to OTSchoolHouse.com Until next time class is dismissed Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now! Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here to view more episodes of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast

Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 199 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Transitioning from OT student to practicing clinician isn’t always a straight path—and in this episode, Chandler Sarkozi shares her real, unfiltered journey into school-based practice. From taking the NBCOT multiple times to navigating job options and ultimately choosing a travel-based school position, this conversation highlights the challenges many new grads face but don’t often talk about. Chandler dives into what it actually  looks like to start mid-year as a contract OT, including figuring out housing, building rapport with students and staff, and working through imposter syndrome. She also shares practical insights on the interview process, key questions to ask employers, and how a strong support system can make all the difference. Whether you're a new grad, exploring school-based OT, or curious about travel therapy, this episode offers honest guidance and reassurance. 🎙️ Press play to hear how Chandler learned to trust herself, stay flexible, and grow into her role. Learning Objectives Identify strategies for transitioning from OT student to school-based practitioner Learners will identify key considerations when choosing between contract and district school-based OT roles Determine essential interview questions to assess support, caseload, and job expectations Guest Bio Chandler is an occupational therapist who began her career as a travel school-based clinician, supporting preschool, middle school, and transition-aged students up to age 22. Prior to graduate school, she worked at a nonprofit school for autism that utilized the DIR/Floortime model—an experience that deeply shaped her relational and developmental approach. During her training, Chandler served as a SOTA board member and led an interprofessional competition, further strengthening her leadership and collaborative skills. Through her clinical work and global travel experiences, she has developed a culturally responsive approach grounded in compassion, curiosity, and collaboration. She approaches her work with a holistic lens, recognizing that meaningful progress happens when children, families, and educators are supported together. She prioritizes authentic relationships and inter-professional collaboration to create cohesive, goal-aligned support systems that are sustainable and contextually responsive. Chandler is passionate about strengthening caregivers as a way to strengthen entire communities, and she aspires to one day develop innovative, developmentally informed schools in underserved areas—creating environments that empower both children and those who support them. Quotes “I didn't come this far… to not fully finish what I started.” — Chandler Sárközi, MOT, OTR/L “Trust yourself… you're going to learn from it regardless.” — Chandler Sárközi, MOT, OTR/L “Trying something is better than assuming” — Chandler Sárközi, MOT, OTR/L “You don’t need to stress too much about knowing all the assessments before you get hired.” —Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L “Everything is figure-out-able.” —Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L Resources 👉 LinkedIn - Chandler Sarkozi  - Connect with Chandler for questions about travel school-based OT 👉 From Student to Practitioner Guide 👉 NBCOT  - National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy exam 👉 Furnished Finder  - Housing resources for travel therapists 👉 Episode 172 with Doug Vestal  - Recent OT Schoolhouse Podcast episode about student loans and financial planning Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies     Hey there, and welcome back to the OT school house podcast. This is episode 199, thank you so much for being here really quickly before we get started. I apologize if this intro and the outro later feels a little amazingly. I am overcoming a little bit of a cough cold, whatever you want to call it. And yeah, but that's not going to stop us. We are going to get through this important episode. So let's go ahead and set the scene starting a new school based ot job can feel like being dropped into the middle of a story that you're unfamiliar with, and when that unfamiliar story includes a travel contract in the middle of the school year, and maybe you just recently passed the NBC ot exam on your second, third, or maybe even your fourth try. That does not sound fun, right? Well, today's guest knows exactly what that is like. Chandler Sarkozy is an occupational therapist and assistant producer here at the OT school house podcast and one of the community managers of our school based ot collaborative community. Chandler began working with me while she was still in occupational therapy school a few years ago, and she recently made the leap from student to full time contracted school based practitioner, taking on a full caseload here in February, navigating IEPs she didn't write of course, and learning the ropes while balancing a long commute in the realities of travel therapy. In this episode, Chandler opens up about her transition, the financial decisions that led her to contract work, the support systems that saved her, the imposter syndrome that showed up anyway, and the strategies that helped her to survive and feel more confident in her new role as a school based ot if you're a new grad weighing your options, or a soon to be new grad wondering if travel therapy is right for you, or perhaps even a seasoned practitioner, curious what it's like to start mid year as a travel contractor. This conversation is for you. Let's dive in with Chandler Sarkozy,    Amazing Narrator     hello and welcome to the OT school house podcast. Your source for school based occupational therapy, tips, interviews and professional development. Now to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jayson Davies, class is officially in session.    Jayson Davies     Well, Chandler, here you are on the OT school house podcast. You are one of the most familiar people with the OT school house podcast, so it is going to be fun having you on the opposite end here as kind of being a guest on the show as opposed to kind of being the producer behind the scenes of the OT school house podcast. So welcome. How are you doing today?    Chandler Sarkozi     Thank you, Jayson. I'm doing good, a bit nervous, but cool to be on this side. So yeah, thanks for having me, and I'm excited to be here absolutely.    Jayson Davies     You know people who have attended the back to school conference or part of their two school house collaborative are familiar with you. People really appreciate how, how you bring value to I mean, at the back to school conference, mostly in our chat, really helping provide resources for people and at ot school house collaborative, everybody knows how involved you are there with making sure that professional development is going on and providing resources there. But here, we're here today to talk about you and your recent transition from being a student as an occupational therapist or an occupational therapy student moving into a full time school based ot position. So with that, before we dive into all that, I just want to hear a little bit from you how you kind of came into the world of occupational therapy.    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah. So I knew I always wanted to help people. I just didn't know what that looked like when I was younger. And so my mom actually, she worked at a school and was friends with the occupational therapists, and she was like, I think ot would be the most perfect job for you. And I didn't know what ot was. So I was like, okay, like, I'll go check it out. I'll go shadow her friend and see what it's all about. And so it was at a school in elementary school. And so, you know, we saw kids in her small, little office, she had, like her desk, and then just like a little small trampoline, and then like a little crash pad. And it was, it was very small, but I'm like, Oh, wow, this seems so fun, like you're playing with kids all day. Like I'm sold. So that was kind of the beginning steps of me learning what ot was. And I had no idea that ot was in other areas as well. So I applied to OT school was all for, like, the working with kids being at a school, and then to find out there was all these other aspects to it, like in the hospitals. And I was like, that's not for me, but I'm here for the kids. I'm here for for learning. And so yeah, that's how I kind of learned about OT and. Applied to OT school. I, when I was doing that, I was actually getting my undergrad in human services, so another field of helping people, and then I transitioned to the OT aspect, awesome.    Jayson Davies     So what were some of the things that during school or OT school, that kind of helped you to solidify that maybe you wanted to go into school based occupational therapy. I know you mentioned, you know, that's kind of your roots in understanding occupational therapy. But as you mentioned, there's also many other areas of OT. So what was it that kind of solidified I want to go into school based OT? So we    Chandler Sarkozi     So we had our, we actually got to go into a school. So it was like an underserved school. working with those kids, it was really cool to see that dynamic. And the principal, I remember her so specifically. She was so upbeat and so just engaged with the kids. And she'd call everybody love. all the kids, even like us, the students our professors and everything.  (6:01)  And so going there and actually working with the kids, that was a really cool hands-on experience that we all did. And ⁓ then my fieldwork, I was at a school district doing evals for Playbased.     and then one day a week we would go see the students. But I really liked the play-based evaluation aspect to that. And then my other placement was at a nonprofit that had a school, it had a clinic, and it had an adult section. So it was very cool having those three different areas and going to the school, seeing the transition students, which was different than what I had experienced before working with younger kids. So seeing that, I really liked.     that aspect too. So just having a wide range of different experiences, even if some of them were short, just seeing the kids through their lifespan and how it is different working with each age range.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you know, our level our level one and level two field works really shaped what we understand about OT, I think a lot. And, you know, I never had a school based ot level one or level two, and obviously went into schools. But I know it seems like a lot of cases, people end up in one of the areas that they do a level one or level two, just because it really does shape us. And so it's so nice when you have a good level one, good level two experience that helps you, kind of get you through ot school and then into your career. And so let's go ahead and talk about that point then, because you know you go through your ot program, you go through your level ones and your level twos, and then it's kind of like, boom, you are out in the rural world here. So coming out of OT school, what was your thought process around completing the NBC, OT and then starting to work? I mean, I know nothing ever goes as planned, but, you know, go back to that moment that you graduated, what was your thinking that that, I guess, what was your thinking in terms of completing the NBC ot test and then going on to work?    Chandler Sarkozi     So my thinking plan was a little bit different than I think most people's, because as soon as I before I graduated, I knew that I was leaving the country. I left the country on a one way ticket. I didn't know when I was gonna come back, and so I didn't study my I had a plan that I was gonna study, but that ended up not happening. So it was months that I was gone, I didn't do what I originally said I was gonna do, oh yeah, I'm gonna, you know, study these days and make time for it. That didn't happen. So upon coming back, I was like, Okay, I want to take it as soon as possible. So I gave myself, I think, around four weeks, and I was like, I just want to take it. I want to see how I'm going to do and get it over with. So in those four weeks, all of my my cohort had already taken their exam, had already had jobs, so I had no one to study with. So it's just me alone trying to figure out the best way to study. I didn't know really what I was doing, how I needed to best study, and so I took it, and I failed by three points. And so that was super frustrating, because I was like, Oh, I was so close, but yet, so far. And so then I was like, okay, well, I need to figure out a different strategy to see if that'll help. And so I did, I studied for, I don't know how many more weeks and once again, passed, didn't pass by missing a few points. And so, you know, it just kind of got even more disappointing, like, ⁓ man, like, am I gonna get this?     think I took it four times. On the fourth time I passed, And that time, I was, like, already looking for jobs. I was like, Okay, I'm passing this time. There's, there's no doubt about it, I'm staying in a good mindset about this. And so I was applying to jobs, doing job interviews, and yeah, then I found out that I finally passed and I saw those little, those little confetti things when I opened up the email, or whatever it was, and I was like, finally, I, like, texted my mom and everybody's, like, early in the morning when I got the news, and, yeah, it was finally, like a relief lifted.    Jayson Davies     But I think I remember that Google Chat coming in that you passed. I mean, this is, I know not everyone listening understands this, but Chandler and I meet on like a once a week basis. You know, on and off. We've skipped a few sessions every now and then, but we we meet very regularly, and I got to watch as you went through all these different emotions, per se, all these different failures, and then lifting yourself back up, and you could see how you were changing your plan in between each attempt. I mean, I remember sometimes you were going like hard at the library. Other times you're more, you know, just cuddle up with with a book or something at home. But things changed over time, and I guess, for from your perspective, what helped you, you know, once you got that email, the first three times that you know, wasn't great news, I guess. What was that experience like? Both kind of as you got that email, but then turned around to, you know, what I can do this.    Chandler Sarkozi     I've always not been a quitter, so I knew that no matter how many times it takes, if I keep failing, I'm gonna keep pushing through until I make it and like, I didn't come this far. I didn't go through ot school. I didn't go through all the tears and the hard times to not fully finish what I started. So, you know, I gave myself permission to feel disappointed and feel my feelings, but then I, you know, I have to pick it back up and keep going. And I think something else that helped was, by that time, my mentee from ot school, she had graduated, so she was studying for the exam as well, and she lives down the street from me, so we decided to make a study plan and start meeting up at the library. And so having her helped, you know, hold us both accountable, and we could quiz each other and ask each other questions. So I think having that that time also really helped and kept us both going, because we were both just like, Oh, we're just ready to both pass the test and be done with it.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, no, I totally understand that. One more question about this before we move on, because I think it's something that's not talked about very often, and that is, from your perspective, it's kind of a two part question. We'll start with part one, did you get a sense from other people in the profession, whether it be you know, even myself, that you know we met occasionally, or people from your cohort that you you know, kept in touch with, you know, did anything change relationship wise, when you let people know that, you know, I hadn't passed NBC, OT, you know, I missed it by a few points. And did that change? And the reason Matthew is because I want people who are listening to be able to kind of understand that from from the perspective, who's someone you know, who, who did have to take it a few times. Did you get a sense of anything changing when people found out that you didn't pass? Or was it similar? Were people very supportive? Did you have any hardships?    