Supporting Youth Mental Health in Therapy Settings

May 5, 2026Clinic & Hospital-Based Practice, Community-Based Practice, School-Based Practice, Social Emotional Learning, Therapist ResourcesTherapro

Youth mental health support is no longer optional—it is essential. Across schools, clinics, and community settings, professionals are seeing increased rates of anxiety, emotional dysregulation, trauma responses, and behavioral challenges. For clinicians working in children’s mental health, the need for practical, evidence-informed tools that bridge assessment and intervention has never been greater.

Understanding the Root of Behavior

One of the most persistent challenges in pediatric mental health is distinguishing between behavior and underlying sensory or emotional needs. Resources like Is It Sensory or Behavior help clinicians and educators make this critical distinction. By reframing behaviors through a sensory-informed lens, professionals can shift from reactive strategies to proactive, supportive interventions that align with a child’s nervous system needs.

Integrating Sensory and Emotional Regulation

Sensory processing plays a foundational role in emotional regulation. Programs such as Just Right! A Sensory Modulation Curriculum® provide structured, practical strategies for helping children achieve optimal arousal states for learning and participation. This type of curriculum empowers therapists to design individualized interventions that directly support youth mental health support in both clinical and educational environments.

Similarly, The Sensory Connection Program offers a comprehensive framework that connects sensory integration theory with real-world application. It equips professionals with tools to address regulation challenges while promoting functional participation—key for children experiencing mental health difficulties.

Trauma-Informed Assessment Matters

Assessment is a critical first step in effective intervention. The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children™ Screening Form (TSCC-SF) is a valuable tool for identifying trauma-related symptoms that may otherwise be misinterpreted as behavioral issues. Early identification allows clinicians to implement targeted supports and refer to appropriate services when needed, strengthening overall youth mental health support systems.

A Polyvagal Perspective on Engagement

Understanding the nervous system is central to working with children experiencing stress and trauma. The Polyvagal Path to Joyful Learning introduces clinicians to polyvagal theory in a practical, accessible way. This approach helps professionals recognize how safety, connection, and regulation influence a child’s ability to engage, learn, and build relationships.

Building Functional Skills for Daily Success

Executive functioning and participation challenges often accompany mental health concerns. Tools like FAB (Functionally Alert Behavior Strategies) provide structured insight into how behavior impacts daily functioning, allowing therapists to create meaningful, goal-driven interventions.

Moving Forward

Professionals in children’s mental health are uniquely positioned to make a lasting impact. By integrating sensory-informed, trauma-aware, and evidence-based tools, clinicians can create environments that foster regulation, resilience, and engagement.

Explore additional resources and tools to support your practice on the Therapro website, including our full range of mental health and sensory integration materials:
https://www.therapro.com

Investing in the right tools today strengthens outcomes for the children you serve tomorrow.

Visual Motor Assessment with Post-COVID Standards

April 28, 2026Assessments, School-Based Practice, Visual Perceptionoccupational therapy (OT) tools, product spotlight, therapist resources, webinar recapsTherapro

The recent Therapro webinar, Psymark’s Visual Motor Abilities Test (VMAT) with Post COVID Standardization: Administered & Digitally Scored on the iPad, gave clinicians a practical look at how the visual motor assessment test process is evolving for today’s students. Presented by Karen Silberman, Ed.D., LEP and Dana Khudaverdyan, Ed.D., LEP, this session highlighted why updated assessment tools matter and how digital testing can improve efficiency, accuracy, and clinical decision-making.

Visual-motor integration remains one of the most important foundational skills for school success. It impacts handwriting, copying from the board, scissor use, classroom participation, and overall academic performance. For occupational therapists, school psychologists, educators, and intervention teams, selecting the right visual motor assessment test is critical for identifying concerns early and creating meaningful intervention plans.

The webinar introduced the new Psymark Visual-Motor Tests App: Visual-Motor Abilities Test (VMAT), the first fully digital standardized visual-motor assessment designed for iPad use. Built for children ages 4–9, VMAT includes post-COVID norms, providing more relevant benchmarking for today’s learners whose developmental experiences have been shaped by increased screen use and changes in fine motor opportunities since 2020.

One of the strongest takeaways from the webinar was the efficiency of administration. Unlike traditional paper-and-pencil testing, VMAT allows clinicians to administer the assessment directly on an iPad using a finger or stylus. Automatic scoring removes subjectivity, reduces human error, and generates comprehensive reports instantly. This means less time measuring angles and calculating scores—and more time developing interventions and collaborating with families and teams. Reports can be easily used for IEPs, RTI/MTSS documentation, and referrals.

Another standout feature is the built-in Goal Bank. Therapists can move directly from assessment results to individualized treatment planning without starting from scratch. This supports faster goal writing and stronger documentation, especially in busy school-based and outpatient settings.

To further support visual-motor intervention planning, Therapro also recommends these related tools:

Test of Visual Perceptual Skills – 4th Edition (TVPS-4) — an excellent complement when deeper visual perceptual assessment is needed beyond motor integration.
Activities for Visual Perception — hands-on activities that strengthen visual discrimination, spatial awareness, and figure-ground skills.
Workbooks for Visual Perception — practical intervention resources for school and clinic carryover.

These tools pair well with VMAT by helping clinicians move from identification to intervention quickly and effectively.

As therapists, we know that assessment should do more than generate a score—it should guide better outcomes. The VMAT helps bridge that gap by combining current norms, digital precision, and practical reporting into one streamlined platform.

