Aquatic Therapy in OT: From Engagement to Evidence

Workshop Duration: 2 hours

Cost: $120.00

Are you confident selecting when the aquatic environment is the right therapeutic choice?

Do you know how to link aquatic therapy to functional goals and funding requirements?

If you want to deliver water-based interventions that are safe and evidence-informed, this session will build your skill, clarity and confidence.

Purchase this workshop

What will you learn?

Whether you’re brand new to aquatic therapy or looking to formalise what you’re already doing, this workshop will:

Teach you the therapeutic principles behind aquatic therapy.
Show you how to assess client suitability (including red flags and contraindications).
Explore primitive reflex integration and why the water can be such a powerful context.
Give you practical safety and risk management tools (including a risk matrix template).
Highlight neuroscience and regulation links (polyvagal theory, sensory systems, interoception).
Walk you through effective documentation and reporting so your aquatic therapy is clearly distinguished from swimming lessons.
Explore outcome measures you can actually use in the pool (COPM, WHODAS, GAS, sensory tools).
Provide strategies for sustainable practice – balancing clinical value with family logistics, funding, and access.
Bring it all to life through real case studies (ASD, CP, trauma-informed care).

Who is this workshop for?

Occupational Therapists working with children or young people
OTs exploring new tools to support regulation, engagement and participation
Clinicians wanting to formalise or expand their aquatic therapy approach

Why attend?

Understand the therapeutic rationale behind aquatic therapy
Learn to deliver sessions that are safe, effective, and fundable
Build confidence in documentation, outcome measures, and clinical justification
Walk away with templates, tools, and strategies you can implement immediately

What's included?

Gain online access to the workshop – live workshops are delivered via Zoom, while self-paced options include access to recorded sessions
Download workshop slides and any resources provided by the presenter
Enjoy six months of access to the recording and resources via your Verve OT Learning Library
Receive a certificate of completion for your CPD records, available via email upon completion of the workshop

About the Presenter

Laura McNab is a dedicated community-based Occupational Therapist with 9 years of experience in community work, including 5 years as an OT. She has worked extensively with organizations such as the YMCA and Child Safety, where she developed a deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by preteens and teens. This experience has fueled her passion for supporting young people, particularly in the NDIS space.

Specialising in complex cases, Laura is skilled in using evidence-based approaches to engage teens and preteens, manage challenging behaviours, and align therapy goals with stakeholder priorities. Her expertise includes leveraging frameworks like attachment theory and developmental milestones, integrating standardised assessments such as the BRIEF and the Sensory Profile, and using tools like Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) to ensure measurable progress.

Through this training, Laura aims to empower fellow occupational therapists with advanced strategies for enhancing their practice, advocating effectively within the NDIS framework, and ultimately supporting young people in achieving meaningful participation and independence.

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What Are Others Saying?

"This has been amazing. I have wanted to do this for ages and haven't had the confidence for this. I feel this has given me the confidence to take the next steps."

Sarah R, Occupational Therapist

"The workshop overall was very interactive and engaging. One learning I gained was the theory and frameworks used behind hydrotherapy. This makes it easier to justify why OT's can implement this intervention and advocate for their clients in their NDIS plans. OTs would benefit from this course as hydrotherapy has so many positive factors that can benefit our clients"