Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists

Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists The Society of Alberta Occupational Therapists (SAOT) provides membership services and promotes occup

SAOT is a voluntary, non-regulatory body that provides networking and education opportunities for its members as well as advocating for occupational therapy to government, insurers, and the public.

🧠 What if behaviour isn’t the problem—but the clue?What if, instead of asking “How do we stop this behaviour?” we asked,...
09/29/2026

🧠 What if behaviour isn’t the problem—but the clue?

What if, instead of asking “How do we stop this behaviour?” we asked, “What is this behaviour communicating?”

Join internationally recognized presenters Kelly Mahler and Chloe Rothschild for a practical, two-day workshop exploring behaviour through a neuro-affirming, relationship-centred lens.

📅 October 15–16, 2026
🕘 9:00 AM–12:00 PM MT each day
💻 Live Online

✨ Discover the 5 Keys to Supporting Behaviour Regulation:

💙 Relationships — Build connection and understand the “why”
🌈 Sensory Needs — Support regulation through sensory strategies
🗓️ Predictability — Use routines and visual supports
💬 Communication — Provide meaningful communication supports
🧠 Interoception — Build awareness and empower self-regulation

💡 You’ll learn how to:
✔ Move beyond traditional behaviour-based approaches
✔ Understand what behaviour may be communicating
✔ Apply practical strategies to support regulation, communication, and participation
✔ Use neuro-affirming approaches across a variety of clients and settings

👥 Ideal for: Occupational therapists, SLPs, educators, therapy assistants, psychologists, healthcare professionals, and parents supporting neurodivergent children, youth, and adults.

🎓 Presented by:
Dr. Kelly Mahler, OTD, OTR/L & Chloe Rothschild

👉 Ready to rethink behaviour? Register today!
🔗 https://saot.ca/event/five-keys-to-supporting-behaviour-regulation/

Sharing!
09/27/2026

Sharing!

🧠 The 6 Guiding Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice✨ From Understanding to Embodied Practical ApplicationKnowing the ...
09/25/2026

🧠 The 6 Guiding Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice
✨ From Understanding to Embodied Practical Application

Knowing the principles is one thing. Putting them into practice—in real moments—is another.

Join us for an interactive 2-day live online training designed to help you move beyond theory and build practical skills for fostering safety, regulation, connection, and trust in your everyday work.

📅 November 27–28, 2026
💻 Live Online via Zoom
➕ Complimentary Follow-Up Session: January 7, 2027
💸 Eligible for 2026 Member Workshop Credit

💡 You’ll learn how to:
🧠 Apply the 6 guiding principles of trauma-informed practice
🌿 Understand the nervous system, stress, trauma, and triggers
⚖️ Use the Window of Tolerance to support regulation
🤝 Apply practical co-regulation and stabilization strategies
🔄 Reframe behaviour as an adaptive response
💛 Strengthen connection, presence, and practitioner wellbeing

Designed for occupational therapists, therapy assistants, support workers, and other healthcare professionals looking for practical, relationship-based approaches to care.

🎓 Presenter: Alexandra Dunn

👉 Move from understanding trauma-informed practice to embodying it. Register today!
🔗 hhttps://saot.ca/event/the-6-guiding-principles-of-trauma-informed-practice/

🎉 CELEBRATE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MONTH WITH US! 🎉This October, join SAOT for the OT Month Webinar Series—a fantastic lin...
09/21/2026

🎉 CELEBRATE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY MONTH WITH US! 🎉

This October, join SAOT for the OT Month Webinar Series—a fantastic lineup of educational sessions featuring Alberta occupational therapists and rehabilitation professionals! 🧠✨

💻 FREE for SAOT, OTBC and OSOT Members!

From ergonomics and neuropathy to pelvic health, family-centred care, pain, autism, power mobility, and rehabilitation—there's something for everyone!

📅 THROUGHOUT OCTOBER

🕛 All webinars take place from 12–1 PM MT

📚 Explore new ideas, gain practical knowledge, and celebrate the diverse and evolving world of occupational therapy throughout OT Month!

🔗 Learn more and register https://saot.ca/event/occupational-therapy-month-webinar-series/

🏥 SAOT Group Health Benefit Plans Through ARTADid you know SAOT members may have access to group health benefit plans th...
09/18/2026

🏥 SAOT Group Health Benefit Plans Through ARTA

Did you know SAOT members may have access to group health benefit plans through the Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association (ARTA)?

✨ It’s one of the valuable benefits available to eligible SAOT members.

Eligibility:
You must be a paid SAOT member for two consecutive years to be eligible.

👉 Learn more about this exciting member benefit:
🔗 https://saot.ca/event/saot-group-health-benefit-plans-through-alberta-retired-teachers-association-arta/

🎙️ New Episode of Growing OT: How Interoception Transforms Practice🧠 Trauma, Regulation, and Body Connections with Kelly...
09/15/2026

🎙️ New Episode of Growing OT: How Interoception Transforms Practice

🧠 Trauma, Regulation, and Body Connections with Kelly Mahler

What if we shifted the way we understand behaviour, regulation, and therapeutic goals by listening more closely to what the body is telling us?

In this episode of Growing OT, host Claire O’Byrne welcomes back award-winning occupational therapist, author, and internationally recognized interoception expert Kelly Mahler for a powerful conversation about interoception, trauma, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.

