Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists

🧠 The 6 Guiding Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice
From Understanding to Embodied Practical Application

📅 November 27–28, 2026
💻 Live Online via Zoom

➕ Complimentary Follow-Up Session: January 7, 2027
💸 Eligible for 2026 Member Workshop Credit

Trauma-informed practice is more than a framework—it's how we show up in moments that matter. This interactive training will help you move beyond theory and develop practical skills to foster safety, regulation, connection, and trust in your everyday work.

💡 You'll learn:
• The 6 guiding principles of trauma-informed practice and how to apply them
• How the nervous system responds to stress, trauma, and triggers
• The Window of Tolerance and its role in regulation
• Practical co-regulation and stabilization strategies
• How to reframe behaviour as an adaptive response
• Ways to support connection, presence, and practitioner wellbeing

Designed for occupational therapists, therapy assistants, support workers, and other healthcare professionals seeking practical, relationship-based approaches to care.

🎓 Presenter: Alexandra Dunn

🔗 Register today: https://saot.ca/event/

💼 Hiring an Occupational Therapist or Therapy Assistant?

Connect with qualified professionals across Alberta by posting your opportunity on the SAOT Employment Listings!

Your posting will be shared with SAOT members for 30 days, helping you reach an engaged audience of occupational therapy professionals and therapy assistants.

📌 Listings are accepted on an ongoing basis—renew your posting if your position is still available.

🔗 Create or renew your posting:
https://saot.ca/advertise/

🎙️ New Episode of Growing OT: How Interoception Transforms Practice

🧠 Trauma, Regulation, and Body Connections with Kelly Mahler

What if we shifted the way we understand behaviour, regulation, and therapeutic goals by listening more closely to what the body is telling us?

In this episode of Growing OT, host Claire O’Byrne welcomes back award-winning occupational therapist, author, and internationally recognized interoception expert Kelly Mahler for a powerful conversation about interoception, trauma, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.

✨ In this episode, you'll explore:
🧠 How trauma and chronic stress can impact interoception and connection to body signals
🌈 Why curiosity—not assumptions—is essential for supporting neurodivergent individuals
🤝 Moving beyond traditional ideas of independence toward valuing interdependence
💙 The importance of believing and validating clients’ lived sensory experiences
🌱 Practical ways to bring interoception-informed approaches into practice

Whether you’re an occupational therapist, parent, educator, or someone passionate about understanding human connection, this episode offers meaningful insights into supporting regulation with empathy and curiosity.

🎧 Listen to the episode of Growing OT today! https://youtu.be/B13yNwCmUVE?si=p3P7TielewsKo8R5

✨ Interested in learning more from Kelly Mahler?
Join us for Five Keys to Supporting Behaviour Regulation with Kelly Mahler and Chloe Rothschild.

📅 October 15–16, 2026
💻 Live Online

Explore neuro-affirming strategies to support regulation, communication, and meaningful participation across diverse learning profiles.

🔗 Learn more and register https://saot.ca/event/five-keys-to-supporting-behaviour-regulation/

🏠 Create Safer, More Accessible Homes

📅 October 28, 2026 | 8:30 AM–12:00 PM
📅 October 29, 2026 | 8:30 AM–4:00 PM
💻 Live Online

Home modifications can have a profound impact on safety, independence, and quality of life. Join this practical 1.5-day workshop to strengthen your ability to assess home environments and develop effective, client-centred recommendations for adults and older adults with physical or cognitive challenges.

💡 You'll learn how to:
• Conduct structured, room-by-room home assessments
• Identify environmental barriers and match them with appropriate modifications and equipment
• Collaborate effectively with funders, vendors, and contractors
• Prioritize recommendations using sound clinical reasoning

Whether you're new to home modifications or looking to enhance your practice, this workshop offers practical tools you can apply immediately.

🎓 Instructor: Margot McWhirter, OT | Gerontology Specialist, Inclusive Aging

🔗 Register today: https://saot.ca/event/home-modifications-creating-accessible-inclusive-housing-4/

🌟 Celebrate Excellence in Occupational Therapy

Outstanding Clinical Contribution in Occupational Therapy Award

Do you know an occupational therapist whose clinical expertise, compassion, and leadership make a lasting difference?

This award recognizes an OT who demonstrates:
✨ Excellence in clinical practice
🌱 A commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth
💡 Innovation and creativity in practice
🤝 Meaningful collaboration with clients and colleagues
📚 Generous knowledge sharing and mentorship
💙 Dedication to the core values of occupational therapy

🏆 Award Recipient Receives:
💰 $1,000 cash award (proudly sponsored by BrokerLink)
📜 A letter of recognition from the SAOT President
🌐 Recognition on the SAOT website and in the SAOT e-newsletter
🎉 Recognition at the annual SAOT AGM

Every day, occupational therapists make a profound impact on the lives of their clients and communities. Help recognize a colleague whose clinical excellence deserves to be celebrated.

