If you’re an occupational therapist or allied health clinician working with children and families, this is one workshop you simply cannot miss. OTA’s CPD Empower series proudly presents Connect Play Learn: Using the PAIR Model to Integrate Relational Approaches in Early Childhood Intervention, delivered by the innovative and down-to-earth Dr Jacqui Barfoot.

From day one, you’ll sense that Jacqui is no ordinary presenter. With over 20 years of experience as a paediatric clinician and researcher, she has forged a reputation for blending rigorous evidence with relational practice. She is known for her commitment to a “therapies-with-parents-in-mind” paradigm – a shift she describes in her TEDx talk “The Seesaw Effect: Building Children’s Resilience by Emotional Regulation”, where she challenges us to see emotional self-expression and regulation not as optional extras, but as central to development and connection. Her recent article for the OT Connections magazine about Mutual Competence has also inspired many practitioners to rethink how we work with parents - not by discarding what we know, but by strengthening and refining it.

In this two-day interactive workshop (30–31 October 2025, ICC Sydney) Jacqui will lead participants through the PAIR Model (Phased Approach to Including a Relational focus) to help you make small but powerful shifts in your practice: how you establish the therapeutic alliance with parents, contracting around expectations, information gathering to determine whether starting with a focus on parent-child interactions will support goal attainment, and setting meaningful and collaborative goals. These shifts often make it easier to actively involve parents in sessions while sharing your developmental knowledge in ways that truly fit for family routines and concerns.

Why attend? Because Jacqui doesn’t just teach models – she helps you become a more attuned, flexible, responsive therapist. this training helps you build on what you already do well, aligning your developmental expertise with parent goals and everyday routines – so therapy feels more connected, collaborative, and sustainable.

Don’t miss this chance to learn from one of Australia’s most inventive voices in early intervention. Connect Play Learn promises to offer fresh perspectives, transform your practice, and remind you why it matters.

Spots are filling fast – don’t miss out! otaus.com.au/event/e9bf0a74-3c6b-f011-9a49-00505696a186