Level 2: Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification for OTs

From Overwhelmed to Confident in Every Pelvic Health Session

Master the Trauma-Informed Skills That Turn Emotional Breakthroughs Into Healing Moments

The first and only certification that teaches you exactly what to do when trauma surfaces during pelvic health treatment. No more freezing. No more guessing. Just clear, confident care that gets real results.

Being trauma-informed isn't a "nice to have" in pelvic health. It is absolutely essential to the well-being and care of our clients.

Get on the interest list for the next enrollment

Enrollment opens twice a year · Only 50 spots per cohort · 3.2 AOTA CEUs · Your path to becoming a Certified Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner™

Receive AOTA CEUs for Completing The First and Only Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification

The Functional Pelvis is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. Course approval ID# 0000008352. This Blended/Hybrid course is offered at 3.2 CEUs, Advanced Level, OT Service Delivery and Foundational Knowledge.

Do Any of These Sound Familiar?

Your client suddenly starts disassociating during internal work and you don't know whether to stop or continue

You ask "How are you feeling?" and get met with silence, tears, or "I'm fine" when they're clearly not

Sessions feel stuck despite trying every manual technique you know

You go home replaying sessions, wondering if you said the wrong thing

Clients cancel frequently or seem to avoid certain treatments

You feel like you're walking on eggshells, afraid to trigger something

If you're nodding along, it's not your fault.

If You've Ever Felt Your Heart Race When a Client Started Crying During Treatment... You're Not Alone

Each week, an OT reaches out to me with a message similar to the one I received from Sarah, an OT in Michigan:

"My client broke down sobbing during what should have been a routine session. I froze. I had no idea if I should stop, keep going, or what to say. I felt like I was making everything worse. I went home that night questioning if I'm cut out for this work."

Does this sound familiar? You're working with the most intimate, vulnerable parts of your clients' bodies, yet you feel completely unprepared when trauma surfaces. And it always surfaces.

The truth is: you can't effectively treat pelvic dysfunction without addressing trauma. Yet a lot of pelvic health training programs barely touch on this critical piece.

Trauma is everywhere in your sessions:

In the stories your clients don't share during intake
When they're showing up committed but aren't getting better despite you "trying every technique"
When they feel disconnected from their body and lack agency and control
In those lingering symptoms despite commitment and a giant basket of techniques

And that's because you haven't gotten to the source of the problem.

We all know the buzz terms around nervous system and trauma, but without specialized, formalized training, many pelvic floor therapists feel unprepared and underconfident. Which means clients aren't getting the care they need, and in some cases they're actually worse off if sessions worsen their trauma response.

Without a trauma-informed approach, you risk not just failing to serve your clients fully. You might actually be making it worse.

That's exactly why we created the first and only Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification, combining in-depth knowledge with practical training you'll use in every session.

"I have been an OT for over 14 years... I had become really disenchanted with occupational therapy as a profession. I consistently felt overworked, burned out or overwhelmed by the settings where I was treating. I began to wonder if I had chosen the right profession. The course surpassed my expectations. I was so happy to learn about how to use nervous system regulation, somatic and patient-centered practices as valid first-line approaches. From intake to discharge, I feel so much more confident and prepared to do this work."

Dara Steinberg, OTR/L

Here's Exactly What Changes When You're Trauma-Informed

In Your Sessions:

No more freezing when clients cry or have emotional reactions
Confidence to navigate the trauma responses that surface
Ability to turn defensive reactions into open, healing conversations
Skills to create deep safety that accelerates physical healing

For Your Clients:

Faster progress because you're addressing root causes, not just symptoms
Deeper trust that allows them to fully engage in treatment
Lasting results instead of temporary symptom relief
Feeling truly seen and understood in their healing journey

For Your Practice:

Reputation as the practitioner who gets results with "difficult" cases
Referrals from clients who've experienced profound healing
Personal fulfillment from doing the work you trained to do
Protection from burnout through proper trauma-informed boundaries

The Core Skills You'll Master

Master the Art of Emotional Navigation: Learn to confidently guide your clients through unexpected emotional surges with grace and professionalism, turning "What do I do now?" into "I have the skills to handle this."