Chandler Sarkozi     I felt like I was, you know, incompetent when I would tell the people that I didn't pass. But nobody, you know, everybody was supportive. Nobody like said anything bad or anything like that. So I definitely tried to limit who I told each time as it went forward, just because I if I did fail, I didn't want to have to say it again or explain it. But then by that time, I'm like, You know what? It really doesn't matter. Are like, I'm taking it. If I fail, I fail. I think I got more confidence in myself to realize that either way, I'm human, I'll make mistakes, but that doesn't lower my worth. Yeah, yeah, awesome, yeah. I'm glad you've    Jayson Davies     had positive experiences, and I'm sure you know I always say that ot practitioners, especially are some of the kindest people and what the kindest people, and what the ethical people, and we all support one another. And you know, we just hope that that's always the case, because, you know, the NBC OT is not easy. I mean, they purposefully the pass rate, the pass to fail ratio is somewhat high, because it really is designed to make you think critically as you take the pass it or take the test. And so, yeah, you know, I couldn't be more happy for you once you pass, and I'm excited. And now, what that was back in December,    Chandler Sarkozi     that was in Oh, when was that?    Jayson Davies     Several months ago? We're just gonna months ago, yes, yeah. So that was back several months ago. And you know, like you said, once you were planning for this fourth test, and you knew you're going to pass it, you started looking for jobs. And at that point, walk me through some of the different options that you were considering, because in school based OT, I think you knew that you wanted to school based OT, or at least pediatrics. But what were some of the different options that you were weighing?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, so I applied to some pediatric clinics, I applied to some schools, and I applied to early intervention, so all of them working with kids, I felt I hadn't done ei before, so I was, like, unsure about that one, but still, like, I was excited, because I would love to work with babies, but basically, I did some interviews with the clinics and honestly, once they told me the salary starting as an OT, like 65,000, I I feel like I've, I had so much time to think about this as I was not passing the test and as I was traveling. So those ones were out, Okay, I love traveling. I've been hesitant to look into travel therapy because something stuck in my mind if you starting out in travel therapy is not the best because they just throw you in to it. And so that kind of deterred me from doing that. But I was like, You know what? I'm gonna I'm gonna see my options. Let me just reach out to some recruiters and see what it looks like. And so I found some companies talked to them. And the one lady that I ended up talking to the most, and going with, she was very kind and understanding of all my wants and needs, because I I was very straightforward and blunt with everything that I wanted. And so she told me the options, and there happened to be an option that was close by to my house, well, not very close an hour away, but for a travel position, at least it's still in my state. So I had an interview with them, and everything seemed great. I asked a bunch of questions. They seemed very supportive, which was something really big on my list as a new practitioner coming in. I really wanted to make sure that I had a good support in the school, and that kind of right there sold me among just it, being in Illinois, being close to family as my first position, so I'm not super far away and and so, yeah, I was just weighing my options between EI and that. And I was like, and financially wise too, like, that was a big factor of mine, and so they were both on the same page financial wise. But I was like, I think having that support system and knowing that I've already been in schools, I'm comfortable there. I'm comfortable with the age ranges. So I was like, Yeah, that. That's what I'm going with.    Jayson Davies     All right, yeah, and then it sounds like you went directly to talking to contractors at any point. Did you apply your interview with in house districts or in house schools as a ot practitioner?    Chandler Sarkozi     I did, yeah, I applied to the school that I did my field work in that was actually earlier on in the process, before I even passed the exam, like maybe the second time I took the test, thinking that I was going to pass. I looked like one time prior and but I at that time, I wasn't sure about doing full time so, and they were looking for full time, so I didn't pass, and that ended up not working out regardless. So yeah, then that was pretty much when    Jayson Davies     it came time that you were ready after you did pass. Were there any particular reasons that you ended up going with a contract company over a school based company, whether it be an internal decision that you had made or an external in the sense that there just wasn't available positions, I guess. Why go contract route, the travel route, as opposed to in house with the district?    Chandler Sarkozi     For me, it was mostly about flexibility. In case I wanted to switch it up, I would. I knew that I would only be at one placement for 13 weeks if I liked it. I could continue, if the contract allowed for it, if they needed that, if I didn't, then I knew, Okay, after 13 weeks, I'm done and I can try something new. I can go into a pediatric clinic. I can go into EI I can do other things. So I felt like it gave me that flexibility of not feeling stuck in the beginning and being able to see what's out there, as well as having a stipend that's tax free money and making, you know, good money to begin with, in the contract field. So I think those were big determine, determining factors. For me,    Jayson Davies     I think that's a big one. I mean, aside from the financial aspect, the side that you know you can go in, you know that you have a placement for 13 weeks, you kind of get to decide if you like it or not. You also, and we're going to get more into this in a moment. You also started your contract position at a school district in like February or March, which is late in the year, as we all know, for the US public schools. So we'll talk more about that in a minute. But I think it's a good I don't think it's a bad idea. I should say, to try out contracting for the specific reason that you know, it's kind of an easy you can cut ties if you don't like it at the end of the school year or at the end of your 13 weeks. So yeah, where is there any opportunity to move further away from Illinois? And did you give that real consideration?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, so I was really considering one of the placements in Texas, but I think I was like, I I want to be close to home for my first one, just because I don't know what to expect with everything. And I just felt like it was a good way to start, because it is a big change. It's a big transition, going from being in school to starting your career, and so just kind of slowly easing myself into it, and I thought that was a good way to start by staying in Illinois, being semi close by, and still getting the travel experience of having the travel contract, And then being able to branch out once this one's over, if that's what I decide to do,    Jayson Davies     yeah, yeah. I Yeah. I remember you talking about the Texas one a while back. And, yeah, when you bring up talking about the family, I've never done the travel myself. I've never lived more than like, 30 miles from where I grew up. But yeah, you know it would be an interesting experience, and I'm sure some people absolutely love it. And yeah, you what's nice is that you are going to be wrapping up your current travel contract, and just like we were talking about, you now have the flexibility. Should you decide to travel this time or in another 13 weeks after your next assignment, or whatever it might be. So that's what's nice about those short term contract jobs, is that if you like it, there is oftentimes an opportunity to stay, and if you don't like it, it's very easy to move on.    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, like I've been talking to some of my friends who are in OT and even my mom. My mom. Is a breast stenographer, I've been trying to get her to do travel therapy to to make the same amount of money in like half the year. and then she has free time to enjoy life and get to because she's always talking about, you know, just she doesn't have time and and, you know, she gets home from work and she's exhausted, I'm like, Well, this will free up your time, it'll give you more money, and you get to explore new places and see new things. And same with my friend, because she graduated with me, and I'm just like, you're young. Now's the time to try it, when you have that freedom and flexibility of maybe not having young kids or a family. So I think even for it works for young people who are just graduating, who maybe don't have a lot of responsibilities, as well as people who are older, who have older kids that already are grown, and they can now kind of live their life and do their own thing. So I think it's a wide range of people who should give it a chance and think about it and be open to the idea of seeing if it aligns with their life.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And you bring up a good point, I think this is turning out to be a good follow up episode to our recent episode with Doug vestill, right? Like you can use a travel position or a few different travel positions to help you potentially get ahead on those student loans, or to help save that six months worth of emergency fund before you know, maybe taking on a position where you can afford to get paid a little bit less because you have that cushion built up, or maybe now you have a little extra funds to start your own business on the side, which I know Chandler you kind of have aspirations for in the future, potentially, right? So like by taking on a job that might be a little bit tricky, we're going to get into that in a moment. The financial reward might be worth the short term hardship. In the event that you do have a hardship with that type of position. So yeah, I think that's a perfect opportunity for us to move on to this next question. Because, you know, everything is sunshine and roses. When we apply for that job and we get the news that, yes, we're going to take that job, they're happy to have us. But after that, what came next? What were some of the immediate not necessarily, I mean, I'm going to use the word consequence, but not in a bad way, just what were some of the immediate decisions that then had to be made knowing that you were taking this job, I think you said it's a little over an hour away from you. So as a travel therapy job, even though it's only an hour away, you still have to make some decisions. What were some of those decisions?    Chandler Sarkozi     The biggest decision is figuring out where you're going to live. So weighing Okay, do I want to get an Airbnb? Do I want to find an apartment on furnished nurses or furnished housing, or some website like that. Or do I want to stay in a hotel, like, like, figuring out what would be the best option. Or do I stay at home and commute? Or some days commute, and then some days stay in, like, a hotel and and kind of break it, break the drive up, so figuring out what works best. So in the beginning, I was like, Okay, let me just, let me test it out. Let me see how the drive is. Because I hadn't I work remotely with Jayson, so going to a full time job, driving two hours there and back, was just, it seemed like a lot. So I'm like, let me just give it some time and see how this goes. So figuring out that and yeah,    Jayson Davies     I remember one of the things for you, too, is just trying to weigh if it was worth moving all your stuff. You know, it was an hour away where it was, like, far enough that you didn't want to have to drive an hour, but also close enough that an hour didn't seem too far. So I really remember you like having to weigh do I want to move just for 13 weeks? And then I think the other problem I remember you talking about, too, was that it was really hard to even find an apartment that you could rent for such a short term.    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, I think because I was in such a remote area of Illinois, there just wasn't many options that were suitable yeah,    Jayson Davies     So based upon that, right, knowing that there ended up being a little bit of a hardship trying to figure out if you can move somewhere, because maybe there's limited places to live. Is there anything that you might have wanted to get information from the recruiter or someone in the process before making the decision to go to that job? Or do you feel like did you have support with this? Was it all on you? Do you. Wish you had more support with it.    Chandler Sarkozi     I think my recruiter did a nice job of trying her best to give me the options, like she showed me the website, and just trying her best to support me in whatever ways I needed. I did a lot of looking on my own and just things were expensive, and I was just like, it doesn't seem worth it to spend that much money in the middle of nowhere when I'm closer to home. So I was just kind of Yeah, weighing what I should do.    Jayson Davies     And yeah, I mean, I was driving an hour and 15 minutes to work every day for five years. So I totally understand that lots of podcasting time. Yeah, so Did, did the company offer you a stipend if you were to move?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, so the stipend, the stipend was for food and and living, yeah, housing, so when you work over a certain amount of hours, like full time, you get the stipend if you are a certain amount of miles away from your house.    Jayson Davies     Okay, so it all has to do with miles away from where you currently live.    Chandler Sarkozi     Basically, gotcha, at least my placement, my All right,    Jayson Davies     yeah, was there anything else in the actual process of getting hired and getting started that was just a little tricky, a little difficult, or just anything, any stories, or anything that happened that you just have been sharing that you think was whether it was tough or easy, just general things about the process.    Chandler Sarkozi     I feel like the process was really smooth. It went very quickly because the position needed to be filled as quickly as possible. So it was like, I'm going to get my physical, I'm going to do the TB test. All of this within like, a span of maybe, like a week and a half. I had to get all this done, but everybody made it a smooth process. And I really don't have any bad things to say about it, other than it was just quick and like, it needed to be done and the process needed to be to be completed so I could start the job, because they wanted someone ASAP.    Jayson Davies     Cool, sometimes it's, it's nice when things move fast, and then you get a little like, oh my gosh, what's going on here? And the next thing you know, you're thrown into it. But if it's what you want, then it's good.    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, I think if you have a different starting date that is later, then it wouldn't have gone that quick. But I knew that it was going to be a quick turnaround. but I knew that I was starting pretty soon, so I knew that it was going to be a quick turnaround. But I don't think that happens for everybody. So depends on when you are planning to start and when you want to start, your recruiter will find you a job for that time    Jayson Davies     that you want, yeah, and they think you wanted to start pretty quickly, so that just kind of worked out for you. Awesome. All right, now let's dive into the actual work life, I guess we can call it, and that is jumping into a school district as a contracted school based ot in the middle of February or March, whenever you started. That's already giving me a little anxiety, having to jump into a position in the middle of the school year. But yeah, tell us a little bit about your experience.    