Workshops & Speaking

Bec Penfold (Senior OT & Director at Coastwide Therapy) has been presenting across the Central Coast, Newcastle, and Sydney since 2011, delivering powerful, practical workshops for schools, preschools, daycares, community organisations, and parent groups. Whether it’s a full staff development day, an evening session, or a guest presentation at your conference or event, Bec brings energy, warmth, and insight that resonates.

All workshops are designed and delivered by Bec—a paediatric OT with 25+ years’ experience working alongside families, educators, and children with complex developmental and behavioural needs. She’s known for making tricky concepts feel relatable, connecting science to real-life practice, and helping teams shift from confusion to clarity.

Topics we cover (and customise)

Workshops are always adapted to the needs of your team, the children and young people you support, and the space you work in.

Some of our most requested topics include

• Understanding Nervous Systems & Regulation
  Unpacking what’s underneath behaviour and how we can respond with safety, curiosity, and connection.
• The Impact of Trauma on Development, Regulation & Learning
  Understand how early experiences of stress and adversity shape the brain, body, and behaviour- plus what helps kids feel safe, connected, and ready to learn again.
• Shifting the Lens on Behaviour
  Moving from “won’t” to “can’t” and becoming behavioural detectives with a trauma-informed lens.
• Sensory Processing & the Power of Co-Regulation
  Deep dive into sensory needs, strategies that help, and creating environments where all kids can thrive.
• Emotional Regulation & Interoception
  Helping children feel, name, and express what’s going on inside their bodies- without shame or punishment.
• Feeding Differences & Fussy Eating
  Understanding the sensory, developmental, and emotional layers of feeding, with practical responsive ways to support families.
• Sleep, Toileting, and Everyday Regulation Routines
  Strategies for the trickiest times of day- grounded in real-world OT experience.
• School Readiness (Beyond Letters & Lunchboxes)
  What truly matters in the lead-up to big transitions -spoiler alert: it’s not tracing their name.
• Power of Play
  Why play is serious business for development, regulation, connection, and learning.

Workshop Format

Workshops can be booked as,

• 3-hour standalone sessions (with Q&A)
• Full-day sessions for staff development days
• Custom sessions tailored to your group’s specific needs (in-person or online)

Whether you’re a school, early learning centre, therapy organisation, or community service, we’d love to work with you to create something meaningful, practical, and empowering.

To chat dates, topics, or how it could look in your setting, just get in touch with Katie at katie@coastwidetherapy.com.au We’ll work with you to shape something that fits.