If you missed the webinar, you can still view the recording and explore how this innovative visual motor assessment test can support your practice. You can also browse additional resources in Therapro’s Visual Perception and Assessment categories to build a stronger toolkit for evaluation and intervention.

For clinicians looking to modernize visual-motor assessment while improving accuracy and saving valuable time, VMAT is a strong step forward.

Women-Led Innovation at Therapro

April 5, 2026Company News & Announcements, Inside Theraproproduct spotlight, therapist resourcesTherapro

Therapro’s certification as a woman-owned business reflects not only leadership at the organizational level but a deep, ongoing commitment to elevating the voices, ideas, and innovations of women across the therapy and special education fields.

From the beginning, Therapro has served as a platform for women clinicians, educators, and researchers to bring their expertise into classrooms, clinics, and homes. Today, that legacy continues through a diverse portfolio of products, programs, and assessments—many of which were created by women who saw a need and developed practical, effective solutions.

Empowering Clinicians Through Therapro Publications

In Therapro’s early years, founder Dr. Karen Weihrauch recognized that many therapists had already developed highly effective programs—but lacked a pathway to share them widely. By mentoring and supporting these professionals, Therapro helped transform proven ideas into accessible, professionally developed resources.

These contributions continue to shape practice today:

I Can Work! Vocational Skills Curriculum by Angela Mahoney
A structured, classroom-ready program that builds vocational and life skills to support student independence and transition planning.

Drive Thru Menus by Tere Bowen-Irish
A creative set of therapeutic activity cards designed to improve attention, regulation, and engagement—now available in both physical and digital formats.

Sensory Connection Program Series by Karen Moore
A widely respected series focused on self-regulation strategies for adolescents and adults, grounded in sensory integration principles.

Fine Motor Olympics Program by Marcia Bridgeman
A classroom-friendly approach to fine motor intervention that integrates therapy into everyday school routines.

Social Language Rules & Tools: A Preschool Curriculum of activities to improve social–ability

Social Language Rules and Tools Curriculum by Deborah Fortin
A comprehensive curriculum supporting social communication skills across play, conversation, and classroom participation.

Women Advancing Assessment and Evidence-Based Practice

Therapro has also played a key role in bringing clinician-developed assessments to market—tools that support data-driven decision-making and meaningful intervention planning.

Preschool Visual Motor Integration Assessment (PVMIA) by Gertrude Deitchman & Cordelia Puttkammer: A specialized assessment designed to evaluate visual-perceptual and motor integration skills in preschool-aged children.
Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills (COMPS-2) by Brenda Wilson, Bonnie Kaplan, Nancy Pollock & Mary Law: A standardized tool for identifying subtle motor and postural challenges in children ages 5–15.
Here’s How I Write by Sarina Goldstand, Debbie Gavir, Sharon A. Cermak & Julie Bissell: A unique, student-centered handwriting assessment that promotes self-awareness and goal setting.
Sensory Integration Inventory – Revised by Judith Reisman & Bonnie Hanschu: A foundational screening tool for occupational therapists working with individuals with developmental disabilities.

Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills

Sensory Integration Inventory Revised — Clinical Observations of Motor and Postural Skills

Making Therapy Engaging Through Women-Created Games

Therapro’s product line also includes innovative, play-based tools developed by women who understand the importance of engagement in learning and therapy:

Letter Treasure Hunt Game by Jenny Clark: A pirate-themed handwriting adventure that motivates practice through play.
NOVENOPS by Rita Samuelson: A grammar-based card game that transforms sentence-building into an interactive, enjoyable experience.
Trunks-The Game of Motor Memory by Diane Long: A dynamic game that blends movement and cognition to strengthen memory, executive function, and motor planning.

Trunks®: The Game of Motor-Memory — Trunks

NOVENOP is an acronym created from the words NOun, VErb, NOun, and Phrase and is a board game for children of ages 6 and up — Trunks

Supporting Innovation Beyond Our Walls

Therapro’s commitment extends beyond in-house publications. The company actively partners with and distributes products from other women-led businesses—amplifying innovation across the therapy industry.

Chewy Tubes by Mary Schiavoni: Widely used oral motor tools that support sensory needs and safe chewing.
Just Right! A Sensory Modulation Curriculum (K–5) and Just Right! Jr. A Sensory Modulation Curriculum for Emerging Learners by Kim Wiggins: Structured curricula that help students understand and regulate their sensory needs in school settings.
Better Board Slant Board by Susan Hardy: A practical, lightweight tool that promotes optimal positioning for handwriting and visual attention.
Functional Hand by Linda Merry & Celine Skertich: An innovative adaptive device that enables individuals with significant hand challenges to participate in writing, art, and daily activities.

The Functionalhand — The functionalhand®

Just Right! A Sensory Modulation Curriculum for K–5 — The functionalhand®

A Legacy of Leadership and Impact

Therapro’s woman-owned certification reflects decades of leadership, mentorship, and collaboration. More importantly, it highlights the collective impact of women across the therapy field—clinicians, educators, and innovators who continue to shape best practices and improve outcomes for individuals of all abilities.

By supporting and distributing these products, Therapro not only delivers effective tools but also helps ensure that the expertise behind them reaches the professionals and families who need it most.

Explore the difference.
Discover Therapro’s collection of therapist-developed resources and see how women-led innovation continues to drive meaningful progress in therapy, education, and beyond.