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah. So I felt like I was just being, like, dropped into, like, a story, and halfway through, and I didn't know what was going on, and it was just like, Okay, I I'm new, luckily, though I had a team of OTs and PTs, so they were super helpful. Even the first day I got there, the PT, Teresa was showing me around and just helping me out with any questions I had. And so it just, even though I was scared and nervous and thrown into it, that support system, like I said in the beginning, was everything, because I knew that I had them to ask questions, to figure out how to do things. So yeah, shout out to Nancy, Valerie and Mary, all the other OTs that have just helped me tremendously in this whole time span, and they're still continuing, continuously helping me, like even today I asked a bunch of questions, so that's been very helpful, having that support, but going in like not knowing the students names, what their goals are, like just being thrown into the classroom and just trying to figure out, okay, all these kids, who are they? What are their goals? Schools just trying to build rapport with them. And some of the kids were also new as well. So they're acclimating. I'm acclimating. And so also, just like feeling like an imposter, like I don't feel like I know what I'm doing, how am I good enough to make these decisions for these kids when I'm new, I'm just learning. I barely know them. I've been here for a month and a half, two months, so it just was a lot of like overwhelm and just feeling imposter syndrome and really just not, not knowing how to navigate it on my own. So, yeah, I guess that's just been a difficult thing to to deal with. But I just had to keep telling myself, like everyone, everybody starts somewhere. You'll you'll learn as you go. You'll learn from people like I was lucky to have those other OTs that let me shadow them in the beginning and see how they work with their kids, because I was taking on some of their case loads. So I got to see how they did things in the classroom, so I could keep things as similar as possible when I started and went into their classrooms. So I think that was very helpful to see how different OTs do different things, how different teachers and different classes run their classrooms. And so it's I'm finally getting the hang of things and understanding, okay, how each classroom is different, how I structure my time in there, the tables that I go to with the kids and and my weekly group projects that we do, and then the individual sessions. So it's all coming together eventually, but it definitely took some time to feel more comfortable and understand the routines and get to know the staff and the other OTs, PTs, SLPs and teachers and everyone,    Jayson Davies     yeah, and I have a lot of followers, but I guess the first one here is, do you feel that the difficulties getting started at all were related to being a contract therapist as opposed to an in house district therapist, or was it simply just starting a new job? It was going to be crazy no matter what.    Chandler Sarkozi     Maybe a mix of both, because I think coming in at the end of the school year, I don't think that's typical for an in house district employee, I don't know, but I think just being in the middle of it all at the end of the year, when all the IEPs are and it's just a hectic time of the year to come in, so all that added stress of like, okay, here's your Kids And now and now you have IEPs to do. You have evaluations to do, so all this additional stuff that is kind of being thrown at you, more so than maybe if you start at the beginning, when there's less IEPs and and just more, you know, you're getting to know the students. it's the beginning of the year, everybody's new, everybody's coming in fresh. So I think that, and then of course, just being a new practitioner coming in and just     not being fully confident in your abilities and knowing how to do things. because, like, I feel like I know kids. I've been working with kids since I was a teenager and and I've done school based and I listened to the to OT school house. I use resources and the gold banks and everything from the collaborative so, like, I know I have a good understanding, but it's just like when you're in it, it's a little bit different when you're starting. So it was, it was a transition, and I think a mix.    Jayson Davies     How, how prepared Do you feel the district was for having an OT come into their program in the middle of February? Did they it sounds like you have kids that were on the caseload of other ot practitioners that are still working there. So I know sometimes when a contractor comes in, especially for a short time, is to cover a maternity or paternity leave or something like that. But it doesn't sound like that was the case, or maybe it was.    Chandler Sarkozi     So one of the OTs was on maternity leave, so she was there up until, I don't know, a month in or whatever. So okay, he was there to support and now she's fully gone taking care of her baby, the other one, the other ot went to part time to focus on something else, just for a short time. And I think she. Be back full time. So I took some of her caseload, and then I took some of the other OTs caseload, on top of additional students that were just given to me.    Jayson Davies     Gotcha? Okay? I guess the reason I'm asking is because if you come in and you're taking over a caseload for someone who's going on maternity or paternity short term leave, I feel like that can be to a degree, nice, cut, dry and easy in the sense that they had a caseload of 50, you're taking on their caseload of 50. Pretty straightforward, those 50 kids are now your 50 kids, their evaluations are now your evaluations, but to a degree, it sounds like you've kind of taken on some from this person, some from that person. And I don't know, do you just feel like that it was well laid out when you came into it as to who, what kids you were going to be seeing. Or did that kind of get figured out as you were coming in and were already there? Does that make sense?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, so I feel like they did structure and they did organize it well, because I came in with a schedule like they had it planned out what day I was gonna see each kid, just as like a tentative schedule. It didn't have to be set in stone, but that was very helpful. The OTs put that together, the ones that I work with, and just so I could, you know, have it laid out, understand, okay, Mondays, my pre K, morning, afternoon, Tuesdays, middle school. So everything was just laid out, which I think was very helpful.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, good. Okay, now you've been in this role for about two months. It sounds like you have developed a little bit of a support system with the OT PT practitioners in your district. How are you feeling two months later? Is it getting better? Is it still as hard as it was day one? Just kind of in general, give an idea for those who are listening, maybe thinking about taking a contract or therapy job by God in the middle of the school year that still gives me chills. Like, does it get better? And how are you feeling?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yes, I definitely feel more confident and more comfortable in the position. I definitely don't have as much overwhelm, but I've also taken the time, because in the beginning, I was not doing any self care. I just felt so exhausted. I had no time or energy to put in any time for myself. I would come home and I would watch TV, and that's something I rarely do that. So when I do that, I know that I'm very, very stressed. So I just like, wanted to, like, numb out and not think about anything after the end of the day. And so now I've kind of re established my routine, and it's getting nicer outside too, which also helps. I can go outside, I can take a walk, I can do my journaling, my reading outside. So it's gotten more calm, and I feel more calm internally, and more at peace. So definitely, with time, it does get better. It is definitely stressful in the beginning when you don't know the kids, you don't know anybody's name, you don't know where you're going. I got lost in the middle school one time and just went in like a big circle looking for one of the classrooms. So you figure your way around and you you learn names, you you learn the kids, you learn what they're working on. So you know you just have to be patient, and know that it will get better, and it'll take time, but you'll get there and just push through it. And having that support, once again, is has been everything for me, just knowing that I can walk back into the OT room and if I have a question, they're right there to ask. So I think that's very important when you are taking a position to know, like, are you working with other OTs, or are you the only one in the district? Are you the only one at the school? Because it's so much easier having another ot at the school that you can communicate to, even if there's others in the district, but having them right there and accessible is just a lot quicker and easier. So having those questions that you ask at your job interviews to see if it's going to align for what you want, and if you're going to have the support that you need, because I think everybody has a different idea on what they want, what they need, and so knowing knowing yourself and knowing that, and then going forward with that and figuring out, is this something that will work for me? And. And, yeah, I don't know if I just kind of went off on a    Jayson Davies     I think you bring up a great point, though there at the end is, you know, being okay with asking questions at the interview. And sometimes they don't give you an opportunity to ask questions, but if they do, there are some questions I think you should ask, you should ask, you know, to help you understand if this job is going to align with your values. I know some questions that I've asked and that others have asked as well. Is asking them is ot ingrained into the MTSS or RTI program? Do you use a caseload or workload model? What is that caseload expectation? You know, how long do evaluations take? Our OTs expected to go to an IEP. I mean, all those are different questions that you can ask about in the interview. Are there any questions that you have kind of thought back now in two months that you kind of either a wished you would have asked, or maybe you did ask and you were happy that you did.    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah, so one was seeing if there's like, other OTs at your actual school that you're going to be at. How does the process look for like onboarding and like chat, like, Will I have a chance to shadow other OTs to kind of see what it's like, since that was something that I got to do with the OTs that were there with me, since I was taking on their caseload. So if you are taking on someone's caseload and they're still there, like, that's a good opportunity to see if you can kind of see how they do things. If you, you know, want to get some more knowledge and learn some more things, or see how they do it. How many schools will you be going to? I think that's a big one to ask, because that luckily, I'm only at one school. It's the middle school and the priest the pre K attached. So I could just imagine going to multiple schools and just how hectic that would be. So planning for that, seeing if, if that's a thing, and if you're going to have to and if that's something that you're going to want to do or not. Are there like mentorship opportunities? Are there people that you can go to to talk to, and is your caseload already set? And kind of seeing what your caseload number is, and if you know, if they know if you're going to be in a middle school and a high school, kind of getting an idea for where they would place you. So I think those are some important questions,    Jayson Davies     yeah, is there any one particular topic, subject, idea, evaluation, treatment modality, that you wish you would have maybe done a little bit more studying up on prior to starting at your job? And of course, this is specific to your job, but anything in particular that you wish you had gone in knowing more about before you got this job,    Chandler Sarkozi     I would say, just refreshing myself with the evaluations that are used and because it was so long since I had been in school and done any of these things that I think that was just be helpful to remind myself, because it just has always kind of scared me doing evaluations. So I think that for me, would have been a thing to refresh on,    Jayson Davies     okay, and follow up question to that, is it okay that you didn't study all that before you got this job? And are you surviving?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yes, yes, I am. I am once again, because of my support system and having the other OTs there to ask and to help me get through everything that I need. So, yeah, I've survived and and I'm on upward of thriving,    Jayson Davies     awesome, yeah, I kind of wanted to ask you that question for that exact reason I think you can figure out right? Like I wanted everyone to realize they everything is figure outable. And even if you don't know everything before you get your job, you'll figure it out once you're in that position. And so you don't have to stress too much about knowing about the Peabody, the VMI, the bot, two, three, or whatever version they use, and SPM and the sensory profile like these are things that you will learn on the job, and that's okay. You don't need to know it all before you get hired. So, yeah, Chandler, you are figuring it out, and I'm sure everyone else listening will figure it out as well. Let's go ahead and wrap this up here with just one little piece of advice that you have for maybe a new grad who's Wayne school based OT, or travel school based OT. G maybe they're in a position to a degree similar to you, where you're thinking about some of those finances a little bit long term, and they have a long term vision. What's some pieces of advice you have for them?    Chandler Sarkozi     I would say trust yourself, know that whatever decision you make is going to be the right decision for you in that moment, and you're going to learn from it, regardless, and even though you may not think you're doing everything right or you just don't feel confident in yourself, with time that'll come and you will feel more competent, and just show up with compassion and a willingness to learn from others, learn from your mistakes, and just stay open and believe in yourself even when it's hard,    Jayson Davies     yeah, yeah, absolutely. I think that's great advice. You know, especially that you're making a decision based on a snapshot of where you are right now, and things will change just like they changed yesterday. They'll change tomorrow, and that's a great idea. Again, with a contract position, it's kind of even more true because you're taking on a 13 week or even if you're taking on a one year contract position, it's still a relatively short time in the grand scheme of things. And so you're making the decision based upon right here, right now, and who knows what will happen 13 weeks or a year from now? So absolutely, Chandler, go ahead.    Chandler Sarkozi     I was gonna say trying, like, trying something is better than assuming, like, you can always pivot if you need to. No decision is permanent, so give something a try and you, I don't think you'll regret it. You can always pivot if you need,    Jayson Davies     yeah, absolutely, Chandler, I want to thank you for coming on the show. You've been behind the scenes at the OT school house for so long, and you know everything about the podcast, but you have yet to be on the podcast. So I'm so happy you did this. I know you're not a professional speaker, or, you know someone who goes on podcasts ever, but I appreciate sharing, yes. So is there anywhere where people can go to learn more about yourself, or if they have questions for you?    