Speak the Language of Healing: Adopt the precise language that resonates with your clients, ensuring you ask the right questions and provide answers that empower, not alienate.

Balance Empathy with Self-Care: Discover strategies to maintain your own emotional equilibrium while holding space for your clients' pain, so you can serve without the cost of your own well-being.

Demystify Trauma-Informed Care: Cut through the buzzwords to grasp the true essence of trauma-informed practice, making it more than a label in your toolkit. It becomes your second nature.

Harness the Power of Somatic Wisdom: Uncover the subtle language of the body to help clients reconnect with their somatic experiences, facilitating a deeper healing that transcends words and taps into the body's innate wisdom.

Navigate the Delicate Terrain of Trauma: Learn how to foster a safe environment where clients feel seen, heard, and supported on their journey to recovery.

Empower with Precision: Learn how to empower your clients to understand and release their trauma, transforming it from a part of their identity into a step toward their empowerment.

Calm the Nervous System: Equip yourself with an array of techniques for nervous system calming, providing your clients with the peace they need to heal from within.

Transform Client Conversations: Turn defensive reactions into open dialogues by learning the art of communication that respects boundaries and encourages trust.

Expand Your Therapeutic Toolkit: Integrate somatic and psychosocial interventions seamlessly into your sessions, offering comprehensive care that addresses the root cause, not just the symptoms.

Cultivate Deep Safety and Trust: Develop the ability to create an environment of deep safety and trust, where clients can reveal their stories and embark on their healing journey with you as their steadfast ally.

Your Transformation Timeline: What to Expect Each Month

Month 1: Foundation & Confidence

Master the fundamentals of trauma response and nervous system regulation
Feel immediately more confident when emotional reactions surface in sessions
Learn the exact language to use when clients become dysregulated
Start implementing basic safety and grounding techniques

Month 2: Integration & Skill Building

Seamlessly weave trauma-informed approaches into your existing treatments
Confidently navigate complex emotional disclosures
Notice your clients beginning to trust you more deeply
Develop your intuition for reading nervous system states

Month 3: Mastery & Advanced Application

Handle trauma responses with grace and professional competence
See dramatic improvements in client outcomes and session effectiveness
Feel prepared for your most challenging cases
Become the practitioner other therapists refer their "difficult" clients to

By graduation day, you'll be the trauma-informed pelvic health practitioner you always wanted to be.

And Here's How It Works

How the Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification works

When Was The Last Time You Felt Completely Confident In The Treatment Room?

Our Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification equips you to support your clients' deepest needs without feeling out of your depth.

If you are...

EXHAUSTED

from hitting the same roadblocks with manual techniques that don't address the underlying issues

FRUSTRATED

by the sense that there's a missing piece in your practice that could unlock true healing

and YEARNING

to connect with your clients on a level that fosters genuine progress and profound healing

...then this Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification is perfect for you.

Get on the interest list for the next enrollment

Your Clients Are Seeking Healing. Be The Bridge To Their Recovery.

The Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification is an intensive 3.5-month mentorship program combining online coursework and live group coaching that teaches you not just the "why" but also the "how-to."

EVEN IF

you're new to trauma-informed practice: our certification is designed to build your understanding from the ground up, providing the foundational knowledge and skills you need to confidently support your clients.

EVEN IF

you've felt overwhelmed by emotional client reactions in the past: we'll equip you with practical tools and strategies to maintain your composure and provide effective care, even in the most challenging moments.

EVEN IF

you're relatively new to pelvic health: as long as you've completed OT Pioneers or an equivalent foundational course and have the opportunity to practice hands-on, this certification will guide you to apply and refine your skills, so you grow in confidence and competence with each session.

EVEN IF

you've tried other trainings and didn't see a change: our approach is unique, focusing on experiential learning and real-world application that translates into tangible results in your practice.

"At first I was concerned that I was too new to pelvic health to delve into a specialty, but I feel like I came home as a therapist after taking this course. This certification equipped me not only with indispensable strategies to use with my clients, but also with relevant tools for my own self-care, both as a therapist and a human being."

Lexy Martinez

What you need before you start

You don't need Level 1. The only prerequisite is OT Pioneers or an equivalent foundational pelvic health course, plus the opportunity to practice hands-on with clients.

