Parent Engagement: Can Coaching and Partnering Drive Better Outcomes?
Presented by Nicole Quint and Stephanie Wagers
Audio Runtime: 53 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 21 Minutes
In this episode, pediatric occupational therapist Stephanie Wagers, OTD, OTR/L, joins host Nicole Quint, PhD, DrOT, OTR/L, FAOTA, to discuss how to bridge the gap between clinical intent and true caregiver partnership. Together, they explore recent research on therapeutic alliance, unpacking how intentional communication and power-sharing can transform parent engagement even in complex scenarios. Listeners will discover an actionable three-step framework—connect, motivate, and coach—designed to uncover a family’s true motivating priorities and translate clinic sessions into seamless home routines. Tune in to learn how reframing everyday interactions, clarifying the “why” behind your interventions, and celebrating caregiver wins can drive better outcomes for the children and families you serve.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyze the evidence on how the gap between clinical language and parents’ understanding affects caregiver engagement, therapeutic alliance, and goal attainment
- Apply evidence-based strategies (including occupational performance coaching, motivational interviewing, collaborative goal setting, and purposeful play) to improve caregiver carryover
- Solve patient case scenarios involving caregivers with varying engagement levels to overcome participation barriers and strengthen home carryover
This is an audio-only course. Additional materials are available for download within the course. To receive continuing education credit, complete the course and the accompanying quiz.
Meet your instructors
Nicole Quint
Nicole Quint is a professor in the department of occupational therapy in the College of Health Care Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. She serves as the program director for the postprofessional Doctor of Occupational Therapy (DrOT) program and the dual-degree DrOT/PhD program. With more than 20 years of pediatric…
Stephanie Wagers
Stephanie Wagers, OTD, OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist with 29 years of experience working predominantly in outpatient settings. She is the founder of Connect the Dots Pediatric Therapy, which she has owned and operated for the past 13 years, and Connect the Dots Learning Center, launched three years ago as an…
Chapters & learning objectives
1. Parent Engagement: Can Coaching and Partnering Drive Better Outcomes?
Unpack an actionable “connect, motivate, coach” framework designed to help pediatric clinicians build authentic caregiver partnerships and drive lasting outcome progress with pediatric occupational therapist Stephanie Wagers and host Nicole Quint.
More courses in this series
What Is Occupational Therapy’s Distinct Role in School Mental Health?
Nicole Quint and Susan Bazyk
How Do We Create Opportunities for Occupation-Based Practice in Pediatrics?
Nicole Quint and Wendy Stav
How Can You Safely Maximize Occupation and Quality of Life in Children With CHD?
Nicole Quint and Nicole Schwam
What Is the Call to Action for Sensory Integration Intervention?
Nicole Quint and Sarah Schoen
Rehabilitation and Educational Technology: Where Do I Start?
Nicole Quint and Melissa Schaeffer
How Can We Unlock the Potential for Self-Determination in Youth?
Amy Coopersmith and Nicole Quint
Are We Truly Listening? The Role of Patient- and Family-Engaged Care in OT
Nicole Quint and Elise Bloch
Beyond the Clinic: How Can Adaptive Sports Transform Kids’ Lives?
Nicole Quint and Sarah Adam
How Can We Create Meaningful Spaces for Children?
Nicole Quint and Thomas Morgenthaler
Neurodiversity-Affirming OT Practice: How Can We Promote Authentic Play?
Nicole Quint and Sharon Eva
Is Regulation the Missing Link to Pediatric Engagement?
Amy Laurent and Nicole Quint
Reclaiming Play in OT: Can Toys Help Shape Who We Become?
Nicole Quint and Brittany Saviers
Could Nature Boost Your OT Practice?
Nicole Quint and Allie Evancho
Is Maternal Mental Health the Missing Link in Pediatric OT?
Nicole Quint and Teddie Buchner
Tackling Maternal Mortality and Inequities: What Is OT’s Role?
Nicole Quint and Patricia Corbin
Postpartum Recovery: What Powerful Role Can OT Play?
Nicole Quint and Zesarae Bodie
Sensory-Based Pediatric Feeding: How Can OT Improve Mealtimes?
Nicole Quint and Elizabeth Legg
Executive Function: Does Interoception “Move the Train to Build the Brain?”
Nicole Quint and Cara Koscinski
Neurodiversity Advocacy: How Can the Therapy Team Move From “Fix” to “Fit”?
Nicole Quint and Elizabeth Jones
CO-OP™ in Schools: Is This the Key to Improve Classroom Performance?
Nicole Quint and Lara Collins Barros
Social Detectives: How Do We Make Sense of the Social World?
Nicole Quint and Michelle Garcia Winner
Sound Sensitivity: Why Do Kids With Normal Hearing Struggle?
Nicole Quint and Sarah Wakefield
AI in School Therapy: How Do We Ethically Integrate It Into Our Roles?
Nicole Quint and Jayson Davies
OT Advocacy: Is It Time to Rewrite Our School Role? (Live Podcast Recording)
Nicole Quint and Jacque Sample
Parent Engagement: Can Coaching and Partnering Drive Better Outcomes?
Nicole Quint and Stephanie Wagers
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Medbridge courses.
Who creates Medbridge courses?
We work with industry-leaders, top researchers, and consultants to build content roadmaps that are then structured into courses, filmed, and edited by our production team before being launched to our site.
How often does Medbridge release new courses?
New courses are added monthly and are automatically included in your subscription as they launch.
How often does Medbridge update courses?
Medbridge reviews its courses annually for relevance and to assess if content is up to date. Based on these reviews it may be determined that a course is out of date resulting in the course being re-filmed or retired, if the content is no longer needed (e.g. a replacement course already exists, the concepts are no longer best practice, etc.).
How many courses does Medbridge offer?
We have over 3,000 accredited courses and we are continually updating our library with new courses. Check our course library for the most up-to-date count for your discipline.
Are there any additional fees for taking a Medbridge course?
There are no additional fees for taking a Medbridge course, obtaining a course certificate of completion, earning CEUs as a subscriber, or accessing any of the additional tools your subscription may include.
Is there a limit to the number of courses I can take?
There is no limit to the number of courses you can take as a subscriber! As a subscriber to Medbridge, you have unlimited access to over 3,000+ accredited CE courses.
If you are a Premium subscriber, you also have unlimited access to our Patient Engagement Tools such as the Home Exercise Program, Patient Education Library, Orthopedic Exam Tests, and Manual Therapy Techniques. We have over 7,000 exercises and over 650+ videos and handouts of patient education resources with more exercises and patient education added to the library based on subscriber feedback, volume of request and specialities.
What is your refund policy?
You are eligible for a refund provided your request is received within 30 days of your subscription purchase and your account has no activity.