Pillar 1 

Being an Embodied OT

Strengthen your inner compass

Embodied Self-Care and Nervous System Awareness

Embodied learning begins with you. Whether you are a seasoned OT, somatic practitioner or new-

Before we can safely hold space for others, we must learn to listen inwardly — to notice our own patterns, triggers, and nervous system states. This module focuses on foundational to advanced skills of cultivating self-awareness, self-regulation, and resourcing practices that restore your connection to self and support a grounded presence in every session.

 What You’ll Explore

Benefit from experiential practices for nervous system literacy, embodied self-care, and compassionate inquiry, laying the foundation for embodied interventions and practitioner skills later in the program — and for life.

This module includes:

• Core Lessons on embodied self-awareness and polyvagal nervous system basics

• Guided practices and demonstrations for experiential learning and reflection

• somatic enquiry and daily check ins to help you apply embodied tools into daily life

You will become...

As you continue to practice this pillar, you’ll feel more resourced, regulated, and connected, with a grounded state of being you can carry into your sessions and your life.

Pillar 2

Somatic OT Practitioner  skills

Map the terrain

In this pillar, you’ll move beyond theory into the practical tools of somatic OT — learning how trauma and chronic stress show up in the body, and how to guide change safely and effectively. You’ll gain skills in observation, assessment, and intervention, with a focus on working compassionately, within OT scope, and in ways that restore flow and resilience.

What You’ll Explore

Understanding Trauma & Nervous System States

• How trauma and chronic stress dysregulate the nervous system

• Trauma as “stuck” states in the body

• Physiological storage in fascia, tissue, and movement patterns

• The role of fascia and myofascial release for restoring flow

• The diaphragm–psoas connection and its link to core stability

• Reflex patterns, postural responses, and chronic holding

Somatic Movement for State Change

• Meeting energy where it is

• Acknowledging and allowing what’s present

• Gaining insights into the body’s purpose, messages, and needs

Assessment Process

• Observe states through posture, movement, expression, and voice

• Attune and notice your own felt-sense responses in resonance

• Use gentle touch or guide self-touch to gauge tissue tone and holding

• Communicate compassionate observations as feedback and objectively with  biofeedback

• Track change using both client self-report and occupational outcomes

Somatic Interventions

• Somatic listening, sensing, and inner guidance exploration

• Movements for centring, balancing, calming, or energising

• Breathwork: down-regulating (elongated exhale, sigh, humming) and up-regulating (energising, activating)

• Myofascial release practices

• Self-touch, self-holding, and therapeutic touch (within OT scope)

• bilateral integration, Rhythmic movements and trauma release

• Top-down supports: mindfulness, compassion, affirmations, yamas & niyamas, growth mindset

What You’ll Gain

By embodying this pillar, you’ll learn how to facilitate nervous system change somatically — blending neuroscience, OT skills, and embodied practices into interventions that are safe, trauma-informed, and deeply effective.

Pillar 3 

EMBODIED OT IN ACTION:

Integration & Professional Practice

 This pillar is where the threads come together. You’ll learn how to link somatic regulation to occupational outcomes, design and document sessions with clarity, and integrate this work into the systems you operate within.

Alongside professional practice, you’ll also vision your own pathway forward — setting boundaries, building capacity, and weaving self-care into daily life so your work is both sustainable and impactful.

Explore: OT Scope of Practice & Application

• Linking somatic work to occupational goals and outcomes

• Supporting generalisation into daily life and meaningful occupations

• Session planning, case examples, and treatment structure

• OT treatment planning: sensory diets, routines, yogic science/doshas, environmental and practical supports (cues, prompts, apps, scripts)

Professional Practice & Systems Integration

• Ethical notes, reporting, and communication with teams

• Using assistive technology for nervous system regulation

• Environmental adaptations for home, social, and community settings

• Navigating alignment with funding systems (e.g., NDIS)

Visioning Your Practice & Life

• Clarifying your ideal practice setting and client base

• Boundaries, capacity building, and systemic awareness

• Balancing giving and receiving in therapeutic work

• Creating sustainable self-care routines woven into everyday life

You will be clinically confident to:

By embodying this pillar, you’ll be equipped to integrate somatic approaches into your OT practice with confidence — not just as isolated techniques, but as a whole framework that connects client outcomes, professional systems, and your own grounded presence.

Connect with Community - Live group calls weekly

“Safety is not the absence of threat… it is the presence of connection.”

_____Gabor Mate

 This powerful nervous system healing insight reframes safety—not as a passive state protected from danger—but as an actively nurtured condition created through relationship and belonging.

Connect with other like-minded practitioners and OTs who resonate with your journey and hold space for each other's embodied growth.