Finally, a collection of resources, tools and support that will re-inspire you and bring out the resilient clinician that lies within!
Keep reading if you're an OT, student OT, or OTA who is looking to:
- Develop your knowledge of mindfulness
- Establish and build consistency with your mindfulness practice
- Connect with a community of like-minded OTs from around the world
- Back it up with evidence
- Bring mindfulness to your clients
- Build resilience for yourself and your clients
There is good evidence for using mindfulness as part of your OT practice.
It has been shown to help reduce stress, sleep better, decrease rumination, decrease emotional reactivity, improve focus, improve memory, help us live within our values and manage to live well with pain.
Building a personal practice can increase your own resilience and that of your family and clients. In fact, if one person in a family practices mindfulness, the whole family gets some benefit. And if the therapist practices, the client outcomes improve.
As health care providers, we need to take care of our well-being during a pandemic, more than ever. This is an opportunity to build your practice as part of a community of OTs, without leaving home.
Over 8 weeks, this course will give you the opportunity to establish your own mindfulness practice and to learn ways to start to integrate it into your work as an OT right away, along with a group of like-minded OTs, to:
- Be more inspired by your own work
- Develop compassion for yourself and your clients
- Build confidence in bringing a mindfulness practice to your life and the lives of your clients
- Combat burnout and build resilience through this pandemic
- Interact with OTs from around the world
- Gain accountability to other OTs while you bring mindfulness into your own life
For $497, you'll get:
- 8 weeks of self-paced learning material to help you build your own consistent mindfulness practice and relate mindfulness to OT
- Live interactive calls to do group meditation and discuss the materials, or listen to the replays when you want
- 3-month access to a community of practice with other mindful OTs, including an optional private Facebook group
- Tools to help you build your resilience during this pandemic
- A guided "Day of Mindfulness"
- Downloadable guided meditations
- Therapy activities which you can bring to your clients right away
- Meditation scripts
- A mindfulness booklet
- Interactions with OTs from around the world
- Journal articles and summaries of the evidence for using mindfulness
- Accountability to other OTs while you bring mindfulness into your life
- Opportunities to problem-solve with other OTs and ask questions
- Mindful movement videos
- Tracking sheets
- Links to educational resources you can use with your clients
- Certificate of participation
Here's a look at the Course Curriculum
Why learn mindfulness taught by another OT practitioner?
This course looks at mindfulness through an OT lens, including relating mindfulness to our sensory processing, posture, and biomechanics. We'll have discussions to help you bring the information straight to your area of OT practice!
And I'm excited to be your instructor...
Hi, I’m Sarah
I'm an occupational therapist and mindfulness meditation teacher in Ottawa, Canada where I support people living with persistent pain, sleep difficulties, or mood challenges.
As an OT in hospital, school and community settings, I used mindfulness to build my own resilience. After about 12 years of practice, I began to see more scientific evidence for using mindfulness. This gave me the confidence to start sharing it with my clients.
In 2014, I started my own private practice and began to see more and more clients with persistent pain and mental health challenges.
This led me to intensive training at the Ottawa Mindfulness Clinic to become a mindfulness teacher (2014-2015) where I now teach an online course for people with persistent pain or chronic health conditions.
In 2020, with the pandemic increasing the demands on health care providers, I began to think about how I could support other clinicians like yourself in your pursuit of caring for others, as well as dealing with your own mental health challenges as you prevent overwhelm and burnout.
I began supporting OTs who want to weave mindfulness into their lives and practices in September 2020 by offering this interactive, online course.
I am currently the Topic Editor for the Women's Health column in Occupational Therapy Now (published by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists), and have presented to other occupational therapists in the areas of mindfulness, pain management, women's health and sleep.
I have met many clinicians like you who have been feeling:
- Worn out by being in a caring profession
- Just plain tired, trying to do a good job and maintain balance in your personal life
- That it’s a struggle to get the client outcomes they want
- Confused about how to bring mindfulness to their clients
- Inconsistent with your own mindfulness practice
- That you’re lacking the tools and resources to confidently incorporate mindfulness into your practice as an OT clinician
Past participants have:
- Highly recommended this course to friends and colleagues
- Reported it was one of the most impactful courses they have taken as an OT
- Found a decrease in their work stress and improved relationships
- Brought the practices to their clients with success
- Build a consistent practice themselves
- Connected with like-minded OTs
Here’s what some of them have had to say about the course:
“I am referencing this course daily as I talk with my co-workers about how best to apply my OT skills with greater mindfulness.” Sarah B
“Thanks to this inspiring course, I’m returning to work from parental leave with new ideas and renewed energy!” Erin
“This has been an excellent course and I would highly recommend it to any OT. I have loved all of the varied teaching methods you have used, giving us students such a menu of options for learning and such extensive resources. Thank you so much!” Jennifer
Frequently Asked Questions:
Is this course just for OTs?
This course has an OT focus. In the past, we’ve had OTs, other rehab professionals, student OTs and rehab aides. If you are working in the area of OT or a closely related area, this course may be for you. Feel free to send me an email if you’re not sure ([email protected]).
One of the amazing and unique things about this course is the focus on mindfulness and occupational well-being so we will be using OT models and research.
When are the calls? What if I can’t make it?
This course gives you access to three months of our community of practice. While you’re part of the community of practice, you’ll be invited to calls 2 times per month plus a day of mindfulness once every three months. During these calls, we’ll practice a meditation together, discuss the material in more detail and you’ll have the chance to ask questions. The calls are typically on Mondays and there’s some variation in the times to allow people from different time zones to participate.
But, in reality, only about half the participants come to each call and the rest listen to the recording, which is available by the next day. You’ll be able to download an audio version of the recording if you want to get away from the screen while you listen or the video. If I use slides, you can also download the slides. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to ask your questions outside of the calls too.
What is the community of practice we get access to?
The community of practice is where you get to interact with other students from the course and alumni. We’ll have live calls 2 times per month. I’ll give the schedule of calls and topics in advance. Once every three months, I’ll lead you through a Day of Mindfulness. You’ll be invited to join a private Facebook group where you can share resources, ask questions and connect with other participants (no pressure if you’re not on Facebook or trying to decrease your social media use).
You’ll get three months access included when you sign up for the course. Later, you’ll have the option to continue to participate with a monthly subscription.
How is the course taught?
There will be a mix of online content that you can work through at your own pace and live group calls.
In order to meet different learning styles, there will be movement, reflective exercises, meditations, video content, discussions and written materials. You can focus on the ways that you learn best!
How much time does the course take?
Most participants have reported taking 2-4 hours per week. This includes a 1-hour call, pre-recorded materials, readings, and some meditations. I’ll be suggesting and providing meditation practices. It’s up to you how much time you spend on those which can lead to the variability in how much time the course takes each week. You can take as long as you wish to complete the materials!
How long is the course?
There are 8 modules in the course which will be released, one per week over 8 weeks. In addition, you’ll have access to three months of the community of practice to support your learning. But, if you need longer, you’ll have access to the materials for at least a year.
Will I get CEU?
I’m not able to give CEUs but you will get a certificate with the hours at the end of the course. You can use that to approach your employer or regulatory body.
See you in the course!
613-715-3550 | [email protected] | PO BOX 14067 GLEBE RPO, OTTAWA, ON, K1S3T2