New Course — Now Enrolling

Introducing...

The EQ

Advantage

Emotion Regulation Skills for Pediatric Therapy

A practical, evidence-based course for OTs, PTs, SLPs, and school-based providers who want to navigate dysregulation with confidence — and give children tools they'll carry for life.

For OT Practitioners & Pediatric Therapists
7 Evidence Based Modules
AOTA CEU Approved
Bonus: 16 instant downloadable Checklists, Scripts & Templates
Bonus: 50 page "EQ Advantage Workbook"

What you'll gain

Clinical tools you can use in your very next session

7 Modules

6+

Hours

1 yr

Access

CEU

Credits

Course Instructor: Jessica McMurdie, OTR/L

25+ yr Pediatric OT · Play It Forward Therapy

Does any of this sound familiar?

The gap between your training

and the room you're actually in.

You got into this work because you love helping kids. But some days, the emotional weight in the room makes it feel impossible to move the needle.

01 Dysregulation derails your sessions

You arrive prepared — and within minutes everything goes sideways. Tantrums and meltdowns leave your planned intervention on the shelf.

02 You're improvising in the moment

Nobody gave you a clear, evidence-based framework for working through a full dysregulation episode. You're figuring it out in real time.

03 You're starting to feel the burn

Managing big emotions all day takes a toll. You're leaving sessions depleted — and the joy that brought you to this work is harder to find.

04 The team doesn't speak your language

You can see the emotional regulation picture clearly. Getting parents, teachers, and colleagues on the same page feels like an uphill battle.

05 You worry about the long-term impact

Lagging social-emotional skills affect relationships, school success, and the whole arc of a child's life. The stakes feel higher than anyone acknowledges.

"What if dysregulation wasn't the obstacle to your session — but the most important skill you had to offer?"

The EQ Advantage was built for pediatric clinicians who are already skilled in their discipline — and are ready to add the emotional intelligence layer that transforms good therapy into exceptional therapy.

This isn't a course about managing children. It's about understanding the neuroscience of emotion, co-regulating with confidence, protecting your own wellbeing, and ultimately giving kids tools they'll carry for the rest of their lives.

What you'll walk away with

Concrete skills.

Immediate application.

Dysregulation derails your sessions

You arrive prepared — and within minutes everything goes sideways. Tantrums and meltdowns leave your planned intervention on the shelf.

🗣

Emotion Coaching That Flows Naturally

Weave specific Emotion Coaching prompts into your sessions without interrupting the work or the therapeutic relationship.

Your Personal Burnout Prevention Plan

Using the RULER framework, you'll build a self-care plan that identifies your specific workplace triggers and equips you with proactive, intelligent responses.

📋

Advocate for Your Role

Reframe behavioral observations to communicate the true impact of emotional dysregulation on occupational performance — elevating OT's role in mental health.

🧠

7+ Evidence-Based Strategies

Cognitive redirection, mindfulness, deep breathing, literacy tools, and technology — a full toolkit you can reach for in session, at school, or at home.

💡

A Raised Clinical EQ

Start with a self-assessment, understand your own emotional patterns, and discover why your EQ is the most powerful co-regulation tool you'll ever use.

Pediatric Occupational Therapist

meet Your Instructor

Jessica McMurdie, OTR/L

Jessica has spent more than two decades in the trenches of pediatric therapy — in clinics, schools, and homes — watching the gap between sensorimotor treatment and emotional regulation grow wider every year.

As the Founder of Play It Forward Therapy and a dedicated OT mentor and course instructor, she has helped thousands of clinicians and educators become more confident, effective, and resilient in their practice.

The EQ Advantage is the course she wishes had existed when she started — grounded in the latest research, designed for the realities of practice, and built on the belief that emotional intelligence is truly the foundation for helping children to achieve their potential wherever they may be in their development.

Registered & Licensed Occupational Therapist (OTR/L)
Experienced OT with 25+ years pediatric clinical experience
Former Owner & Clinical Director Stepping Stones Therapy Network
Founder of Play It Forward Therapy Online Courses
AOTA Approved CEU Provider · ID #000004159028

The Curriculum

7 Modules: Foundational to Clinical Application

From the neuroscience of emotion and the "why" of pediatric mental health, to a full toolkit of practical strategies you can use immediately.

1 Dysregulation derails your sessions

You arrive prepared — and within minutes everything goes sideways. Tantrums and meltdowns leave your planned intervention on the shelf.

35 min

Foundation

Dysregulation derails your sessions

You arrive prepared — and within minutes everything goes sideways. Tantrums and meltdowns leave your planned intervention on the shelf.

35 min

Foundation

2 Raise Your Own EQ: Be the Best Version of Yourself

Discover how your emotional intelligence impacts your clinical practice and therapeutic relationships. Take a personal EQ self-assessment and learn why your own self-care is a necessary prerequisite before emotion coaching with children.

60 min

Self-Assessment Included

Burnout Prevention

3 The Essential Building Blocks of Empathy & Emotion Regulation

The biological foundations of empathy, how early attachment shapes development, key social-emotional milestones, and the nine dimensions of temperament — all studied as skills that can be strengthened through therapeutic intervention.

90 min

Neuroscience

Developmental Framework

4 The Arc of the Tantrum & Co-Regulation Skills

Learn how dysregulation episodes follow a predictable structure. Identify the five phases of the tantrum arc and match the right co-regulation strategies to each phase — the clinical framework that changes everything in-session.