Chandler Sarkozi     Yeah. So the best way to connect with me is on LinkedIn, and then I also created a free resource for anybody who's curious about travel based, travel school based, OT, and it's a PDF that you can get in the show notes if you're interested, and feel free to reach out or message me if you have any questions. I love connecting with other OTs and students. So yeah. Thank you so much, Jayson. I'm happy to be here and happy to get to talk to you about this.    Jayson Davies     Absolutely. I'm so used to saying I will put those in the show notes for you all. But in this case, I get to say we will put the show notes for you all. So yeah, once again, channel, I thank you so much for coming on sharing all your knowledge and your experience about this transition for you from student to being a contracted school based ot practitioner. Really appreciate it. I'm sure many who are listening will appreciate it as well. Thanks again. Hi. Thank you so much. All right, that wraps up our conversation with Chandler. Chandler. Thank you so much for being vulnerable and sharing your journey from ot student to contract a school based practitioner. It's one that many of us have experienced, including myself. I started off as a contracted therapist before moving into a district, so I totally understand how that feels. Thank you also for your honesty about the real challenges that you felt during this time. It's really easy just to kind of sit here and say, yeah, things are going well, even though you're struggling and working through some things. But you know, you're showing that, yes, this isn't easy, but yes, it's also rewarding. You're doing amazing work, and I'm excited to see where this journey takes you next. Also, of course, thank you so much for being an amazing team member here at the OT school house. You've really brought so much value to 1000s of practitioners who follow along at the OT school house. And I really appreciate all your support, all your stories, all your things behind the scenes that you do that no one listening right now even knows. Really appreciate it, of course, to everyone listening like yourself, if you are a new grad or even a seasoned practitioner looking for support resources and a community that gets school based ot I'd love to have you join us inside the OT school houses, school based ot collaborative. It's where school based ot practitioners like yourself come together for practical professional development, mentorship and all the resources you need to feel confident. In your practice. Head on over to OTSchoolHouse.com slash collab To Learn more and become a part of our community. Thanks again for tuning in to this episode of the OT school house podcast, and I'll catch you next time.    Amazing Narrator     Thank you for listening to the OT school house podcast for more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to OTSchoolHouse.com Until next time class is dismissed.  Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now! Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcast , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. 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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 198 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. In this episode, Jayson discusses the often-overlooked but critical role that state and national occupational therapy associations play in protecting and advancing the profession. He highlights major advocacy wins from the past year, including AOTA's successful defense of Section 504, California's groundbreaking administrative credential legislation, Nevada's prevention of ABA encroachment on ADL services, and Nebraska's modernized OT Practice Act. Whether you're already a member or considering joining your state or national association, this episode offers compelling reasons to get involved—from joining and volunteering to simply sharing advocacy updates with colleagues. 🎧 Listen now to discover how your support can secure the future of school-based occupational therapy and ensure OT continues thriving in education settings. Learning Objectives — Learners will identify the role of AOTA and state associations in protecting the occupational therapy profession at local, state, and national levels. — Learners will identify recent advocacy wins that impact school-based OT practice, including Section 504 protections, IDEA, ESSA, and state-level administrative credential initiatives. — Learners will identify how supporting professional associations through membership strengthens advocacy and ensures the sustainability of OT services in schools. Quotes "If students cannot get federal grants for OT school, they might pursue degrees where funding is available, and that's 10% of our future workforce gone." — Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L "AOTA isn't there to provide CEUs — they're cheap protection for our jobs, making sure we don't lose our profession in the schools." — Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L Resources 👉  OT Schoolhouse Abe saffer - Episode 91 👉 OT Schoolhouse Abe Saffer - Episode 157 👉 AOTA Advocacy & Legislative Updates   👉 California OT Association 👉  Colorado OT Association 👉 Connecticut OTA Association   👉 California AB1009 – Administrative Credential pathway for school-based OTs (official legislative info 👉 IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 👉 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Amazing Narrator     Hello and welcome to the OT schoolhouse podcast. Your source for school based occupational therapy, tips, interviews and professional development now to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jayson Davies, class is officially in session.    Jayson Davies     Hey there, and welcome back to the OT school house podcast. Thank you so much for being here. My name is Jayson, and today we have no special guest. It is just me. It is you. It is ot month. And yeah, let's just have a conversation. I want to have a real conversation around ot month, around advocacy, around a ot a, around your specific state association, and about all the state specific associations. Here in California, we have ot tag. In Colorado, they also have ot tag. I think Connecticut actually switched it up and has the Connecticut ot association. So they're coda, I believe. But yeah, whatever your state is, I want to talk about exactly what they are doing your state, as well as a ot a as well as all of us as individual occupational therapy practitioners in our own locales, if you want to call them that, our own regions, our own areas within those states, there is a lot of good things going on within the world of occupational therapy, especially school based occupational therapy. And a lot of times, we like to focus on the negative things, you know, what? What state organizations aren't doing, what the national organization isn't doing. That's what we kind of get caught up on a lot, but we forget that there is a lot of good going on. And so while you know, April is a great time to celebrate what is going well in occupational therapy and to celebrate us as individuals within occupational therapy, it's also a great time to talk about our state and national organizations about what they are doing to protect us as occupational therapy practitioners and to make sure that we don't lose our jobs in the schools and that we can continue to service those who we really enjoy servicing in the schools, you know, supporting the students and supporting the teachers, and maybe, just maybe, if you're in a state that allows it moving up into an administrative position where You can support more students and more teachers and many, many other you know, professionals and paraprofessionals to support all the students that we that we hope to help. So in this episode, I want to really focus in on some advocacy efforts, some advocacy wins at all the different levels, both. I shouldn't say both. I should say all the above at the local level as well as at the state level, and then even at the national level. I think we're going to start with the national level, because that really applies to every single person listening, whether or not you are a member of a ot a or not. Now before I do jump into exactly everything that a ot A is doing and some of the states have done this past year, I do want to kind of just make my general argument for why every single ot practitioner should be a member of both their state association as well as their national association and maybe even the World Federation of OT but primarily your state and your national organization, which all of us have, is a o, T, A. Now the way that I like to justify this, both for myself as well as for others, is that a ot a and our state association news, they're not a product that we pay for it. It's not like an exchange of money for an individual service, right? We are not paying a ot a for CEUs. To some degree, we get CEUs with our A ot a membership. And in some states, you get CEUs for your state membership. You might also get access to special events, like going to inspire or going to your state conference. You might be able to go out on a hike like I did with my region one and region two director here in Southern California and several other ot practitioners that live in Southern California, we took a nice little hike, and those are some of the, you know, awesome extra things that we get as part of being a member. But the real, you know, the crux and the core of membership, it's, it's an investment. It is an investment in our professional protection and a ot a and our status organizations, they are the only people out there fighting for us, right? We work for school districts, but school districts are not at our state fighting for us. They're not even necessarily fighting for us all the time in the local school district, even ot practitioners, right, that aren't in the schools, if they're in the hospital, you know, the hospitals aren't fighting to keep ot within Medicaid and Medicare. No, that is what OTC is doing. And the Arizona ot Association, the Oregon ot Association, and east coast, New York, Connecticut, you know, Virginia, all those ot associations, that is what they are doing. And so this member. Membership that we have with our state organization. It's not like most of our monetary, you know, exchanges. We're not getting a product in return for our investment. Instead, we are getting protection in our profession for our investment in these memberships. You know, our association membership helps those organizations to pay for policy analysis, for legislative monitoring, to keep up with all the different state senators and national Senators and House of Representatives, to see what they're up to and and to keep an eye on other professions. You know, even some people who we call our besties, like speech and PT and and some people that we might call foes like ABA, making sure that everyone is staying in line. I actually have some information about ABA going on with Nevada and just a moment as we get to some of our wins. But these are the types of things that our organizations help to protect. They pay for lobbyists within states, so that those people can go and talk to the state senators and State House of Representatives. They also build relationships with those people in government so that we can advance our profession and just kind of see what is going on when something hits the van, like many things have in the last year, a OTs is there, and, you know, they hop in their car, they jump on Zoom meetings, and they go and check in with the people that are so important in making decisions in Washington, DC or here in California, they're in Sacramento, and wherever your state is, They are there. I don't know if you get emails from your state association, but a lot of times they are the ones you know, sending out an email to us, saying, hey, we need your help everyone. Copy and paste this letter. Put your heading on it. Add your own story to it. Make it your own, but please send it to your senator and your House of Representative. Those are the types of things that our organizations are doing for us. So the key line here when it comes to understanding your state and as well as a ot a our associations, we are not buying benefits. We're not spying CEUs, that is not their purpose to give us extra things for our dues. We are really helping to fund representation of our profession of occupational therapy at all areas of the government, and that is key, because we sometimes, I think a lot of us see how fragile our profession is at sometimes, but we also don't think it could happen to us. Right? OTs not going away. But if we don't fund, if we don't pay, if we don't support our organizations, that could become real one day, other professions are willing to pay, and they're willing to pay for lobbyists to advance their ideas, their support mechanisms, they want the money that comes to occupational therapy. That's the, you know, most blunt way to say it, and they're willing to put money behind it. We're even seeing private equity get into the area of pediatric therapy services, not just occupational therapy, but pediatric therapy services in general. And wherever there's money, there are lobbyists. So we're not buying benefits when you join your state or or national organization you're buying representation of occupational therapy. Ooh, okay, I got a little worked up there talking fast if you're listening to this at two times the speed. Sorry about that, but I'm going to slow down here because I do want to highlight some really cool things that actually have happened in the past year legislatively, both with a ot a as well as at the state organization side, some of these things I've talked a little bit about, I've mentioned a few times, some of the things going on here in California, so that California Occupational therapists can actually become an administrator within the School District setting, and kind of move up, you know, not just get more pay, but also have more say of what's going on within a school and and sharing how occupational therapy can better support all students, not just students with special education, with special education services, who have an IEP and and OT is on that IEP, We know that ot practitioners can support many more students, and so that's something that here in California, we've been working on for several years. Shout out to Lisa Tess, Julie Bissell and a few others who have just been like on this for the past decade or so, really working on this, and it's been a major milestone. It's been a really big win, not just for them, but also for OTC in general, and that includes myself as an OTs member, right? Like, this is really cool stuff that we're doing. So, okay, got a little worked up there. You know, got talking about a ot a got excited talking about ot attack and all. All the really cool things that I know they're doing and the reason that I'm excited to support them, but I want to slow it down now and starting with a ot a talk about some advocacy wins, or also some areas that that a OTs still really focus on. Maybe it's not a win yet, but they're focused on and just share with you some things that are going on now. I want to preface this with, I am not, you know, volunteering with with a ot a in any capacity. I am not on the pack or anything like that the political action committee. These are things that have just been made publicly available through their website, through the newsletters that they send out, and some of those might be kind of things that you're maybe I get them because I'm a member. I don't know they send out the newsletters, but that's where a lot of this information is coming from, as well as their updates on their website. So again, these are some really cool things that a ot a has been doing for us, specifically as school based ot practitioners, and it's something that I think is worth being a member for. So the first thing is, is that a OTs actively advocating for school based ot practitioners at the federal level. They've been doing it for years. You've heard Abe Safar on this very podcast talking about what they are doing. I mean, even as recently as last year, he came on to talk a little bit about everything that's going on at the Department of Education and how a ot A is working to make sure that idea stays intact, and make sure that, you know, 504, stay intact. In fact, that's one of the big things that they worked on this past year. Both a ot A and the state associations, they work together to make sure that five oh fours were not deemed as unconstitutional. Last year, around this time, there were some