Trauma-informed care in school settings (February 5, 2026)

Online

Thursday, February 5, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)

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Trauma is a fact of life and a reality for many of our clients. Whether you are working in a school or in a clinic working with school-aged children, understanding the impacts of trauma on a developing brain is imperative. “Developmental trauma is [a] set of complex difficulties affecting a child’s sensory systems, dissociative responses, attachment, capacity for regulation, identity and cognitive abilities” (Beacon House Psychological Services Ltd, 2020). Childhood trauma can have a significant effect on school performance (e.g., Jiminez et al., 2016) and limit occupational participation in education, social participation, and play. While a child may be referred to you for sensory needs, feeding, attention, social skills or a number of other reasons, if an underlying trauma has not been addressed, our work will not be effective. “Occupation therapists have an imperative to understand trauma in its many forms and its effects on occupations (Edgelow et al., 2019), and an obligation to create safe spaces that avoid retraumatizing the people who use their services” (Restall & Egan, 2021, p. 224).

This workshop is designed to offer occupational therapy professionals an opportunity to better understand the impact of trauma in children and be able to provide trauma-informed services to children in school settings. An overview of trauma, attachment, the sensitivity of the nervous system, trauma triggers and trauma re-enactments will be provided. Participants will review the impact of trauma on occupational participation in schools and how to re-frame the behaviour of children to understand their needs through the lens of trauma. Participants will then explore the occupational therapist’s role in providing trauma-informed care in schools through window of tolerance, relationship, safe environment, stress management and organizational strategies. This workshop will provide participants a renewed sense of confidence when working with children and their families living with the detrimental effects of trauma.

Preliminary workshop agenda

Learning objectives

By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:

1. Explain the connection between attachment and trauma and the impact of trauma on the developing brain.
2. Recognize what trauma looks like in the school setting.
3. Re-frame student behaviour through the trauma lens.
4. Describe how trauma impacts occupational participation in the school setting.
5. Implement practical strategies for supporting children and youth with trauma in the school setting.

Target audience

Occupational therapist clinicians and occupational therapist assistants working with school-aged children in a school, clinic or other community setting and who wish to increase their efficacy in providing trauma-informed services. Occupational therapist educators, occupational therapist researchers, and students in occupational therapy or OTA/PTA programs 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.

Areas of practice

Mental Health, Pediatrics, Psychotherapy

Client age group

Young children (0-4 years old), Children (5-12 years old), Adolescents (13-19 years old)

Workshop level

Beginner (0-2 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 0-2 years of experience.

Presenter

Megan Land McCarthy, O.T. Reg. (MB)

Megan has been practising as an Occupational Therapist for the last 16 years, specializing in pediatrics. She also has postgraduate certificate in Behavioral Intervention in Autism from University of Massachusetts and a Masters in Rehabilitation Sciences. Her work with her clients has allowed her to explore pediatric OT in both mental and physical health capacities and in a variety of environments. Megan follows a family centered practice, believing that the family is the child’s primary source of strength and support. Her interests and passion include working therapeutically with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, struggling with mental health issues such as anxiety, ODD, OCD, ASD or ADD/ADHD as well as Neuro-developmental disorders. Megan has received training in and uses the following tools to guide her treatment plans, Sensory integration, Modified Interaction Guidance, Theraplay, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment Theory, Somatic Experiencing, Somatic Resilience and Regulation and Touch Skills training. Megan works in a community based mental health setting with a focus on children in care, children with medical trauma, and a variety of mental health co-morbidities (anxiety, depression, trauma, attachment issues and history of child abuse). Her work also includes a focus on working with adults who have a history of developmental trauma. Megan is also a Sessional Instructor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Manitoba.

Registration fees

Registration deadline: February 5, 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 session
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 January 21, 2026 will be given a full refund minus a $50.00 administrative fee. No refunds will be given after January 21, 2026. Substitutions and transfers requests received by January 21, 2026 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 webpage. CAOT will notify participants on or before December 19, 2025 if there is insufficient registration by that date and reserves the right to cancel a Workshop due to insufficient registration up until January 9, 2026. 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.

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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 that workshop is offered in English.