Move to School-Based Practice Smoothly with Our New Therapist Workshop

Being a therapist is one thing, but to perform successfully in school-based therapy jobs, you’ll need school-based therapy resources!

You might be a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who’s a pro at choosing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for adults who need help expressing themselves to family members. But do you have expertise with the AAC devices especially suited for students who need to use them to clarify homework instructions from teachers?

You might be an occupational therapist (OT) who does first-rate work helping senior citizens learn to feed and dress themselves in a skilled nursing facility. But have you ever had to work with an academically struggling third-grader whose handwriting teachers consistently describe as “sloppy?”

Or you might be a physical therapist (PT) with a successful track record helping grown athletes get back on their feet after injuries on the field. But would you know what to do to help a student with autism sit correctly at a classroom desk?

As a leading provider of related services for students with disabilities and disorders in the Delaware Valley for more than 20 years, Pediatric Therapeutic Services (PTS) knows the unique challenges and opportunities therapists face in schools. 

In other settings, therapists can deliver services based on a doctor’s diagnosis, or based on what they believe will improve the client’s overall quality of life. But in schools, all related services must be necessary for the student’s access to her or his education.

“Helping students reach their full potential” is a worthy goal, but it doesn’t meet the standard school districts must meet in order to spend their finite (and increasingly limited) special education dollars.

If you want to become a school-based therapist, making this mindset shift is only one of many ways you may have to rethink your practice.

And PTS is rethinking how we’ll help you do it by introducing our new School Based Academy Workshop.

The Old School Based Academy

To help clinicians get their careers in schools off to a stronger start, PTS established the School Based Academy (SBA) in 2017.

It was a semi-monthly series of seminars that ran from August through November, covering all kinds of information and practical skills new school-based therapists need to practice effectively and efficiently.

While SBA made many of our therapists’ transition to the schools a lot smoother and more productive, we understood not every new clinician could set aside eight Thursday evenings during those critical first few months of the academic year. We also realized not every practitioner needed every kind of school-based therapy resource. 

So we’re slimming down and streamlining SBA to better serve you.

The New SBA Workshop

PTS’ new School Based Academy Workshop is a one-day, four-session workshop that will still deliver everything you need to jump-start your successful school-based therapy career.

Here’s your preview of what we’ll cover:

• Session 1: Getting Started—Where to Begin!
  How do you build mutually beneficial relationships with teachers, staff, and parents? What are the best ways to manage your caseload and design an efficient schedule? What should you do if the principal gives you a custodial closet as your “therapy room?” We’ll show you strategies you can use from day one to set yourself up for success!
  
• Session 2: The IEP—The Nuts and Bolts of It All
  A student’s Individualized Educational Program (IEP) is the oxygen of special education—or it should and can be, when the goals in it are well-written, relevant, and realistic targets. We’ll reveal the keys to writing IEP goals that are not only legally defensible but also squarely focused on what’s best for the student.
  
• Session 3: Documentation & Progress Monitoring
  What are the best practices for collecting and reporting observational data? How can you implement them in your daily work? We’ll explain how you can be a strong advocate for both your students and the interventions you design by adhering to the principles of evidence-based practice.
  
• Session 4: Pre-Referral Interventions
  At PTS, we fight “caseload creep”—the addition of more and more students to therapists’ crowded schedules. We’ll introduce you to techniques for keeping new referrals to a minimum so you’re free to maximize your time and energy spent with students who need your services the most.

In addition, the SBA Workshop manual will be organized by therapeutic discipline, with separate sections addressing SLPs, OTs, and PTs. You can turn right to the section about your field in order to get the school-based therapy resources you need more quickly.

PTS Can Help You Succeed in Your School-Based Therapy Career

Our School Based Academy is changing, but our commitment to brand-new school-based therapists is not!

With PTS’ help, you will be able to…

• Get ideas for articulation and AAC devices for students with communication disorders.
  
• Train that third-grader to write legibly, if you’re in a school-based occupational therapy job.
  
• Help the student with autism sit at a desk the right way, if you’re in a school-based physical therapy job.

No matter your clinical discipline, PTS will give you the tools and support you need to serve more students more effectively. And the SBA Workshop  is only the beginning.

Ready to find out more? Then check out our currently open positions and let’s get you placed in a school where your students and your career can grow together!