states who fought to say, You know what, five oh fours are not constitutional. We don't necessarily need to be a part of them. We don't need to follow rule 504 and while a ot a as well as the, believe it was 17 different states jumped together and they said, You know what? No, we are going to make sure a, we monitor this. B, we are going to step up and say something, where we have where we have something to say. And C, we are going to find out how to be part of those conversations, whenever and wherever we can be. In the end, their hard work really paid off, and they were actually able to, you know, send out a notice saying that all the states were no longer all 17 states were no longer seeking to have section 504, declared as unconstitutional. And that was a big win. I mean, it's hard to believe that that was only about a year ago, maybe even slightly less than a year ago at the time of this podcast recording, and that was something that our A ot a membership dues helped to support, as well as state organizations within those 17 states, their membership dues also helped to support making sure that 504 did not go anywhere. I briefly mentioned, you know, the Department of Education and idea that has been an ongoing thing right now, right during this administration, there's been a lot of changes at the Department of Education, and I know that every single day, the amazing people that work in the legislative department at a ot a are constantly monitoring laws like ESSA and idea and making sure that the Department of Education isn't trying to dismantle these, or if they are trying to dismantle it, making sure that they have their voices in the room to let them know the Department of Education, you know, where occupational therapy, where the association of OT for all of America stands on ESSA and idea, and how occupational therapy practitioners like us support students who are served under IDEA or ESSA. And so this is very important. It's not something that we see right, like they're not sending out an email every day saying, Hey, today we sat in a meeting with this assistant director at the Department of Education, and we talked about this and this and this. No, they right, like that would be boring. No one wants a newsletter in their inbox about every conversation they have with someone. But you can be sure that all the wonderful people over there are doing amazing things to make sure that we don't get excluded. Like, we are very lucky that OT is directly mentioned in idea. Like, there are some professions that are not mentioned, and you know what? They're the ones that are probably fighting to say, hey, OTs mentioned. How do we get mentioned as well? And those are the same ones that we have to be careful of, because there's a possibility that if they get in there, then ot gets shaken up a little bit, and we don't want that to happen. So that's why it's very good to see a ot a actively making sure that things are going okay, because it would be very easy for a ot a to say, You know what, let's focus on Medicaid and Medicare. Care that maybe focuses more on the adult population and isn't as important as a school based OT. But the truth is, is that you know, a ot has everyone's interest at at heart all ot practitioners, I should say, and they have, you know, legislative advocates for us, not only at school based OT, but also for ot practitioners working in acute hit care and sub acute rehab and all that, you know, fun stuff. But of course, we focus on school based ot here on the podcast. And finally, the last point that I want to bring up for a ot A is that they're actively helping protect the future of the OT workforce. And this is something that is currently in the new cycle, with in respects to the amount that graduate students can actually borrow through specific federal grants for programs such as an occupational therapy schooling program, right to go to a university and get your master's or get your doctorate in an OT program. Now I will be the first to tell you that this is not my area of expertise. And in fact, when it first started to kind of come up, I was like, Is this even something I should really give much thought to? Like, how does this really impact me? But again, the more information that a OTs has put out, the more I start to understand how it definitely impacts us, because if, if students cannot get a federal grant right for occupational therapy school, then it is likely that they might look somewhere else, and they might look toward a degree where they can get funded. And because, you know, it takes money to go to school, and so if someone does go to another program to get whatever degree, let's say, just for the ease of it, they go pursue the medical doctor round, because they can get funding for that. They can get help from the government to go get their MD. Well, that is someone who is likely very smart, leaving our profession and going to another profession. And even if only you know, let's just put a relatively low number, I think 10% of people do that. Well, that's 10% of the future ot workforce that is gone right like those are people that will not be in the workforce and that later then impacts ot because if hospitals and schools and other areas where OTs work cannot hire OTs because there aren't enough of us, they will get creative, and they will figure out different ways to still support or provide the support that We provide in a different way. I'm not going to venture out to think about all the different ideas that that might look like. But as I mentioned earlier, there are other professions looking to capitalize on things like that, so we had to be careful about that like it is something that impacts us, even though we don't need graduate funds as practicing ot practitioners to get an OT degree. So yeah, that is just something that a ot A is on top of. It's still a little bit of an ongoing issue right now, but I'm pretty sure that we got the right people on it. And a ot a is there when they're on top of things, they do a pretty good job at making sure things get done. Of course, not everything, but, but they're pretty good, so I have faith in them all right. So that's going to wrap up here our conversation around what a ot A is doing for us as school based occupational therapy practitioners. And I hope that you better understand that when someone asks you, like, Hey, why or why aren't you a member of a ot a response isn't something like, oh, it's really expensive for the CEUs they provide. Well, they're not trying to provide CEUs. Those are an added benefit, but really they are cheap protection for our job. You know, a few $100 a month and and I know a few $100 is not a little, and it's for some people, it's a little. For some people, it's a lot. And you know, depends on where you are in your career, everything that's going on in your life, but to a degree, it is an insurance policy to make sure that we get to maintain our profession. And you know, the older you get, the less quote, unquote time you're going to have in your profession, the closer you get to retirement, right? But we want to protect our profession for long time to come, right? So let's continue to protect a ot a so that they can protect us all right. Now let's move on to state associations here, just like a ot a, every state is advocating on our behalf. If you're in Colorado, you've got Colorado advocating on your behalf. And one thing I didn't say actually at the top of the show or while I was talking about a ot A, is that we have to remember that these states and national organizations, they're advocating on our behalf, even if we're not paying for them. Now that is not a reason to not pay for them, because the more we pay, the more they are. Are able to advocate, but I say that they're advocating for us, and I'm not saying like, Oh, they're advocating for us if you're a member, because the fact is that they're advocating for you whether or not you are a member, because they're advocating for occupational therapy. But anyways, let's talk about the state associations here, and I'll start with California, because I know California. I live in California, and I see the updates regularly. And this year we had really exciting news, and that A, b1, 009, finally made it through the government. Went through all the rounds, went through the House of Representatives, went through the Senate, and finally got signed by our governor this year, which was the one step missing last year, and it is officially in place. And what this allows us to do is to earn our administrative credential. It didn't add any additional work to become a school based OT, which I think some people feared. They didn't make it like you had to go to extra courses in OT school, whether or not you're going to go into school based OT or you didn't have to graduate ot school and then go take another year of school in order to get this No, once you have your ot license, you can work in the schools. And then once you have so many years within the schools, and you go to an administrative credentialing program, just like any teacher would have to do to become an administrator, you can then become an administrator. Now, this is really cool. It's something that Otac has been working on for over 10 years, you know, and it's something that we finally got past, and it's really awesome. It really shows the impact that our membership dues can have on a state organization, right like this wasn't easy. Took many years. I can only imagine the amount, percentage wise, of OTs budget that had to go toward this one thing that supports about 25% of occupational therapy practitioners in any given state, but it was only possible because of our dues. It was only possible because, you know, Otac members said, You know what, I'm willing to keep paying. And thank you to every single they're probably not listening, but thank you to every single Otac member who's not in the schools that continued paying their dues to OTC, knowing that Otac was working on this rather than maybe something in the mental health field that they work in, or in the acute rehab field that they work in, like that that's important. Like that speaks a lot. You know, our OT Association support everyone, not just school based ot practitioners. And so it's really cool to see that OTC thought it was that important to support school based ot practitioners to push this through. It also took a lot of support from real school based ot practitioners. You know, this is something that I have worked on in the past. This is something that many of my colleagues, who I know in text, have been working on for years, and it's really cool to see this come through. So that was one example of, you know, ot attack, a state organization coming through, but there have been even more. So that's one example of a state organization coming through for us, but there have been more. Some of them don't necessarily always look like, advancing the profession forward, like, you know, getting an administrative credential. Others are, you know, revamping things that are already in existence. Case in point, Nebraska's organization worked to modernize their occupational therapy practice, act. And I don't know all the details of this, but this is something that, you know, they celebrated, and a OTs also celebrated with them. You know, this is important. We often say, you know, research, you know, needs to be within 10 years, and guiding documents, we want to be as recent as possible. But, you know, the same is true for our Practice Act, and it's hard to get practice acts changed because they typically have to go through the legislative process, something that is really I'm starting to see the value of within OT is that we are licensed once again. Thank you state organizations for making that possible, but we are licensed, and therefore we are protected to some extent. I actually wrote an email newsletter about this a few weeks ago that part of the reason that I'm not as worried about AI taking over occupational therapy. It's because we have this licensure in place. But if we don't protect our licensure by updating our OT practice acts within our states and making sure that you know everything is recent and that there's research behind our practice, act, then that opens up the door for AI. That opens up the door for other professions coming in and kind of stealing our thunder a little bit. So I want to give a big shout out to Nebraska and say congratulations to all of you who worked on updating your practice act. I know that is no small feat. I know it takes money, it takes time, it takes energy, countless endless nights, I'm sure. So congratulations on updating. In Your Practice Act. And finally, the third example of a big win from a state organization comes from Nevada. Well done, Nevada. You helped to pause a proposal that would have allowed ABA providers to address ADLs and IADLs through Medicaid. That deserves a clap. I hope you can hear that. I'm clapping right now. That is huge. I have heard over the last, you know, decade over decade period, school based ot practitioners complain about this on the Facebook groups, on our community, everywhere they can, about ABA providers overstepping their bounds, not just with IADLs and ADLs, but also in the world of sensory and we're seeing this. And this is a big win, like, not only because did they stop something in Nevada, but news reverberates right, like I'm talking about something in that happened in Nevada to OT practitioners all around the country that ot stepped up and prevented ABA from encroaching on our our ground of IADLs and ADLs, and that news is going to spread. And so the next time that someone says, oh, well, you know, ABA is encroaching on my ground, well now we can say, You know what? They tried. They tried in Nevada, and they got shut down. We helped them. The Nevada ot practitioners stepped up, paid their membership dues, and the Nevada ot association took care of this, along with support from a ot a and made sure that it wasn't going to happen that's going to reverberate across the entire nation, and I'm glad, because that means it is now less likely that we are encroached by ABA fun on IADLs and ADLs in California and in Arizona, and then all the other states surrounding Nevada and way beyond Nevada. So that is a win for the Nevada ot Association. You deserve a round of applause from every ot every ot practitioner, not just those in Nevada. That was huge. So thank you for doing that. We appreciate it and again, you know, it just goes to show what a state ot association can do when they have the support, both financially as well as from volunteers. Yeah, you know, we can do hard things, all right, so a OT, a has been helping us as school based ot practitioners at the federal level, within the Department of Education and beyond. We've now seen that in the States. You know, Nebraska has an updated Practice Act Nevada stopped ABA from encroaching on our ADL practices in California here, we stepped up to make sure that ot practitioners can climb into the role of an administrator level in the school based ot realm. So we got national, we got state. I also want to give out a big shout out to you and every single other ot practitioner who has advocated this year and beyond. Many of us, many of you, have advocated for additional staffing in your school district, or maybe you advocated for caseload and workload caps. Maybe you advocated to join a union so that the union can negotiate on your behalf for caseload and workload caps. These are things that don't make the news, right? You're not going to see this on Fox or ABC or CBS. Like, these are small little things. It might not even make the local paper, in fact, but they are big. Like, these are tiny things that not only affect you, but affect your ability to support the teachers and support the students that you serve, and so I want to give a big shout out to you. I hear these stories. You know, I can't think of all of them off the top of my head, but you know, I've gotten text messages and emails and Instagram threads like, hey Jayson, thank you for your caseload. Course we are implementing a workload cap in our school district, or, Hey, Jayson, you know, maybe it's someone I'm not trying to, you know, throw out my workload course out there and say that's the way it's happening. But, but I am getting people who did or did not take the workload course and are saying, hey, Jayson, you know, we just transitioned to a three to