OT_Trauma_Test

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Dates:September 15, 2025
Meets:M from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM
Cost: $0.00

There are still openings remaining at this time.

Trauma-Informed Occupational Therapy Continuing Education Courses

Course Options CEUa Cost
Trauma-Informed Occupational Therapy Bundle: Foundational & Core Courses only 12 competency points/contact hours $400 plus book
TBRI® Caregiver Training 8 competency points/contact hours $320
Individual Courses Variable points/contact hours $40/contact hour

a 1 hour of content is equivalent to 1 competency point in SD; refer to your state licensure laws for contact hour equivalency.

Book: Trauma-Informed Occupational Therapy: Pediatric Evaluation and Intervention Guidelinesb

Course Descriptions and CEU Recommendations

Trauma-Informed Occupational Therapy Bundleb — 12 competency points/contact hours

The course bundle offers an in-depth, trauma-informed examination of how early adversity affects neurodevelopment, behavior, family systems, and occupational performance throughout the lifespan. Participants will study the physiological and psychological effects of trauma, including stress responses, sensory processing disruptions, and attachment challenges. Through evidence-based frameworks and public health prevention strategies, learners will develop skills in trauma screening, assessment, and intervention. Emphasis is placed on the role of occupational therapy in fostering resilience, promoting healing environments, and supporting recovery through sensory-based, relational, and community-integrated approaches. The course also addresses professional well-being and vicarious trauma, equipping learners to sustain ethical, trauma-informed practice across diverse settings.

Courses included in the bundle:

  • Adverse and Protective Childhood Experiences
  • Stress, Coping, & Caregiving and Maternal Drug Use & Infant Development
  • Public Health Model, Socioecological Model, Multidisciplinary Teams
  • Preventing ACEs, Promoting PACES
  • Attachment & When Things Go Wrong
  • Trauma: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective
  • Conceptualizing Family Trauma
  • Trauma Informed Screening & Assessment
  • Sensory Processing, Environments, and Activities to Support Regulation and Healing
  • Sensory Processing & Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment
  • Professional Well-Being: Indirect and Direct Traumatization

Learning Objectives:

  1. Analyze the neurodevelopmental, sensory, and relational impacts of trauma and apply trauma-informed principles to support individuals and families.
  2. Implement evidence-based screening, assessment, and intervention strategies across systems using models such as FITT, SMART, and ICARE.
  3. Design therapeutic environments and recovery plans that promote resilience, occupational engagement, and professional well-being.

TBRI® Caregiver Training — 8 competency points/contact hours

This course introduces Trust-Based Relational Intervention® (TBRI®), a trauma-informed, attachment-based approach designed to meet the complex needs of children and youth who have experienced adversity, abuse, neglect, or trauma. Grounded in neuroscience and developmental psychology, TBRI® equips professionals with practical tools to build trust, promote healing, and support regulation through connection, empowerment, and correction strategies. Participants will explore the foundational principles of TBRI®, its application across settings, and strategies for fostering resilience and relational safety.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Explain the core principles of TBRI® and the impact of trauma on brain development, attachment, and behavior.
  2. Apply TBRI® strategies to support connection, empowerment, and behavioral correction in children and youth.
  3. Integrate trauma-informed relational practices into professional settings to promote healing, trust, and resilience.

Adverse and Protective Childhood Experiences — 0.75 points / 45 mins

This course offers a comprehensive exploration of how early life adversity impacts long-term health, behavior, and development, while also highlighting the role of protective factors in fostering resilience.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect long-term health, behavior, and development.
  2. Recognize the importance of protective factors that help children build resilience and overcome adversity.
  3. Identify ways to support children through trauma-informed care and positive relationships.

Stress, Coping, & Caregiving and Maternal Drug Use & Infant Development — 0.75 points / 45 mins

This course introduces students to the physiological and psychological aspects of stress, emphasizing how individuals respond to threats and manage challenges. The module also examines how maternal substance use affects infant development, highlighting risk and protective factors that influence outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand how the autonomic nervous system and HPA axis regulate stress responses, including the role of cortisol and its effects on the body and brain.
  2. Explore how factors like predictability, social support, and secure relationships help manage stress and promote resilience in caregiving contexts.
  3. Examine how prenatal exposure to drugs affects infant development and recognize the importance of protective factors in mitigating these risks.