✨ In this episode, you'll explore:
🧠 How trauma and chronic stress can impact interoception and connection to body signals
🌈 Why curiosity—not assumptions—is essential for supporting neurodivergent individuals
🤝 Moving beyond traditional ideas of independence toward valuing interdependence
💙 The importance of believing and validating clients’ lived sensory experiences
🌱 Practical ways to bring interoception-informed approaches into practice

Whether you’re an occupational therapist, parent, educator, or someone passionate about understanding human connection, this episode offers meaningful insights into supporting regulation with empathy and curiosity.

🎧 Listen to the episode of Growing OT today! https://youtu.be/B13yNwCmUVE?si=p3P7TielewsKo8R5

✨ Interested in learning more from Kelly Mahler?
Join us for Five Keys to Supporting Behaviour Regulation with Kelly Mahler and Chloe Rothschild.

📅 October 15–16, 2026
💻 Live Online

Explore neuro-affirming strategies to support regulation, communication, and meaningful participation across diverse learning profiles.

🔗 Learn more and register https://saot.ca/event/five-keys-to-supporting-behaviour-regulation/

🎉 Occupational Therapy Month Networking Event 🎉Join us as we kick off Occupational Therapy Month with an informal evenin...
09/14/2026

🎉 Occupational Therapy Month Networking Event 🎉

Join us as we kick off Occupational Therapy Month with an informal evening of connection, networking, and fun!

📅 October 8, 2026
🕡 6:30 – 9:00 PM

📍 Holiday Inn Edmonton South – Evario Room 1
950 Parsons Road, Edmonton, AB T6X 0J4

✨ Open to SAOT Paid OT and TA Members!
🎟️ Free of Charge – Limited seats, must register to attend! https://saot.ca/event/celebrating-ot-month-networking-event/

🍴 Complimentary Appetizers
🍹 Cash Bar
🎁 OT Swag & Gift Basket Giveaways!

Connect with colleagues and network with your fellow OTs and Therapy Assistants as we celebrate the start of Occupational Therapy Month!

🏠 Create Safer, More Accessible HomesHow can we turn a home assessment into practical recommendations that truly support...
09/12/2026

🏠 Create Safer, More Accessible Homes

How can we turn a home assessment into practical recommendations that truly support safety, independence, and quality of life?

Join us for this 1.5-day practical workshop designed to strengthen your skills in assessing home environments and developing effective, client-centred recommendations for adults and older adults with physical or cognitive challenges.

📅 October 28, 2026 | 8:30 AM–12:00 PM
📅 October 29, 2026 | 8:30 AM–4:00 PM
💻 Live Online

💡 You’ll learn how to:
🏠 Conduct structured, room-by-room home assessments
🔎 Identify environmental barriers and match them with appropriate modifications and equipment
🤝 Collaborate effectively with funders, vendors, and contractors
🧠 Prioritize recommendations using sound clinical reasoning

Whether you’re new to home modifications or looking to strengthen your existing practice, you’ll leave with practical tools you can apply right away.

🎓 Instructor: Margot McWhirter, OT | Gerontology Specialist, Inclusive Aging

👉 Build your confidence in home modification practice—register today!
🔗 https://saot.ca/event/home-modifications-creating-accessible-inclusive-housing-4/

🐴 What happens when the practitioner becomes the client?In the latest episode of Growing OT, host Claire O’Byrne sits do...
09/10/2026

🐴 What happens when the practitioner becomes the client?

In the latest episode of Growing OT, host Claire O’Byrne sits down with Alexandra Dunn, a trauma-informed integrative counsellor, life coach, reflexologist, and equine facilitator with 25 years of experience.

Alex shares her deeply personal journey through workplace trauma, functional freeze, and recovery—and what it was like to move from being the practitioner “sitting near the door” to navigating workers’ compensation and rehabilitation systems as a client.

✨ In this powerful conversation, Alex explores:
🌿 The role of occupational therapy in her recovery
🐴 The co-regulatory power of animals and equine-facilitated therapy
💛 The profound impact of feeling truly seen
🧠 Holding space without trying to “fix”
🌱 Letting go of rigid agendas and embracing self-compassion

🎧 This is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
Listen to the latest episode of Growing OT and hear Alex’s powerful story of trauma, recovery, and what healthcare professionals can learn from being on the other side of care.

👉 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!
🔗 https://youtu.be/iWBswYNjxKw?si=S10qENsnDdkBETHB

🌿 Rethinking Assessment Through an Indigenous LensWhat happens when the assessment tools we rely on don’t reflect the li...
09/08/2026

🌿 Rethinking Assessment Through an Indigenous Lens

What happens when the assessment tools we rely on don’t reflect the lived experiences, values, and worldviews of the people we serve?

Join us for this FREE live online webinar for SAOT, OSOT and BCOT members and explore how standardized assessment tools can be misaligned with Indigenous worldviews—and what culturally safer assessment can look like in Alberta.

📅 September 17, 2026
🕛 12:00–1:00 PM MT
💻 Live on Zoom
⚠️ No recording will be available

✨ You’ll learn to:
✔ Recognize limitations of standardized assessment tools
✔ Explore how Indigenous worldviews can inform culturally safer assessment
✔ Apply practical strategies for more equitable OT practice

🎓 Presented by Lauren Remple
Founder & Principal Consultant, Sequoia Collaboration and Consulting, and a proud citizen of Alexander First Nation in Treaty 6 territory. Lauren is Cree and of mixed European ancestry and brings 16+ years of experience in Indigenous engagement, equity, diversity and inclusion, and human resources.

🔗 Register today: https://saot.ca/event/assessment-tools-and-the-misalignment-with-indigenous-worldviews/

Address

P. O. Box 53079 14035 105 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
T5N0Z1

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