As we approach two years of the Covid pandemic, we can all agree that life is still far from the “normal” we all once knew. However, it is safe to say that life has resumed some aspects of normalcy, including one way we all truly value- the ability to gather safely in-person.
As we recently shared on our social media platforms and email announcements, the 2022 Integrative Education (IE) Symposium is going back to its roots! We are excited to say that our annual three-day conference will be back to an in-person event designed to connect and empower pediatric professionals! To say we’re excited is an understatement. Increased safety measures will be taken and per facility requirements, masks will be required. We can’t wait to connect with you all!
A Rich Symposium History
If you’re new to Integrative Education, you may only be familiar with our online offerings. Although these offerings continue to shape Integrative Education, our original passion lies with the IE Symposium and its important history.
In 1980 Eileen Richter, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA founded Professional Development Programs (PDP) as a vehicle to bring continuing education programs by leading experts in intervention to the Minnesota community of pediatric therapists and eventually to thousands across the United States. The PDP Symposium celebrated 30 years of successful educational programming when Eileen sold the company in 2009. As a 4-day event, each year it drew 400-500 occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists and speech language pathologists (SLPs) to learn from experts in pediatric practice. Past speakers included Patricia Wilbarger, Julia Wilbarger, Patti Oetter, Svetlana Masgutova, Debra Beckman and so many more! Inspired to continue to offer innovative resources and education, Eileen founded Richter Active Integration Resources (RAIR). Since 2014, the RAIR Symposium annually provided a variety of education topics focused on empowering therapists to improve their clinical reasoning and intervention strategies. The PDP and RAIR Symposia became a trusted source of annual professional development courses and a wonderful way to connect with past friends and colleagues passionate about supporting children.
The annual IE Symposium is a 3-day live event held in the Twin Cities, MN focused on empowering & connecting pediatric professionals. We offer 1 and 2 full day professional development courses with a combination of introductory, intermediate, and advanced learning opportunities. Since 2019, we have carried on Eileen’s tradition of learning from leading occupational and physical therapists, speech language pathologists, and other health professional experts. Top-notch experts including Kim Barthel, Kelly Mahler, Shelley Mannell, Leah Kuypers, Patti Oettter, and Michelle Emanuel to name a few, have taught at the Symposia. Integrative Education is also a proud AOTA approved provider for CEUs for occupational therapists!
New Location, Same Things You Love
Our 2022 IE Symposium will be held from February 24-26 at a new location, The Keller Golf Course in Maplewood, MN. As always, a light breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack will be included in the price of registration. There will also be exhibitor booths to connect with other professionals and daily raffle giveaways! There is ample free parking at this new location.
IE Symposium Topics and Speakers
Each year the IE team meets to discuss the topics we want to include in the next year’s Symposium. The first consideration we consider is the surveys that YOU fill out! The opinions and wishes of our attendees are very important to us and we love hearing what topics are of interest to you.
This year we are excited to welcome both some new and returning faces to our Symposium including Tracy Murnan Stackhouse, Maude LeRoux, and Sheila Frick co-teaching with Tracy Bjorling. Each speaker (or speaker duo) will be presenting a one-day and two-day course at the Symposium, meaning we are offering six unique courses with a variety of topics available.
Tracy Murnan Stackhouse, a first time IE Symposium speaker but past RAIR Symposium speaker, will be teaching two intermediate level courses in February. On Thursday, February 24th she will be presenting her one-day course, Clinical Reasoning for Sensory-Affective Motor Informed Clinical Practice. Then on Friday, February 25th and Saturday, February 26th she will be presenting her two-day course, Grounding the Sensory Diet Concept in the Neuroscience of Sensory Integration and Interpersonal Neurobiology: Practical Applications and Effective Implementation. Therapists can expect to learn about their own strengths while grounding themselves in concepts that will enhance their everyday practice. The courses are both thoughtful and practical and offer tools that can be used right away and for the long term as they are tried and true.
Integrative Education is excited to welcome back to the IE Symposium, Maude LeRoux, for her two-day course, The Complex Intersection of ADHD, Sensory Processing, and Dysgraphia: Assessment and Intervention Strategies on Thursday, February 24th and Friday, February 25th along with her one-day course, Reading Proficiency: Supporting Success from an OT’s Perspective on Saturday, February 26th. Both unique courses are intermediate level and are designed for OT, SLP, educators, mental health professionals, and interested others. Participants can expect to walk away with the "knowing" to apply the science to therapy in a practical way. Both workshops are about systemizing a hierarchy specific to attention, and to reading that will support their assessment and intervention practice. OT's have a very special function in both attention and reading and the workshop will be both equipping as it will also be empowering!
We are also excited to welcome back Sheila Frick and Tracy Bjorling for two fantastic introductory level courses. First up is their course, Self-Regulation from the Inside Out: An Embodied Perspective on Sensory Processing and Interoceptive Awareness to Facilitate Arousal Regulation on Thursday, February 24th. Then on Friday, February 25th and February 26th they will present Developmental Roots of Trauma: A Sensorimotor Embodied Approach. In their two-day course, participants can expect to view trauma and sensory through new lenses, learning just how deeply trauma can impact the body’s responses and defensiveness and how sensory input can be combined with movement as intervention strategies. Similarly, in their one-day course, trauma will be connected to sensory regulation and arousal, as these two areas are very much affected by trauma and improved with movement and sensory inputs. Both courses are especially important for OTs working as part of a team to bring new perspectives to the group!
Symposium Value
When Integrative Education took over the Symposium, we were excited about the immense value we could bring to the pediatric community. Participants appreciate the ability to attend multiple courses on consecutive days from dynamic and renowned pediatric speakers and the ability to network with multi-disciplinary practitioners. Additionally, we love being able to host exhibitors for our participants to gain an understanding of the product or services being offered. We are honored to host this amazing event!
We invite you to join us on February 24-26, 2022, for our live Integrative Education Symposium in Maplewood, MN! Visit us at www.integrativeed.com for Symposium registration, speaker bios, course descriptions/objectives and more! Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram and reference the hashtags #IESymposium and #IES2022.We can’t wait to see you all!