Exposure therapy for anxiety disorders: A beginner’s guide for occupational therapists (January 2026)

Online Workshop

January 15 & 16, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

What time is this for me?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health condition ( World Health Organization, 2023 ), with the Canadian prevalence significantly increasing over the past 10 years ( Statistics Canada, 2023 ). Only 28% of Canadians with a mental health disorder felt that they received counselling or psychotherapy services that met their needs in the past year ( Stephenson, 2023 ). Occupational therapists are well suited to deliver the gold standard treatment of exposure therapy for anxiety disorders (e.g., Chowdhury & Khandoker, 2022 ; McDermott et al., 2023 ); however, many occupational therapists lack foundational knowledge and training that is specifically geared towards occupational therapy.

This two-day workshop will provide occupational therapy professionals the core skills needed to deliver exposure therapy confidently and effectively while incorporating the occupational therapy lens. Day 1 will provide an overview of clinical anxiety disorders and discussion of cognitive-behavioural conceptualizations and transdiagnostic maintenance factors. An overview of exposure therapy will be provided, including what it is and how it works (habituation, learning models, values-based models). The therapeutic process when delivering this intervention will be explained, including providing psychoeducation, self-monitoring of behavioural patterns, identifying core fears, developing an exposure menu, designing exposure plans, and implementing exposure exercises with coaching support from the therapist. Day 2 will focus on assessing willingness and readiness to engage in therapy, practical coaching strategies for the therapist, and applying the learning from Day 1 through experiential practice. Lectures, demonstrations, as well as large and small group discussions will be utilized throughout the workshop to facilitate learning and applying concepts.

Preliminary Workshop Agenda/Workshop topics

Day 1: January 15, 2026

Day 2: January 16, 2026

Learning Objectives

1. Identify core features of clinical anxiety disorders.
2. Understand cognitive and behavioural maintenance factors and implications for exposure therapy.
3. Develop session agendas and create an exposure therapy therapy plan for their clients.
4. Explain different types of exposures (in vivo, interoceptive, imaginal).
5. Leverage occupational therapy models and skills in the delivery of services.
6. Improve your exposure therapy coaching skills.
7. Identify common challenges encountered in the delivery of this intervention and troubleshoot accordingly.
8. Assess willingness and readiness to engage in therapy as well as helping clients to strengthen their commitment for change.

Target audience

Occupational therapist clinicians, occupational therapist assistants, students in occupational therapy programs, and students in OTA/PTA programs who wish to help their clients face their fears and reclaim their lives by learning about the first-line therapy for anxiety disorders - exposure therapy! Social workers, nurses, and psychotherapists are also welcome to attend.

Please note: Each participant is responsible to ensure they apply the information within the context of their licensure, provincial/territorial legislations, institution regulations, scope of practice, etc.

Client age group

Adolescents (13-19 years old), Adults (20-64 years old)

Areas of practice

Autism/Neurodiversity, Caregiver/Family Education, Case Management, Education & Fieldwork, Generalist, Mental Health, Occupational Therapist Assistant, Parental Health, Primary Care, Psychotherapy, Return to Work, Role-Emerging

Workshop level

Beginner (0-5 years of experience in this specific practice area)

Please note: Participants with more than this stated level of experience are welcome to attend the workshop. The workshop content will be geared towards those with 0-5 years of experience.

Presenter

Aliza Ladak, OT Reg. (Ont.)

Aliza Ladak (she/her) is an occupational therapist practising in the area of psychotherapy. She currently provides assessment and therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders through her private practice. She has 13 years of mental health experience and has worked in several hospitals. Aliza currently works part-time at Sunnybrook's Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre in their intensive OCD program. Aliza is passionate about exposure-based interventions and provides educational initiatives to build capacity in community clinicians in this area.

Nathania Lukman, OT Reg. (Ont.), Psychotherapist

Nathania Lukman (she/her) is an occupational therapist (OT) practising psychotherapy. She is currently employed by Altum Health – University Health Network to provide psychotherapy services to individuals suffering from workplace injuries. Additionally, Nathania operates Valued Living Therapy Services, a private practice where she provides virtual and in-person psychotherapy services, focusing on OCD, trauma, and perinatal mental health challenges as they intersect with neurodivergent identities. In her clinical practice, Nathania utilizes a variety of evidence-based therapies including CBT/ERP and Inference-based CBT (I-CBT) for OCD, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). She is an Adjunct Lecturer at the University of Toronto. Nathania is passionate about building community capacity and providing the best evidence-based care to clients with OCD through professional development, supervision and consultation with student OTs and community clinicians.

Registration fees

Registration deadline: January 15, 2026 at 9:59 a.m. (Eastern Time)

Please note that CAOT does not offer group registration fees.

*It may be more cost effective to become a CAOT Member or Associate rather than pay the non-member rate. See “Can a non-member register for a Workshop?” in our Professional Development FAQs to know which membership category you are eligible for.

Registration fee includes:

1. Access to the online workshop platform
2. Access to the workshop recording for 14 days following the live sessions
3. An electronic copy of the presentation slide handouts
4. Opportunities to network with other occupational therapists with an interest in this topic
5. An electronic certificate of attendance

Cancellation/refund policy

All cancellation/refund requests must be sent in writing to  education@caot.ca. All cancellation requests received by December 17, 2025 will be given a full refund minus a $50.00 administrative fee. No refunds will be given after December 17, 2025. Substitutions and transfers requests received by December 17, 2025 are permitted and are subject to a $50.00 administrative fee.

If you are exceptionally unable to complete the workshop, please reach out to  education@caot.ca by 25 days following the end of the workshop for extended access to the recording (up to one month after the end of the workshop) or a one-time transfer to another offering of the same workshop if currently open for registration. 

CAOT reserves the right to modify the workshop title, description, registration dates and information on the workshop web page. CAOT will notify participants on or before November 21, 2025 if there is insufficient registration by that date and reserves the right to cancel a Workshop due to insufficient registration up until December 5, 2025. CAOT reserves the right to modify the offering, interrupt Workshops, change the timing of a Workshop, cancel a Workshop or change the technology for the Workshop due to the presenter no longer being able to present the Workshop, severe weather, power failure, building closures or other special circumstances that are beyond the control of CAOT by notifying participants as soon as possible. If the Workshop is cancelled by CAOT, registrants will receive a full refund of the registration fee. CAOT will not be responsible for other costs or expenses incurred by registrants as a result of any such changes.

  Professional Development FAQs

 

Provide suggestions for Professional Development







The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) is committed to accessibility as expressed in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). We provide an electronic copy of the handouts approximately one week ahead of time in
multiple slide layouts, auto-generated closed captioning through Zoom (excluding breakout rooms), as well as access to the recording for two weeks following the workshop. If you require additional special arrangements for accessibility, please contact
education@caot.ca or 1-800-434-2268.  
 

Please note: Workshop is offered in English.