• Identify how to increase mental health knowledge for occupational therapy professionals across settings.
• Recognize relationship and developmental based mental health models that compliment Sensory Integration intervention.
• Select intervention modalities and models that support mental health while utilizing Sensory Integration principles.

Rachel Ashcraft, co-editor of the AOTA textbook “Trauma, Occupation, and Participation: Foundations and Population Considerations in Occupational Therapy” discusses how she has initiated the development of a trauma informed practice at the clinic where she practices using the Trauma Informed Oregon model. This talk provides you with the resources you need to enable you to initiate, or advocate for, a trauma informed practice in your area of practice.

We also discuss the importance of therapeutic use of self and the risk factors of working with individuals with trauma.

Small moments can make a big difference in how children feel and function. Every Moment Counts is a mental health promotion initiative developed to help all children/youth become mentally healthy in order to succeed in school, at home and in the community.

Participants will learn about a multi-tiered public health approach to mental health involving promotion, prevention and intervention and be introduced to Every Moment Counts’ occupation-based programs: Comfortable Cafeteria, Refreshing Recess, Calm Moments Cards, Making Leisure Matter. A brief overview of website resources is provided as well as strategies for building capacity of school personnel to do this work.

When working in relational work, and caring for individuals with sensory processing challenges, understanding and implementing self-care is essential to stay regulated and avoid burn-out, especially during stressful times.

This talk explores the crucial role of self-care and self-reflection for therapists as well as how to integrate these concepts in setting and maintaining healthy professional boundaries. Erika explains the role that mirror neurons, and the neurobiology of underlying empathy, play in balancing our emotional and professional selves. Lastly, we discuss how individuals can explore ideas for self-care in order to determine which strategies work best for them.

The CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early” (LTSAE) program aims to improve early identification of children with autism and other developmental disabilities so children and families can get the services and support they need. Dr. Kate Barlow, the LTSAE Ambassador for the state of Massachusetts, shares the highlights of this program and how occupational therapy professionals and others working in Early Intervention can apply this program in their clinical practice.

Dr. Barlow also explores the process of becoming an endorsed provider by the Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health (MassAIMH). MassAIMH is an organization for providers and professionals from diverse and varied disciplines, serving young children and families and are dedicated to promoting healthy social and emotional development in the earliest stages and relationships of life.

Attachment (the affectionate relationship that binds a child to a parent or caregiver) and sensory processing (the ability to take in information from our worlds and stay regulated and able to perform our daily activities) are critical for building a foundation for subsequent emotional development in children. Using this framework, Jane Koomar, Ph.D, OTR/L, FAOTA, founder of the SPIRAL Foundation and clinical psychologist Daniel Hughes, Ph.D. worked together to increase awareness of the importance of these dynamics in early childhood. Together, Jane and Dan developed “SAFE PLACE.”

Within this model is the PACE module which aids in the ability to develop strong interconnected relationships as the basis for all other parts of development through Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. Dan Hughes and Sarah Sawyer discuss how therapists and families can use the therapeutic PACE approach to help their clients and children through traumatic times.

Dan offers his perspective on how to talk to our clients and children about stressful events.

Theraplay is an evidenced-based model that is grounded in attachment theory. It targets the lower levels of brain functioning and the early moments of parent-child interactions. Its goal is to create moments of connection and meeting through primary intersubjective experiences. Intersubjective experiences are the way we come to understand and engage with others through imitation and mirroring between infant and parent. Theraplay aims to recreate/create moments like these that may have been missed in early childhood due to developmental trauma. Through case-study examples, Andrea Bushala, Theraplay instructor will join us to discuss ways occupational therapy practitioners can use Theraplay’s dimensions of Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge to meet our client’s needs and address challenging behaviors.

“Music moves us together from birth. It’s the how of moving, not the what of moving that creates life” – Colwyn Trevarthen. Author, Rhythms of Relating in Children’s Therapies.

Movement is a key component of Sensory Integration intervention. Yael Beth-Halachmi has developed an evidence-based intervention approach to marry Parent-Child Dyadic Model of therapy and Dance Movement Therapy in order to help build relationships and connections between parent and child and therapist.

Yael discusses her research with a Parent-Child ASD Program in Montreal and how she developed a series of Semi-Structured Play Interactions. These interactions have been developed into a deck of cards that can be used in intervention sessions and by parents at home.

Interoception is an underlooked and often poorly understood system of neurological functioning that provides the foundation for self-regulation. When impacted by trauma, interoception underlies many common experiences including chronic dysregulation, self-harm, addictions, anxiety/depression, panic attacks, eating disorders, obesity, chronic pain and somatic symptoms.

In this talk Kelly Mahler discusses the connection between interoception and self-regulation and examines the impact trauma can have on interoceptive functioning and behaviors. Evidence-based interoceptive supports are discussed.