Kelsey K.
School-based OT
Jhenny R.
School-Based OT
Talia G.
School-Based OT
We all attend continuing education with the best intentions - to improve our skillsets and better support our students. Unfortunately, after attending such courses, we often return to our schools full of ideas but without support or guidance to implement them. The frustration is real, and it does not lead to job satisfaction.
Sound familiar?
That's where the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community and our one-of-a-kind community-powered professional development system come in.
In OTS Collab, we are putting an end to the "learn but never implement" cycle and helping you implement best practices. With our community-powered professional development, you will benefit from things like
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12+ hours of AOTA-approved live and recorded sessions every year
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Access to speakers during and after the sessions
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Follow-up Team Mentorship Meetings focused on creating action
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And the ability to receive ongoing support from the OT Schoolhouse team and your colleagues.
Here are some of our recent and upcoming AOTA-approved 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.
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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.
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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:
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One highly specific live professional development course.
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One live Group Mentorship Call where we discuss how to incorporate what we learned in the course
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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 for later viewing.
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.
Earn Professional Development.
Collaborate with your people.
Implement best practices.
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.
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:
Chicago, Illinois
Favorite Activities:
Dancing, outdoor activities, traveling, and reading
Chandler Sárközi - Soon to be OT
Chandler is a student, sister, daughter, and friend. She is currently an occupational therapy student completing Level II fieldwork. She loves children and has worked with them most of her adult life. One of her favorite jobs prior to graduate school was working at a non-profit school for Autism that utilized the DIR/Floortime Model.
Chandler aspires to one day develop schools and curriculums in underdeveloped and underserved areas of the United States and other countries. She would incorporate her occupational therapy background, mental health, and additional interprofessional studies to enhance effectively collaborate with all staff and families, which will help improve the outcomes of the students.
Interesting facts about Chandler
Chandler has been a vegetarian since she was five years old and became vegan a couple of years ago. She has played the violin since she was seven and was a part of her school orchestra for eight years. She has also traveled to over 20 countries and over 20 states.
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. The annual membership, at $399 per year, offers the best rate. You can also subscribe at a $120 quarterly rate. 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.