Behavioral Activation Strategies to Improve Client Engagement | OT CE Course

This course is discounted for TNOTA members.

Behavioral Activation Strategies to Improve Client Engagement

Self Paced Online Course
$20 ($15 for TNOTA Members)
1 Contact Hour

This course is created by the Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association.

If you need assistance or accommodations, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
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This course was recorded at the 2021 Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference

Behavioral activation is an approach for treating depression through engagement in activities that promote positive mood. With roots in theories of cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral activation strategies can be beneficial tools for occupational therapists to improve clients’ mood and occupational engagement.

This occupational therapy professional development course will review the body of evidence demonstrating that behavioral activation can decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety and improve function, well-being, and quality of life. This course will also summarize important behavioral activation theories, including the cycle of inactivity and neurological mechanisms of behavioral activation. The primary focus of this course is to introduce clinicians to behavioral activation strategies to use in their occupational therapy sessions. These strategies utilize ideas of movement, mastery, pleasure, social support, personal values, setting goals, solving problems, grading activities, and scheduling activities to activate clients’ behavior. Finally, clinicians will practice the application of these strategies through case studies and examples.

Presented by: Katy Schmidt, OTD, OTR/L
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Learning objectives
After completion of this occupational therapy continuing education course, participants will be able to:
  • Describe the evidence supporting behavioral activation strategies.
  • Explain the cycle of inactivity and its impact on occupational performance.
  • Implement behavioral activation strategies with clients in their practice settings.
Instructor bio
Katy Schmidt, OTD, OTR/L
TNOTA Guest Instructor

Katy Schmidt is an assistant professor of occupational therapy at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to teaching, Katy completed the Mental Health Occupational Therapy Fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She has clinical experience serving children and adults in inpatient psychiatric units, outpatient psychiatric clinics, school systems, criminal justice systems, and community-based programs. Katy is especially passionate about serving individuals with mental illness, substance use disorders, and chronic pain as a clinician, educator, researcher, and advocate. She earned her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Belmont University.


Completion Requirements
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In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Complete payment or TNOTA membership log in for course enrollment
  • View the presentation recording for the full duration
  • Pass the course exam with a score of 80% or greater
Please note that no credit or certificate will be issued unless all criteria is met.  Partial credit will not be issued.  
cancellation policy
Live Courses and Webinars
Learner cancellations: In the event that the learner requests to cancel or is unable to attend a course, a refund for the total paid for the course will be granted if Aspire OT is notified via email at info@aspireot.us within 10 business days prior to date of the scheduled course, minus a non-refundable registration fee of 25% of registration price.  If the learner provides notification of cancellation less then 10 business days prior to the scheduled course, the learner will be offered the opportunity to attend the same webinar on an alternate date or enrollment in the recorded on-demand version of that webinar, instead of a refund.  

No refunds will be issued after a course has been attended for more than 30 minutes.  Partial credit will not be issued.  

Provider cancellations: 
In the event of inclement weather or other event resulting in the inability for a live course to be provided within the scheduled time, learners will be offered an alternate date or a full refund for registration paid.
On-Demand web Courses 
Web courses will remain available to learners for 1 year. No refunds will be available for web courses that have been attended or viewed for greater than 30 minutes. In the event of a refund, the learner will be unenrolled in the course immediately upon issuance of a refund. No refunds will be issued for any course in which a certificate has been issued.  

Course Author

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This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered as part of Aspire OT's State Association Partnership Program. This course is discounted for TNOTA Members.