60 min

High Impact

In-Session Tools

5 Mindset, Resilience & Adaptability

How growth mindset shapes emotional resilience, the do's and don'ts of verbal praise, and how to use Emotion Coaching to support mental flexibility in your sessions.

40 min

Growth Mindset

Emotion Coaching

6 The RULER Framework for Emotional Intelligence

Learn how to identify and apply the 5 emotion regulation strategies within the RULER framework in clinical practice. A structured, step-by-step approach for implementing these concepts with pediatric clients and families — including your personal Self-Care Plan.

25 min

Family Engagement

RULER Framework

7 Evidence-Based Tools & Strategies for Emotional Intelligence

Your full clinical toolkit: cognitive strategies, language tools, mindfulness, deep breathing, literacy resources, and technology. Practice clinical problem-solving by reflecting on your current clients and applying interventions through case study scenarios.

60 min

7 Lessons

Case Studies

Resources, Strategies & Pro Tips for Immediate Use

Bonus

Resource

Bonus

Resource

Complete Course Workbook

The EQ Advantage Course Companion is a comprehensive workbook accompanying the full curriculum — for note-taking, self-reflection, and applying concepts directly to your current caseload. Think of it as your personal reflection space— a place to get curious, get honest, and get growing!

Complete Course Workbook

A comprehensive workbook accompanying the full curriculum — for note-taking, self-reflection, and applying concepts directly to your current caseload.

Free Bonus

What clinicians are saying

Real results from real therapists

"I just finished watching the course and loved every minute of it. Jessica has a way of making complex concepts feel immediately usable in session."

Sabrina

COTA/L

"The course made me feel more positive and comfortable. Practical and actionable — I took Jessica's suggestions into my very next session."

Kelli

OTR/L

"Jessica made this topic feel accessible and human. I finally have a real framework for the moments that used to completely derail my sessions."

Stephanie

OTR/L

"Jessica presented an incredibly well-organized training on Emotional Intelligence that provided our OT/PT team with invaluable, research-backed insights. She's a dynamic and engaging speaker and paired excellent visuals and printable resources with actionable strategies we could immediately use with our students. Each module built perfectly upon the last, and our staff repeatedly shared how relevant the information was to our practice. I highly recommend this training for all school professionals—including teachers, therapists, and paraeducators—looking to better engage their most challenging students!"

Amy

OTR/L

Everything included

Designed for the way therapists actually learn

▶

Self-Paced Video Modules

Learn on your schedule. Return to any module anytime for refreshers.

📘

Full Course Workbook

Structured exercises and reflection prompts tied to each module.

🏅

AOTA CEU Credits

Earn CEUs toward your professional development requirements.

✓

Certificate of Completion

Pass module quizzes to earn your completion certificate.

🔬

Case Study Practice

Apply frameworks to real clinical scenarios before you're in the room.

📅

1 Full Year of Access

No pressure. Revisit the material on your timeline, as often as you need.

Earn Continuing Education Credits

Play It Forward Therapy is an Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID#000004159028. This distance learning-independent course is offered at .6 CEU/6 Contact Hours, introductory level for occupational therapy service delivery. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Enrollment

Join The EQ Advantage

One investment. Lifetime tools for you and every child you serve.

Complete Course — Individual Access

The EQ Advantage

For OTs and pediatric clinicians

$247

one-time · or 2 monthly payments of $125

Everything Included:

7 self-paced video modules (6+ hours of content)
Comprehensive course workbook (free bonus)
AOTA CEU credits upon completion
Certificate of Completion
Case study practice scenarios & emotion coaching strategies
Personal EQ self-assessment tool
16 PDF checklists, templates & treatment plan activities
Evidence-based strategy toolkit (7+ strategies)
1 full year of course access

Or interest-free payments as low as $62/mo · Group rates available for teams of 5+

Common Questions

Everything you need to know

Is this course just for occupational therapists?

Not at all. While the course is anchored in an OT perspective, it's designed for all pediatric clinicians — physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, school-based providers, and anyone who works with children and wants stronger tools for navigating emotional dysregulation.

Will this work if I'm school-based rather than clinic-based?

Yes. The content and strategies are designed to apply across settings — clinic, school, home visits, and community-based care. The co-regulation and Emotion Coaching frameworks have been field-tested in both environments.

How long does it take to complete the course?

You have one full year of access and can move at whatever pace fits your schedule. Most participants complete the core curriculum in 2–4 weeks, though many return to specific modules before challenging cases.

How do the CEU credits work?

Play It Forward Therapy is an AOTA Approved Provider (ID #000004159028). Upon passing the module quizzes, you'll receive a certificate documenting your contact hours for submission toward your professional development requirements. Please verify your state board's specific requirements.

I know a lot about sensory processing. Is there new material here?

Absolutely. This course focuses on the emotional intelligence and co-regulation layer that sensorimotor training doesn't typically address. Frameworks like the RULER model, the tantrum arc, and Emotion Coaching complement and significantly extend what you already know.

Is there a group enrollment option?

Yes — group pricing is available for teams of 5 or more. A great option for therapy departments, school teams, or practices that want to build a shared clinical language around emotion regulation. Contact us for group enrollment details.

Ready to make dysregulation your superpower?

Give Your Kids the EQ Advantage.

The children you work with need you at your most emotionally intelligent. This course gives you the framework, the tools, and the confidence to show up that way — every single session.

Questions? Visit [email protected]

The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.