🗓️ Nomination Deadline: October 1

👏 Nominate an outstanding OT today and help shine a spotlight on excellence in our profession! https://saot.ca/members/awards/

🌿 Rethinking Assessment Through an Indigenous Lens

FREE Live Online Webinar for SAOT and OSOT Members

📅 September 17, 2026
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM (MT)
💻 Live via Zoom
⚠️ A recording will not be available.

Occupational therapists rely on assessment tools every day—but what happens when those tools are built on assumptions that don't reflect the lived experiences and worldviews of the people we serve?

Join us for an important conversation exploring how standardized assessment tools can be misaligned with Indigenous worldviews and discover practical approaches to creating more culturally safe assessment practices in Alberta.

✨ You'll learn to:
✔ Recognize the limitations of standardized assessment tools.
✔ Explore how Indigenous worldviews can inform culturally safer assessment practices.
✔ Apply practical strategies to support more equitable occupational therapy practice.

🎓 Presented by Lauren Remple

Lauren Remple is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Sequoia Collaboration and Consulting. A proud citizen of Alexander First Nation in Treaty 6 territory, Lauren is Cree and of mixed European ancestry. She brings more than 16 years of experience in Indigenous engagement, equity, diversity and inclusion, and human resources across the post-secondary, telecommunications, and energy sectors.

🔗 Register today https://saot.ca/event/assessment-tools-and-the-misalignment-with-indigenous-worldviews/

🧠💙 Support Connection. Foster Growth. Transform Your Practice.

DIR®-Informed Therapy for Neurodivergent Individuals & Their Caregivers

📅 November 13 & 20, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (each day)
💻 Live Online via Zoom
💸 Eligible for the 2026 Member Credit Discount

Move beyond behaviour-based approaches and discover how the DIR® model helps you understand the why behind a person's actions while building meaningful relationships that support lifelong development.

Over two engaging days, you'll explore practical, relationship-based strategies that promote regulation, communication, participation, and functional outcomes for neurodivergent individuals across clinical, educational, and community settings.

✨ In this workshop, you'll explore:
🧩 How co-regulation creates the foundation for learning and engagement
💙 The 5 C's: Comfort, Competence, Confidence, Control & Communication
😊 Using affect to strengthen connection and enhance therapeutic outcomes
🌱 Applying a DIR® lens to sensory processing, motor development, praxis, and communication
📋 Incorporating the FEAS framework into assessment and intervention
🎥 Learning through real-world case examples and video demonstrations

👥 Ideal for occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, physiotherapists, therapy assistants, educators, and other professionals supporting neurodivergent individuals and their caregivers.

🎓 Presented by:
Rosemary White
Zoe White

🔗 Register today:
https://saot.ca/event/dir-informed-therapy-for-neurodivergent-individuals-their-caregivers/

https://youtu.be/L4pEgPbssnc?si=9MqKluWJ1LEyo4AU

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🧠 Five Keys to Supporting Behaviour Regulation

📅 October 15–16, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM–12:00 PM (each day)
💻 Live Online

What if we looked beyond surface-level behaviors and focused on understanding the underlying regulation needs?

Join us for this course exploring current trends in behavior assessments and traditional behavior-based supports, while considering their influence and common concerns. Participants will explore affirming alternatives that support children and adults across diverse learning profiles.

This course introduces the 5 Keys to Supporting Behavior Regulation:

🔹 Building Positive Relationships & Understanding the Whys
🔹 Meeting Sensory Needs
🔹 Increasing Predictability & Using Visual Supports
🔹 Providing Communication Supports
🔹 Interoception & Empowering Self-Regulation

Participants will gain practical strategies to support behavior regulation in meaningful, neuro affirming ways that can be applied across diverse clients and settings.

📚 Expand your clinical toolkit and learn approaches that support connection, communication, and self-regulation.

🔗 Register today: https://saot.ca/event/five-keys-to-supporting-behaviour-regulation/

🔎 Looking for an Occupational Therapist?

If you're seeking Occupational Therapy services, you may choose to hire an Occupational Therapist in private practice.

Whether you need support with rehabilitation, return to work, home modifications, pediatrics, mental health, driving assessments, or another area of practice, SAOT's Find an OT directory can help you connect with the right professional.

✨ Search by:
📍 Geographic location
🩺 Area of practice

Because Occupational Therapists work independently, services offered and fees may vary.

Start your search today and find an Occupational Therapist that meets your needs.

🔗 Visit the Find an OT directory today, https://saot.ca/ot-search/