Public Health Model, Socioecological Model, Multidisciplinary Teams — 1.5 points / 90 mins

This course introduces the public health model of prevention (universal, targeted, and intensive) and integrates Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to highlight the influence of family, school, and community. Students will also examine how occupational therapists can implement trauma-informed approaches across various settings using evidence-based interventions and lifestyle factors that support mental health and prevent emotional and behavioral disorders.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Apply intervention strategies to support brain regulation and mental health using trauma-informed and public health models.
  2. Analyze sociocultural factors affecting childhood mental health and development.
  3. Design and propose community-based programs that promote resilience and well-being in children.

Preventing ACEs, Promoting PACES — 1 point / 60 mins

This course explores evidence-based strategies to support individuals—both adults and children—who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Grounded in the ICARE model and ACEs science, the course emphasizes interventions that promote neurobiological regulation, emotional resilience, and posttraumatic growth. Students learn to apply mindfulness, yoga, neurofeedback, expressive writing, and trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy, while also designing PACES (Protective and Compensatory Experiences) plans to foster healing environments.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand trauma-informed care principles and their application in occupational therapy.
  2. Evaluate and implement interventions that support neurobiological, emotional, and behavioral healing.
  3. Design PACES-based strategies to promote resilience and positive development in individuals with ACEs.

Attachment & When Things Go Wrong — 1 point / 60 mins

This course focuses on the foundational role of attachment in childhood development, mental health, and occupational performance. Students explore how secure and insecure attachment styles influence emotional regulation, sensory processing, and social participation. The course integrates neurobiological, behavioral, and sociocultural perspectives to examine the long-term effects of early caregiving relationships. Through case studies and evidence-based frameworks, students learn to identify attachment patterns and apply trauma-informed strategies to support healthy development and therapeutic outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the link between attachment, brain development, and sensory processing challenges.
  2. Analyze sociocultural factors that complicate childhood mental health and attachment.
  3. Apply evidence-based approaches to address the impact of early maltreatment on occupational performance.

Trauma: A Neurodevelopmental Perspective — 1 point / 60 mins

In this course, students examine the sequential and activity-dependent nature of brain growth, the role of sensitive periods, and the effects of trauma on key brain structures like the hippocampus and amygdala. The course also covers epigenetics, neurotransmitter imbalances, and the polyvagal theory to explain behavioral and physiological responses to trauma. Emphasis is placed on recognizing trauma-related symptoms, understanding misdiagnoses, and promoting healing through resilience-building strategies and trauma-informed care.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Identify neurotransmitter patterns and behavioral correlates linked to trauma and stress.
  2. Apply neurodevelopmental principles to understand the connection between early adversity and psychopathology.
  3. Understand neurophysiological and neuroendocrine responses to threat, neglect, and trauma.

Conceptualizing Family Trauma — 1 point / 60 mins

This course examines how complex and accumulated trauma impacts family systems, functioning, and adaptation. Using the Family Informed Trauma Treatment (FITT) model, students explore the systemic effects of trauma—including intergenerational transmission, altered family schemas, and dysregulated coping styles. The course emphasizes trauma-informed principles and therapeutic strategies to engage families, assess needs, and support recovery. Through case studies and clinical examples, students learn to identify stressors, facilitate healing, and empower families to build resilience and access resources.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Recognize how complex trauma affects family systems and contributes to disrupted functioning.
  2. Apply trauma-informed approaches to build therapeutic alliances and address barriers to treatment.
  3. Identify safety concerns, stressors, and strengths to support recovery and connect families to appropriate resources.

Trauma Informed Screening & Assessmentb — 1.25 points / 75 mins

This course examines the critical distinctions between trauma screening and trauma assessment. It emphasizes the importance of identifying trauma exposure and stress reactions in children through developmentally appropriate tools and processes. Students explore various screening instruments and assessment frameworks while learning how to engage families, manage disclosures, and fulfill mandatory reporting responsibilities. The course also highlights multidisciplinary collaboration and trauma-informed principles to guide ethical, effective care planning.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Differentiate between trauma screening and assessment, including tools, processes, and appropriate use.
  2. Apply trauma-informed strategies to engage families, interpret results, and guide treatment planning across systems.

