Matching Animal-Assisted Activities to the Specific Demands of the Role - 28 OCT 26
The Occupational Therapy in Animal Assisted Services Interest Group invites you to their October meeting
Program Overview
This is a free, member only session.
Please join the Occupational Therapy in Animal Assisted Services Interest Group Community via OTA Connect here before registering.
OVERVIEW
This group aims to:
- Connect OTs across Australia interested in animal assisted therapy and assistance dogs
- Link OTs working in the space and to provide information and education for those interested in learning more and getting involved in animal assisted therapy or assistance dogs
MEETING DETAILS
TOPIC:
Matching animal-assisted activities to the specific demands of the role
PRESENTER:
Charlotte Smithson
DATE:
Wednesday 28 October 2026
TIME:
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM | NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM | SA
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM | QLD
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM | NT
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | WA
MEETING PLATFORM:
This session will be run on the Zoom Webinar Platform. Registrants will be sent separate login details one business day prior to the session. Please check all email folders for this information.
Please also ensure you have created a Free Zoom account prior to meeting start time.
REGISTRATION FEES & INFORMATION
OTA Member: Free
If you are a non member who wishes to attend please contact us to discuss your options.
Registrations close Monday, 26 October 2026,11.59pm AEDT
MEETING DOCUMENTS & RESOURCES
Agendas, resources and meeting minutes are available for members to download on the OTA Connect Communities 'Assets' tab, once we have received these from the convenors. This meeting will not be recorded.
You must be logged in to access this page.
DISCLAIMER
Any material, content, advice or resources shared and discussed at interest groups is general in nature and is used to guide peer discussion and support only. Occupational Therapy Australia encourages all participants to think critically and appraise the content for individual circumstances. Occupational Therapy Australia does not necessarily endorse content delivered in these formats and accepts no liability for any consequences resulting from adhering to the content shared at interest groups. All opinions expressed by the convenor or other participants are the opinions of those individuals and do not represent or reflect the views of Occupational Therapy Australia, its affiliates or employees.
Interest Group Participants
By registering to attend, participants agree to actively contribute and show respect to all other participants. We ask you to take personal notes and monitor the Interest Group webpage for meeting resources. Occupational Therapy Australia reserves the right to remove members from an Interest Group at its discretion.
Presented By
Charlotte Smithson
Presenter from Perth's Animal Training Specialists
Charlotte began her career as a Veterinary Nurse in the UK. After gaining significant experience in animal care, Charlotte gained a position as an Apprentice Guide Dog Mobility Instructor. Next, Charlotte developed and managed her own successful animal welfare enterprise, with services including dog obedience training, pet sitting, dog walking, a doggie day creche, a hydrotherapy rehabilitation center and a professional grooming parlour. After gaining animal behavioural qualifications at the University of Southhamptom, Charlotte began to offer behavioural consultations for all companion animals and ran her services within the UK for ten years. After migrating to Perth, she began her business named Pawsitively Wagging. While running this enterprise, Charlotte became the Head Behaviourist at the RSPCA for 12 months and then went onto become a Ranger for approximately three years. Realising that training pets was her passion she became an Animal Wrangler and has trained pets for both Theatre and Film and then in 2017 Perth's Animal Training Specialists was born.