one program, and just like, awesome, because people are advocating, you know, I'm hearing from ot practitioners who have stood up and it took two years, but they are part of their union now, and now they have collective bargaining, and that collective bargaining team is helping to get them caseload and workload caps in place. Those are big like that took absolutely no money to OTC, no money to a, OT, a it just took time and energy from local ot practitioners, and that is absolutely fantastic, whether you know, you just increase your ability support students in special education, or maybe you advocated for MTSS so that you can. Support every student on campus that is huge. So thank you for advocating for you and your students. All right, so I've addressed the three areas that I really wanted to address. I addressed the national level, the state level, as well as the local level, where you have a big impact, and your ability to work at a small team can have a huge impact. And now I just kind of want to wrap up here, and you know, say, I do believe that every ot practitioner should be a member of a OT. I also believe that every member should be I also believe that every practitioner should be a member of their state organization. And if you practice in multiple states, then you know, maybe if you can afford it, be a member of both states, if you have the ability to time wise volunteer, maybe you're retired, maybe you work part time and want to have an impact on the profession, go volunteer, be a part of the association that helps sustain our profession, whether that's A member of your state organization, or even a ot a other things that you can also do is just keep informed of what's going on within the world of occupational therapy. When your state does send out a email saying, Hey, we're working on this, go to your state website and look up the bill number. And you know, what does that actually mean? How will it impact you? Read it a little bit and and show up to the meetings that your state organization has, and chime in and share your thoughts like these are all ways that you can support ot without even paying well, you probably have to pay your dues to show up at meetings, but you can keep tabs of what's going on, even if you're not necessarily paying all the dues, because you can kind of keep track. But they make it easy for us. They send us out the important things when we need to know it, so that we can take action the annual dues that we pay for a ot a and our state organizations. They don't feel exciting. They don't feel like, you know, we went to Target, we gave even up to $300 and we got something in return. Like we don't see that instant gratification. But I would argue that they are some of the most important dollars that we can spend for the future of occupational therapy, and specifically the future of school based occupational therapies, so the annual dues that we pay, they don't feel exciting. This isn't handing over our credit card for a $300 charge at Target and getting something awesome in return. This is something where we spend $300 and we see nothing, at least not right away. But the reward does come. The reward comes in the way that Otac and Otac of Colorado and Nevada and New Jersey and Virginia and a ot A Of course, give back to us through their advocacy efforts, the things that we don't see, the things that they don't share with us in newsletters, but we know behind the scenes is making our profession better and also securing our profession from other professions who might be trying to get into some of the areas that we know we can best serve our clients, our students, and the teachers that we support. So now I just have a few challenges for you, depending on where you are. If you're not a member of your state ot Association, please consider joining. Just type into Google your state ot Association. It'll be easy to find. It'll be easy to join. Just do it. Put it on otter, renew if you can, and just let that go. Let the idea of knowing that you support your ot Association and your state their advocacy efforts. Let that be enough to make this an exciting purchase. If you're already a member of your state association, consider joining a ot a just in the same exact way. Head on over to a ot a.org and join today. Hit that renew automatically button so that it just renews auto. You don't even have to deal with it. You can split it up into monthly payments or annual payments, whatever is easier for you. If you're already a member of both of your associations, consider looking at the volunteer page see where you can get involved. It could be something as simple as you know, a quarterly meeting on zoom that only takes up four hours a year. Or if you want, you can consider running for a position that takes up considerably more time, I suggest, first, by volunteering for maybe an upcoming event, or maybe a subcommittee that only meets a few times a year. So you can just get your feet wet there if you're not ready to volunteer, I totally understand that there's other ways that you can also support. When you see an email come through from your state association, forward it to your ot colleagues. When you see something on social media from your ot association or a ot a repost it or send it to your colleagues so that they know as well. If we assume that everyone knows what our state association is doing, or we assume that everyone knows what a ot A is doing, but that's not the case, so forward it to your friends, or tag them in the comments so that they see what a ot a or your state is doing as well. Another thing you can do reply to an email those state association emails that we get that you know, inform us about what's going on, hit respond and send two sentences. Say, You know what, hey, so and so whoever sending the email. Thank you so much for this email. Thank you for your advocacy efforts. I would love to get involved. Let me know if there's anything I can do, or even if you can't say that part about let me know what you what I can do to get involved. That little, simple email that you send saying, Hey, thank you for informing me I appreciate you, goes a long way in supporting them as well. All right, so this ot month, let's celebrate our profession by supporting the people and the organizations that are helping to protect it. Take one step forward, whether that's joining an association, sharing about an association, or volunteering at an association, be a part of what moves our profession forward. Be a part of making sure that ot never goes away. All right. With that. I hope you enjoy your ot month, and I will see you next time on the OT schoolhouse podcast.    Amazing Narrator     Thank you for listening to the OT schoolhouse podcast. For more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to OTSchoolHouse.com . Until next time, class is dismissed Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now! Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcast , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here to view more episodes of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast

Get the support necessary to make an impact in your schools as a school-based OTP. Join 300+ OTPs learning and implementing best practices together. Get Started Start Feeling Confident in Your School-based OT Role. The School-Based OT Collaborative (The Collab) gives you access to practical resources, a supportive community, and AOTA-approved CEUs so you can confidently apply evidence-based practices in your schools. You may be the only OT at your School, but in The Collab, you have a community of 300+ school-based OTPs helping you turn professional development into real impact. Explore Membership Options See what’s inside ↓ All The Support You Need - ALL IN ONE PLACE - Save hours every week with ready-to-use tools Explore 100+ ready-to-use resources for school-based OTPs, including referral tools, observation forms, treatment ideas, handouts, and IEP supports. Stop guessing. Get answers that move you forward Get practical support through collaborative learning that helps transform “good ideas” into “real change” for your students & OT program. Learn only what applies to school-based OT Access unlimited live and recorded AOTA-approved CEU courses to learn from experts with real SBOT experience. Connect with experienced OTPs solving the same problems you face Join hundreds of OTs & OTAs who understand school-based practice challenges. Share, get feedback, and feel connected in your work. View Membership Options → Join 316 other school-based OTPs Learn. Implement. Make Real Impact in Your Schools. As busy school-based OTPs, we’ve all been there. You attend a great workshop, feel inspired… and then nothing changes. Caseloads grow, systems get in the way, and without ongoing support, even your best ideas stall out. The Collab is designed to break that cycle. We don’t just help you learn best practices — we help you implement them with clarity, confidence, and support so they actually improve outcomes for students and teachers. - What Collab Members Are Saying - “I initially joined the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative two years ago for access to relevant CEU courses. What I found was a community of OTs willing to troubleshoot tough cases, share resources, keep me updated on current research and relevant topics, and so much more. I use the resources in the Collaborative far more than I expected, and the value goes way beyond continuing education. ” — Brooke, School-Based OT Here’s how the Collaborative helps you turn learning into action: ✔ Live Collaborative Hours (Group Mentorship) Get real-time guidance on cases, systems challenges, and school-based OT decisions so you always know your next step. ✔ School-based CEUs you’ll actually use AOTA-approved courses designed specifically for school-based OTPs — not generic PD. ✔ Ready-to-use tools and templates Evaluations, intervention tools, IEP resources, communication templates, and more that save time and improve consistency. ✔ A community that supports implementation You’re no longer the only OT on an island. Get feedback from practitioners who understand your setting. ✔ Advanced tools for efficiency and advocacy Goal Bank, curated research, AI tools, and the Caseload-to-Workload course to elevate your practice. Explore what's included > Join 316 other school-based OTPs CEUs Designed for School-Based Practice Not all continuing education is created with school-based OT in mind. Too often, courses are built for clinical settings, leaving you to translate ideas on your own. In The Collab , every CEU is designed specifically for the realities of school-based practice — from caseload demands and system constraints to collaboration with teachers, administrators, and families. Our goal isn’t to overwhelm you with content. It’s to help you learn what actually applies to your role — and earn CEUs you can use with confidence. What makes our CEUs different ✔ School-based focus, always Every course is intentionally designed for school settings — not clinics, EI, or home-based. ✔ AOTA-approved learning you can trust Earn CEUs through live and on-demand courses that meet AOTA requirements while staying grounded in real-world practice. ✔ Taught by experienced school-based OTPs Learn from practitioners who have worked in schools and understand the systems, challenges, and decisions you face every day. ✔ Practical, immediately applicable content Courses focus on strategies, frameworks, and decision-making you can apply the very next day — not abstract theory. ✔ Flexible learning that fits your schedule Attend live sessions when you can, or access recordings on your own time without falling behind. CEUs in The Collab don’t stand alone. They’re designed to connect seamlessly with mentorship, tools, and implementation support when you’re ready to take the next step. View the full CEU Course Library > Recent & Upcoming Courses This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 7, 2026 This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 7, 2026 This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: April 20, 2026 Get Support for the Questions You Didn’t Learn in OT School In The Collab, you don’t have to guess or go it alone. Through live Collaboration Hours, Q&A sessions, and community discussions, you can bring real cases and real questions to experienced school-based OTPs who understand your role. This is where you get clarity — not generic advice. Here’s the kind of support members receive every week: I have an IEP meeting coming up — what should I assess? How do I decide if this is sensory, behavioral, or executive function? What assessment tools actually make sense to order? What is my role in middle or high school? How do I provide consults effectively? These are all real questions we address as a community inside The Collab As a member, you can ask your most pressing questions and get detailed responses from the OT Schoolhouse team and other experienced OT practitioners. Explore Collaborative Membership → Join 316 other school-based OTPs Ready-to-Use Resources You Can Apply Immediately Professional development is only helpful if it translates into real practice. That’s why both membership tiers include access to practical, ready-to-use resources. So you’re not starting from scratch after every course. Essentials Members Essentials helps you apply what you learn in individual courses. Members receive resources directly connected to CEU learning, so what you learn can be applied right away. You’ll get access to: Resources associated with all CEU courses All tools and materials included with the A-Z School-Based OT Course Practical handouts, templates, and examples designed to support course implementation A growing collection of resources added alongside future CEU offerings Essentials is a great fit if you want to stay current with evidence-based practice and confidently apply what you learn from CEUs on your own. Impact Members The Collab supports implementation across your entire OT program. Impact Members receive full access to the entire OT Schoolhouse library, designed to support every part of your practice. You’ll have access to: All downloadable templates, tools, and checklists The complete OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank for faster & stronger Intervention planning and documentation. Curated research summaries and evidence resources AI-powered tools that reduce documentation time and decision fatigue The Impact tier is designed for OTPs who want ongoing, comprehensive support. Not just learning, but full implementation across their OT program. An Annual Experience That Brings It All Together Included with Impact Tier Membership Each year, Impact Tier Members receive full access to the OT Schoolhouse Back to School Conference — a live, virtual experience designed specifically for school-based OTPs. The conference is intentionally scheduled to support you when it matters most: right as you prepare for a new school year. It’s where learning, mentorship, and real-world application come together through: Practical, evidence-based sessions led by experienced school-based OTPs AOTA-approved CEUs for your certification and license renewal Real conversations about caseloads, collaboration, and sustainability On-demand access so you can learn on your schedule For many members, the Back to School Conference becomes the moment each year when everything “clicks.” ✔ Included at no additional cost for Impact members ✔ Live + recorded access ✔ AOTA-approved CEUs Trusted by hundreds of school-based OTPs each year to start the school year with clarity and confidence. Purchase Options - Collab Find the Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs, core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Perfect for OTPs looking to keep up with evidence through school-based specific CEUs and core resources Join Essentials Learn The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Access to live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) Earn 50+ hours worth of CEUs Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Designed for OTPs seeking for support implementing the most recent evidence and best practices Join Impact Learn The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Access to Live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Earn Professional development by listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast (ultimate time saver) Support + Mentorship The "OTP Lounge" to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Non-CEU events and discussions (eg. Journal club calls, assessment reviews, etc) Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank ($99 value) Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular Start simple. Grow when you’re ready. Many school-based OTPs join Essentials for CEUs and core resources, then upgrade to the Impact Tier when they want mentorship, advanced tools, the Back to School Conference, and deeper support. Members often tell us that the tools and mentorship they receive within the Impact Tier finally allow them to feel supported as school-based OTs. Join Essentials Join Impact What our Members Think about The Collab Elevated Confidence and Capacity "The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative has been one of the most valuable professional supports in my practice... It has genuinely elevated both my confidence and my capacity as a school-based OT." - Mary Not Just Continuing Education "I initially joined the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative two years ago, primarily for access to relevant courses for CEUs. What I found was a community of OTs willing to trouble shoot tough cases, share resources, keep me updated on current research and relevant topics, and so much more. I use the resources in the collaborative so much more than originally anticipated, and the value in being a member goes way beyond continuing education courses." - Brooke A Safe Space for Questions "The Collaborative is an amazing space with amazing community that has both been awesome to share knowledge and ideas as well as ask questions in a safe space with other individuals in the same setting as me!" - Payton Tools to Advocate "I am thankful for this resource as I navigated my first couple of years as an occupational therapist in the school based setting. Having the articles, community and knowledge available to newer therapists like me has been helpful. Personally, my OT team at my district has used the resources like workload vs caseload model to advocate and shape how we distribute schools and service minutes." - Jamie Members love The Collab Community, Not just the CEUs Members often tell us they join for CEUs, but then retain their membership for the abundant community, mentorship, and resources. The Collab is not your typical CEU subscription. It is a place to connect, share, and grow as a school-based OT practitioner. If you are looking to learn, connect, grow, and better support your students, The Collaborative is right for you. Select Your Membership → Join 316 other school-based OTPs Purchasing for a District or Team? We are proud to work with districts, counties, and therapy teams to support multiple school-based OTPs. Group pricing and purchase orders are available for both membership tiers. 👉 Contact us to learn more Your Community Managers Supporting you to achieve your school-based OT goals, whether you are an experieinced therapist or just getting started in the schools. Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L Jayson is the host of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast and has been emersed in school-based OT for over a decade. He is a husband, father, and dog dad who loves to spend time with his family. Jayson loves school-based OT because he believes that all students deserve to have access to education no matter their abilities. Jayson aspires to be a school district administrator and have a larger impact on staff development and student success. Favorite OT Model: P-E-O Location: Southern California Pets: TJ, a black lab/staffie Favorite aspect of SBOT Jayson loves seeing teachers have success with students. He believes that it is important for both the student and the teacher, that they succeed together. This builds vital rapport among both individuals. Love of Community As a new therapist, Jayson was fortunate to work in a district where the OTs met monthly. But that didn't happen in his second job. Jayson appreciates the ideas and growth that come as a result of OTs gathering. Interesting fact about Jayson Jayson lacks pain sensation on the left side of his face as a suspected result of trauma to the Trigeminal nerve when he was younger. He attributes this to one of the reasons he wanted to become an OT. Favorite OT Model: P-E-O-P Location: Tampa, FL Favorite Activities: Exercising, cooking, and watercolor painting Taylor Poirier Taylor graduated from University of St. Augustine, Miami Campus in December 2022. She began working as a pediatric OT within the schools and home health setting with Alyssa Campbell Therapies in the Tampa, FL area. She loves learning and creating new ways of therapy for the most client-centered approach. She has now created resources based on the information provided in this podcast and can truly see a difference in the progress her kids make. She loves making other therapists feel confident and excited about the world of OT! Interesting facts about Taylor Taylor works with a private company serving private schools and providing pediatric home health services. Prior to OT school, Taylor worked as a sensorimotor aide, gaining foundational experience in sensory integration and gross motor development. During training, Taylor developed a strong interest in mental health and now integrates both approaches into daily practice. Taylor was also a dancer for 22 years, competing locally and performing in the Disney Thanksgiving Day Parade. Important FAQs Will professional development be AOTA-approved? All live and recorded professional development courses are AOTA-approved. Podcast Courses are the exception. They will not be approved for AOTA credit, but you can still earn a certificate of completion. As a reminder, NBCOT and most states do not require courses to be approved by AOTA. Be sure to check your state guidelines. Can I earn professional development from the podcast or CEU courses without being a Collab member? Some OT Schoolhouse podcast episodes and individual CEU courses may be available outside of the Collaborative. However, membership provides the most consistent, cost-effective way to earn school-based professional development while staying current with evidence and best practices. Is there a cost to joining The Collab? Yes. The Collab is a paid membership, and memberships do automatically renew each year until cancelled. You can cancel your subscriptions at any time inside the community and by clicking here. Do I have to participate in all the live events? How much time does this community require? You can spend as much (or as little) time as you'd like in the community. All events are optional and recorded in case you'd like to watch them at a later time. We host three 1-hour live events each month on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. One of the three events is a live AOTA-approved professional development course. Some members attend each of the three live events and post or comment in the community a few times a week. Other members attend some of the events and occasionally post in the community. You get to choose what works best for you. What platform is used for OTS Collab? We did a ton of research on various membership platforms before making our choice. Ultimately, we chose Circle. Think of Circle as a cross between Facebook Groups and LinkedIn, but without the need to have a profile out in the open. Courses and other events are held on Zoom and a similar video hosting platform Does The Collab include access to the Back to School Conference? Impact members receive full access to the OT Schoolhouse Back to School Conference at no additional cost. This includes live attendance, access to session recordings, and the opportunity to earn AOTA-approved CEUs. It’s intentionally included as part of the Impact experience to support learning, reflection, and implementation at a key point in the year. Note: Access to the Back to School Conference is not included with the Essentials membership. Can I register via purchase order? Absolutely. We accept purchase orders for annual membership plans. Click here to learn how. What is the refund policy? We do not offer refunds for either tier of The Collab. However, you may cancel your subscription at any time. Do you have Community Guidelines? Absolutely, we do. You can read them here. Still have questions? Contact us at Contact@otschoolhouse.com What's the difference between The Essentials and The Impact tiers? The Essentials tier ($249/year) includes unlimited CEUs, access to the OTP Lounge for community support, access to resources associated with CEU courses, and the A-Z School-Based OT Course. The Impact tier includes all of these benefits plus live group mentorship, the full library of resources, access to the OT Schoolhouse Goal bank, AI tools trained by school-based OT practitioners, research briefs, and access to the Back to School Conference. Can Essentials members attend the Back to School Conference? Access to the Back to School Conference is not included in the Essentials Tier. If you would like to attend the Back to School Conference, you may purchase that separately at an additional cost. The Impact Tier provides the most cost effective way to attend the Back to School Conference. Are the CEUs in the Essentials tier truly unlimited? Yes, they are. Essentials Tier Members can access the A-Z School-Based OT Course as well as all courses listed at OTSchoolhouse.com/courses for as long as your membership remains active. Will my membership auto-renew? Yes, memberships are set up as annual subscriptions that will automatically renew each year. You'll receive renewal reminder emails before your membership renews, and you can manage your subscription settings at any time to cancel or modify your membership. Will The Collab help me get a job in the schools? Many OTPs have told us the courses we offer in The Collab helped them to secure a school-based job. While we do not frequently provide content around applying and interviewing for jobs, the content you'll learn in the community will absolutely help you during your job search. JOIN NOW

The community-based learning community for school-based OTPs looking to make an impact! Unlimited CEUs Live-online Mentorship Every Last One of Our Resources Join the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative, where we provide all of the necessary tools to help you implement evidence-based practices in your schools. GET INSTANT ACCESS Kelsey K. School-based OT Jhenny R. School-Based OT Talia G. School-Based OT In the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative, we are putting an end to the "learn but never implement " cycle that OTPs often experience after attending PD courses. Our goal in the Collaborative is not to learn more best practices. Our goal is to help you implement best practic es . With our practitioner-powered professional development community , you will benefit from things like: 12+ hours of LIVE-online AOTA- approved sessions every year 30+ on-demand AOTA- approved CEU courses Over 75 templates, handouts, resources, and tools to share and make your own (Plus new tools every month!) Group Mentorship Calls, where you can ask your most pressing school-based OT questions And the ability to receive ongoing support from the OT Schoolhouse team and your colleagues . Here are some of o ur recent and upcoming AOTA-approved courses: Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: May 7, 2026 Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: May 7, 2026 Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: April 20, 2026 Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More VIEW ALL COURSES OT Schoolhouse is proud to be an OTS Collab gives you the education, resources, and support you need to make changes in your school-based OT programs. 01 Highly specific course material Attend highly specific, action-oriented courses directly related to school-based OT. You may attend live or watch the replay to learn from our speakers who have your best interest in mind. 02 Mentorship Group Calls Engage in group mentorship meetings where we review current research and create plans to improve outcomes for our students. Hosted by Jayson, these live and recorded calls are designed to meet your needs. 03 Ongoing community support Utilize our resources and research library to make changes to your practice and ask for feedback along the way. Share what worked, what didn't, and how others can do what you did. By combining professional development courses from leaders in the field with a community of professionals dedicated to school-based OT, you will be ready to take what you learn and implement best practices to better support your students. Each month in OTS Collaborative, we host: One highly specific live professional development course. And one "Ask Anything" Collaboration hour, where no question is off limits. Ask Jayson and the community anything you'd like in a live Zoom call. Plus, all courses, team meetings, and collaboration hours are recorded, so you can catch anything you missed at your convenience. What members are saying? The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative may be new, but we already have therapists thrilled to be a part of this community-powered professional development community! Here is what they are saying: "Having other OTs to collaborate within a safe place is exactly what I have been looking for." "In the OTS Collab, I know I have a group of people in the same boat as me that I could lean on for help, vent to, and share my wins with." "THANK YOU for organizing this!" The support continues long after the courses are over inside OTS Collab. In addition to the live events, you will also receive tons of support and the just-right amount of accountability in our private community. Studies show you are 42% more likely to reach a goal that you declare publicly. But when we attend a professional development course, we often head right back to work without any time dedicated to reflecting on what we learned, developing a goal, and creating a plan. In OTS Collab, we help you to develop goals you can take action on in your practice. The days of attending a course to implement only 1% of what you learned are over. It's time to incorporate best practices, not just learn them. The OT Schoolhouse team and OTS Collab Members are here to support you in our dedicated community portal. Learn More Earn Professional Development. Collaborate with your people. Implement best practices. $39 9 per year SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE Member Pricing SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE Interested in a group rate? Contact us here OTPs Supporting OTPs A safe place to ask questions, seek research and therapy interventions, commit to growth challenges, and generally learn and grow without fear of judgment or rejection. Relationship-building opportunities with like-minded school-based OT practitioners that can yield solutions to problems, lead to job opportunities, and establish friendships. First access and discounts to new content and other offerings from the OT Schoolhouse. A community that welcomes members from diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, neurodiversity, and physical ableness. A focused environment to accelerate professional growth and networking due to the absence of fluff content, noisy discussion channels, advertisers, and recruiters. A privacy-first attitude toward all current and future aspects of OTS Collab. The OTS Collab is a place for occupational therapy practitioners who are serious about using strengths-based and best practices to support all students accessing their educational curriculum. We promote and encourage knowledge translation, collaboration, thorough evaluations, tiered interventions, and the creation of evidence through documentation to support students. Feel like it's a match? Outstanding! We can't wait to support you inside the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative! Join Today Community Fun & Emotional Support While fun and professional development are not always mentioned in the same sentence, we know as mental health providers that all work and no play does not make for a great day. That is why we like to have some fun within OTS Collab. The school year is long. So to break up the grind and let out some steam, we like to have an occasional OTS Collab celebration to acknowledge all the hard work we put in as OT practitioners. Your Community Managers Supporting you to achieve your school-based OT goals, whether you are an experieinced therapist or just getting started in the schools. Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L Jayson is the host of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast and has been emersed in school-based OT for over a decade. He is a husband, father, and dog dad who loves to spend time with his family. Jayson loves school-based OT because he believes that all students deserve to have access to education no matter their abilities. Jayson aspires to be a school district administrator and have a larger impact on staff development and student success. Favorite OT Model: P-E-O Location: Southern California Pets: TJ, a black lab/staffie Favorite aspect of SBOT Jayson loves seeing teachers have success with students. He believes that it is important for both the student and the teacher, that they succeed together. This builds vital rapport among both individuals. Love of Community As a new therapist, Jayson was fortunate to work in a district where the OTs met monthly. But that didn't happen in his second job. Jayson appreciates the ideas and growth that come as a result of OTs gathering. Interesting fact about Jayson Jayson lacks pain sensation on the left side of his face as a suspected result of trauma to the Trigeminal nerve when he was younger. He attributes this to one of the reasons he wanted to become an OT. Favorite OT Model: Kawa Model Location: Ch icago, Illi nois Favorite Activities: Dancing, outdoor activities, traveling, and reading Chandler Sárközi, MOT, OTR/L Chandler is an occupational therapist who began her career as a travel clinician, supporting preschool, middle school, and transition-aged students up to age 22. Prior to graduate school, she worked at a nonprofit school for Autism that utilized the DIR/Floortime model—an experience that deeply shaped her relational and developmental lens. Through her clinical work and global travel experiences, Chandler has developed a culturally responsive approach grounded in compassion, curiosity, and collaboration. She approaches her work with a holistic lens, recognizing that meaningful progress happens when children, families, and educators are supported together. She prioritizes authentic relationships and interprofessional collaboration to create cohesive, goal-aligned support systems that are sustainable and contextually responsive. Chandler is passionate about strengthening caregivers as a way to strengthen entire communities, and she aspires to one day develop innovative, developmentally informed schools in underserved areas—creating environments that empower both children and those who support them. Interesting facts about Chandler Chandler has played the violin since she was seven years old and was a part of her school orchestra for eight years. She has a love for music, languages, and has traveled to over 30 countries and over 30 states. OTS Collaborative Community + Professional Development + Mentorship JOIN NOW Important FAQs That's a lot of information. Still, you may have questions. Here are some important ones to know about as you consider joining. Is there a cost to joining OTS Collaborative? Yes. The OTS Collab is a paid membership. Members can cancel their subscriptions at any time inside the community or by clicking here . Do I have to participate in all the live events? How much time does this community require? You can spend as much (or as little) time as you'd like in the community. All events are optional and recorded in case you'd like to watch them at a later time. We host three 1-hour live events each month on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. One of the three events is a live AOTA-approved professional development course. Some members attend each of the three live events and post or comment in the community a few times a week. Other members attend some of the events and occasionally post in the community. You get to choose what works best for you. What platform is used for OTS Collab? We did a ton of research on various membership platforms before making our choice. Ultimately, we chose Circle. Think of Circle as a cross between Facebook Groups and LinkedIn, but without the need to have a profile out in the open. Courses and other events are held on Zoom. Does OT Schoolhouse Collaborative include access to the Back to School Conference? It does not. While the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative includes a great amount of support, it does not include admission to the annual Back to School Conference. However, as an OT Schoolhouse Collaborative member, you will be able to save and get the best available price for the Back to School Conference. Once a member, check out the "Start Here" space for more details. Will professional development be AOTA-approved? All live and recorded professional development courses are AOTA-approved. Podcast Courses are the exception. They will not be approved for AOTA credit, but you can still earn a certificate of completion. As a reminder, NBCOT and most states do not require courses to be approved by AOTA. Be sure to check your state guidelines. Can I earn professional development from the podcast without being an OTS Collab member? Yes, you can. However, we feel that the community aspect within OTS Collab helps therapists to incorporate the knowledge they learn into practical use and student outcomes. Can I register via purchase order? Absolutely. We accept purchase orders for annual membership plans. Click here to learn how. What is the refund policy? We do not offer refunds for OTS Collab. However, you may cancel your subscription at any time. Do you have Community Guidelines? Absolutely, we do. You can read them here. Still have questions? Contact us here. $39 9 per year SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE Member Pricing SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE Interested in a group rate? Contact us here OTS Collaborative Community + Professional Development + Mentorship JOIN NOW

This course introduces Participation-Anchored Coaching (PAC), a MOHO-informed model that centers student participation and belonging as the primary outcome of school-based occupational therapy. Participants learn to assess teacher occupational identity, competence, and preferred interpersonal modes using the adapted Mini Teacher OSA and Mini IRM Teacher Interview to identify alignment gaps that influence classroom participation. Through MOHO-guided occupational formulation, Design Thinking, and Self-Determination Theory, participants co-create teacher-informed strategies and TICKS-based, measurable goals that directly enhance student engagement. The course emphasizes the practical application of evidence-based assessment and iterative problem-solving to produce sustainable, participation-focused outcomes in school settings. B2S Conference Free Tools Free Education SBOT Goal Bank Courses The Collaborative Log in More < Back Participation-Anchored Coaching (PAC): A MOHO-Informed Approach to Teacher Collaboration Presented by: Ellen M. Cullen, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP Attend live on March 19, 2026 5:00 PM CST or watch on demand the next day Access this Course in The Collab Explore The Collab Benefits Course Description This course introduces Participation-Anchored Coaching (PAC), a MOHO-informed model that centers student participation and belonging as the primary outcome of school-based occupational therapy. Participants learn to assess teacher occupational identity, competence, and preferred interpersonal modes using the adapted Mini Teacher OSA and Mini IRM Teacher Interview to identify alignment gaps that influence classroom participation. Through MOHO-guided occupational formulation, Design Thinking, and Self-Determination Theory, participants co-create teacher-informed strategies and TICKS-based, measurable goals that directly enhance student engagement. The course emphasizes the practical application of evidence-based assessment and iterative problem-solving to produce sustainable, participation-focused outcomes in school settings. Learning Objectives 1. Learners will analyze assessment data to identify teacher factors influencing student participation and co-create TICKS-based occupation-based goals. 2. Learners will analyze a case study workflow demonstrating how MOHO, IRM, SDT, and Design Thinking guide assessment, formulation, goal-setting, and coaching interventions to support student participation. Your Instructor Ellen M. Cullen, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP Ellen M. Cullen, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP, is a school-based occupational therapist and owner of a private OT practice. Her doctoral work examined teacher self-efficacy and occupation-based coaching, focusing on supporting teachers to create classroom environments that enhance student participation and belonging. She brings expertise in MOHO/IRM-informed assessment, evidence-based intervention, and teacher coaching to her professional development courses. Contact Hours This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) OTSchoolhouse.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development, #0252. National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy As an AOTA-Approved provider of professional development, OTSchoolhouse.com courses are accepted by NBCOT® at a rate of 1.25 NBCOT PDUs per each hour of course content. NBCOT® is a registered trademark of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. Purchase Options - Collab Find The Collab Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Perfect for OTPs looking to keep up with evidence through school-based specific CEUs and core resources Join Essentials Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Earn 50+ hours worth of CEUs Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Designed for OTPs seeking for support implementing the most recent evidence and best practices Join Impact Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Earn Professional development by listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast (ultimate time saver) Support + Mentorship The "OTP Lounge" to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Non-CEU events and discussions (eg. Journal club calls, assessment reviews, etc) Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank ($99 value) Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular Start simple. Grow when you’re ready. Many school-based OTPs join Essentials for CEUs and core resources, then upgrade to the Impact Tier when they want mentorship, advanced tools, the Back to School Conference, and deeper support. Members often tell us that the tools and mentorship they receive within the Impact Tier finally allow them to feel supported as school-based OTs. Join Essentials Join Impact Agenda 0–5 minutes – Introduction 5–25 minutes – Foundations of PAC: From Compliance to Participation. 25–45 minutes – The PAC Toolbox: MOHO- and IRM-Informed Assessment. 45–60 minutes – Occupational Formulation: Bridging Teacher Capacity and Student Needs. 60–75 minutes – Collaborative Action: TICKS Goals and Design Thinking. 75–85 minutes – Integration and Sustainability: Navigating Systems. 85–90 minutes – Questions and Answers. Registration To access this course and others, become a member of the School-based OT Collaborative . The Collab is an online community dedicated to providing school-based OT practitioners with highly valuable professional development and interactive support to implement learned strategies. In The Collab, we learn together, support and encourage one another, and celebrate our achievements as a collective whole. Click here to learn more about the School-based OT Collaborative and watch this course inside our dedicated community of school-based OT practitioners. Instructional Methods A combination of speaker presentation with a slide deck and both synchronous & asynchronous Q+A with the presenter. Target Audience & Educational Level This is an intermediate level course intended for occupational therapy practitioners working in school systems or with a goal to better understand occupational therapy in school systems. Course Completion Requirements To receive a certificate for this course, you must watch the recorded course in its entirety. Then, you will need to take a learning assessment test and earn a score 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email. Special Needs Requests This course will include closed captioning and a transcript may be available upon request. You may also rewatch the course or sections of the course as needed. Additional accommodations may be requested by reaching out to us via email. Financial & Non-financial Disclosures Speaker Disclosure Ellen is receiving an honorarium for this course. Sponsor Disclosure The OTS Collaborative Community is a product of the OT Schoolhouse. Content Disclosure This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service. Schoolhouse Education, LLC is proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider of Professional Development AOTA-Approval for this Professional Development Opportunity is in progress. Stay Tuned! Terms and Conditions Schoolhouse Education, LLC will keep a record of your completed CE courses. When applicable, transcript services may include reporting to professional associations and/or state licensure boards. While Schoolhouse Education, LLC will make all reasonable efforts to offer CE credit for its courses, it is not responsible for state or national, or regulatory current policies or changes in CE requirements that may make courses ineligible for CE credits. Participant Agreement By registering for or attending any event or activity associated with the Schoolhouse Education, LLC and OT Schoolhouse, I agree to the following: Professional Development/Information Disclaimer The material presented in this course is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the occupational therapy and/or medical condition or professional development issues being discussed but rather is intended to present the opinions of the presenters, which may be helpful to other health care professionals at arriving at their own conclusions and consequent application. Attendees participating in this professional development education program do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the A-Z School-Based OT Course, Schoolhouse Education, LLC, and OT School House and its staff or representatives for reliance on any information presented during these educational activities. Waiver of Liability Agreement I release Schoolhouse Education, LLC, OT Schoolhouse, and its staff, presenters, and any other individuals or entities associated with this course from any and all liability connected with my participation, as well as from any liability related to changes to the schedule, events or activities. I acknowledge and agree that I am participating on my own choice and assume all risk in connection thereof and that in the event that a need for emergency medical service arises, I authorize and consent to such services being provided at my own expense. Cancelation & Refund Policy In the event that Schoolhouse Education, LLC must cancel the event for any reason, participants will be offered a credit toward the rescheduled event. OT Schoolhouse Collaborative subscribers may cancel their subscription at any time. Purchase Options - Collab Find the Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Join Essentials Learn Access to this course and over 40 live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Join Impact Learn Everything in Essentials, plus: The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Support + Mentorship Access the OTP Lounge, plus: Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular ^ Back to top of page ^

Join us as Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L, shares how AI tools can support school-based OT assessments, interventions, and documentation processes. By using AI to reduce the hours we spend on paperwork, we increase the amount of time we spend with our students. We'll cover current and evolving research, ethical considerations, and practical use cases for AI in school-based OT. Also, discover innovative use cases for Artificial Intelligence in school-based OT through an interactive demonstration. Stay ahead of the curve and use this innovative technology in your OT practice!