Sensory Processing, Environments, and Activities to Support Regulation and Healing — 1.25 points / 75 mins

This course integrates sensory processing theory with trauma-informed care to support children who have experienced adversity. It emphasizes how trauma disrupts sensory integration and self-regulation, and guides occupational therapy students in using evidence-based sensory strategies to recalibrate the nervous system. The module introduces frameworks like Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI), SMART (Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment), and the Modulation Model, while also exploring the therapeutic use of self, co-regulation, and environmental adaptations. Students learn to assess sensory needs and implement calming or alerting interventions tailored to individual arousal states.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the connection between trauma, attachment, brain development, and sensory processing difficulties.
  2. Apply sensory-based interventions to support neurochemical regulation and improve participation in daily occupations.
  3. Create therapeutic sensory experiences that promote self-regulation, emotional expression, and healing in children with trauma histories.

Sensory Processing & Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment — 2 points / 120 mins

This course explores how trauma affects sensory integration and arousal regulation in children, and how occupational therapy can support healing through sensory-based interventions. It introduces the SMART model (Sensory Motor Arousal Regulation Treatment), which recognizes trauma as a state change disorder and integrates sensory integration, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and attachment theory to help children regulate their physiological and emotional states.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the connection between trauma, attachment, brain development, and sensory processing.
  2. Apply sensory-based and neurodevelopmental interventions to support regulation and occupational performance.
  3. Use the SMART model to design therapeutic environments and experiences that promote healing and resilience.

Professional Well-Being: Indirect and Direct Traumatization — 1 point / 60 mins

This course focuses on understanding the impact of indirect trauma exposure on professionals in helping roles, such as educators, therapists, and healthcare providers. It emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, ethical self-care, and organizational support to prevent burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious traumatization. The module also introduces tools like the ProQOL scale and self-care planning strategies to promote resilience and professional well-being.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand how indirect exposure to trauma can affect physical, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning.
  2. Develop personal and organizational strategies for resilience.
  3. Explore the ethical imperative of self-care and how organizations can foster a trauma-informed culture that supports staff wellness.

Trauma-Informed Interventions for Youth Who Self-Injure — 1 point / 60 mins

This course provides a comprehensive, trauma-informed framework for understanding and responding to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in youth. Students will explore the relationship between trauma and self-injury, dispel common myths, and learn to assess risk, safety plan, and implement evidence-based interventions. Emphasis is placed on emotional regulation, harm reduction, family education, and multidisciplinary collaboration to support healing and resilience in adolescents.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Understand the relationship between trauma and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), including common myths, motivations, and comorbid conditions.
  2. Assess and respond to self-injurious behaviors using trauma-informed strategies such as safety planning, harm reduction, and emotional regulation techniques.
  3. Collaborate with families and multidisciplinary teams to educate, support, and implement individualized interventions that promote healing and resilience.

Prevention, Evaluation, and OT Intervention for Individuals Experiencing Human Trafficking — 2 points / 120 mins

This course explores the intersection of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and occupational injustice through a trauma-informed lens. Students will examine the vulnerabilities and systemic factors contributing to trafficking, the impact on survivors’ occupational performance, and the role of occupational therapy in recovery and advocacy. Using the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework (POJF) and other models, learners will develop contextually relevant strategies to integrate OT into anti-trafficking efforts across practice, policy, education, and program development.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Analyze and apply occupational justice frameworks to understand the impact of trafficking on survivors and define OT’s role in trauma-informed care.
  2. Identify vulnerabilities and systemic factors contributing to human trafficking and recognize signs across physical, behavioral, and environmental domains.
  3. Develop an action plan to integrate occupational therapy into anti-trafficking initiatives through leadership, advocacy, education, and collaborative program development.

a 1 hour of content is equivalent to 1 competency point in SD; refer to your state licensure laws for contact hour equivalency.
b Book required.

Fee: $0.00

John Doe