Executive Functioning in Adults – Assessment and OT Intervention

Are you an Occupational Therapist working with adults navigating attention, organisation, planning or emotional regulation challenges?

This practical workshop explores how executive dysfunction impacts everyday life

Learn how you, as an OT, can assess and support clients to build skills and regain independence across roles that matter to them

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Executive dysfunction can quietly undermine a person’s ability to live independently, maintain employment, manage relationships and achieve goals.

This session offers clear insight into the component skills of executive functioning and a structured approach to assessment, goal setting and intervention planning.

What will you learn?
We’ll explore:

What executive functioning is and how it presents in adult clients
Core component skills: working memory, task initiation, planning, emotional control, impulse control and more
The impact of executive dysfunction on ADLs, employment, relationships and wellbeing
Assessment tools (standardised and informal) including BRIEF-A, PRPP, BADS, EFT, MET
Interviewing, observing and exploring time use in real-world settings
Goal-setting strategies, including SMART goals, “Big Deals” and Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)
Practical strategies for therapy including agenda setting, external aids, visuals and co-designed intervention plans
Case studies that bring assessment and intervention planning to life

Who is this workshop for?

OTs working with adults with ABI, psychosocial disability, ADHD or neurological conditions
Clinicians in community rehab, private practice or supported accommodation settings
OTs seeking structured approaches to functional assessment and intervention
Supervisors and senior clinicians building capacity across teams

Why attend?

Understand executive functioning from a neurological, behavioural and functional lens
Confidently assess EF challenges using a range of OT-specific tools
Translate assessment findings into clear, functional goals and meaningful therapy
Learn practical strategies you can implement with your clients immediately
Support adults to engage in life roles and routines with more confidence and independence

Workshop Duration: 2 hours

Cost: $120.00

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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 through your Verve OT Learning Library

About the Presenter

This workshop will be delivered by Occupational Therapists Belinda Renison and Nadine Holgate who each have over twenty years of experience in supporting people with ABI and their support networks in community settings. Both Belinda and Nadine are passionate about supporting people and their support networks to understand the nature of their executive function strengths and weaknesses and to co-create innovative strategies aimed at reducing the functional impact of their executive function impairments. Both Nadine and Belinda also work for Monash University as trainers and research clinicians in PBS+PLUS; which is a new positive behaviour support approach which focuses on building self-regulation skills for people with behavioural issues after brain injury.

Nadine Holgate is the Director of Neurolinks, an Occupational Therapy practice in regional Victoria specialising in community ABI rehabilitation. She is passionate about building capacity for occupational therapists in both metro and rural locations to confidently work with people with brain injury in a collaborative, individualised way to achieve meaningful outcomes. Nadine has a keen interest in supporting families impacted by brain injury and completed her Masters of Clinical Family Therapy in 2009

Belinda Reniason’s observations of the debilitating nature of executive function impairments post-ABI lead her to complete a Doctorate in Clinical Neuropsychology in 2010 investigating why formal pen-and-paper measures of executive function were often limited in their ability to predict everyday executive functions commonly experienced by people post-ABI. This research has informed Belinda's clinical practice when assessing executive function skills.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Absolutely appreciated the idea of embedding EF skill building within functional and meaningful goals as well as embedding into routine. Lots of opportunities to better utilise NDIS core supports to assist in these areas. Also really liked the ‘exploring time use’ visual. I have many late diagnosed Autistic women that I work with that a slightly modified version of ‘task versus difficulty’ would really highlight weekly planning to support goal achievement. Thanks for sharing :)

Kathy, Senior Occupational Therapist

Thank you for this wonderful presentation on core occupational therapy work, it's importance and why it works. So much rich information and meaningful strategies for assessment, intervention and how to persevere and work with kindness and confidence to support clients towards their goals, and great tips to smooth relationships with family members and gain their trust and support (eg your theory, my theory).