Here's something most people don't realize about this program.

This Is How You Become a Certified Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner™

Completing the Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification is the only training prerequisite for becoming a Certified Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner™: the only pelvic health certification for OTs aligned to over 200 knowledge, skills, and abilities in our OT Practice Framework.

Every other pelvic health credential available to us was built for another profession and then opened up to OTs. This one was built on our framework, for our scope, by OTs.

And Level 2 is the door to it.

So this isn't only three and a half months of becoming trauma-informed, as valuable as that is on its own. It's the step that puts our profession's own certification within reach.

Learn about becoming certified

Your Blueprint for Healing: Inside the Curriculum

You'll complete 9 online modules, attend twice-monthly mentoring calls (these are recorded), and successfully submit a case study for review to earn your Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification.

1. Introduction To The Course

Program Objectives
Housekeeping: orientation to calendar, expectations for certification, workbook, library of audio & video practices, library of scripting options
The importance of self-care

2. Defining Trauma

What is Trauma?
Prevalence of Trauma
Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Defining Traumatic Stress: chronic, complex & developmental
Trauma Myths
Defining Trauma Informed Care
To Screen or Not to Screen? Inviting Disclosure

3. Impact of Trauma: Acute Stress

Survival Responses
When the Threat Passes
Human Coping Patterns
Client Translation: Compassionate Curiosity

4. Impact of Trauma: The Nervous System

The Polyvagal Theory
Neuroception & The Window of Tolerance
Co-Regulation & Tracking
Client Translation: tracking and developing the skill of dual awareness; helping our clients get to know and track their nervous system in daily routines

5. Impact of Trauma: The Brain

The Brain in the Window of Tolerance
The Brain on Stress
Disintegration
Trauma, Pain & Sensory Processing: Making connections
Client Translation: Mitigation and Response
Client Translation: Optimizing Presence Using The Senses

6. Impact of Trauma: Behavior

Understanding Complex & Developmental Trauma
Long Term Impact: The ACEs Study
Behavioral Defenses
Client Translation: Responding to Armour
Client Translation: The Wisdom of Emotions

7. Trauma Informed Care

Qualities of a Trauma Informed Pelvic Health Practitioner
Responding to Trauma Disclosures
Responding to Self-Preservation/Survival Responses
Graded Exposure & Titration: Promoting Safety & Self-Efficacy
Client Translation: Stages of Trauma Recovery, when and how to refer to trauma-focused therapy

8. Somatics in Trauma Informed Pelvic Health Care

Survival responses from a somatic lens
Polyvagal theory and the vagus nerve
Making connections: the postural system & the pelvic floor
The Sensory Systems: keys to restoring regulation
Interoception
Client Translation: when and how to use somatic practices
Principles of the Polyvagal Theory from a somatic lens: autonomic hierarchy, neuroception and co-regulation
The Vagus Nerve in Trauma Informed Pelvic Health: tools for vagus stimulation

9. Safety, Connection & Empowerment/Dignity

Tying it together
Universal TIC considerations: environment & inclusion, relationship, screening, assessment, treatment planning, discharge

Here's Some Critical Details

Attend Live Support Calls

A key feature of this certification is that you aren't just passively consuming information. We want you to immediately work on implementing what you're learning in the online curriculum, because we learn best by doing. We offer twice-monthly support calls to make sure you're getting the help you need, your questions answered, and the group support to continue implementing trauma-informed care into your sessions. We also bring in regular experts for group chats.

Calls take place at 12pm EST and each one is 90 minutes long. All calls are recorded, so you don't have to be there live. The full schedule for the next cohort is shared when enrollment opens.

Submit Your Certification Case Study + Workbook

The capstone of our certification isn't a series of exam questions. We believe the value is in the doing and the implementing. So throughout the lessons and our support calls, you'll be working on a case study that forms the basis of your certification requirements.

Attend The Virtual Graduation Party

We host a virtual graduation party for everyone who has completed the requirements of the certification.

What Is The Cost?

The investment in becoming a Certified Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Practitioner is a one-time payment of $997. Payment plans are available.

Do You Offer AOTA CEUs?

You bet. You'll receive 3.2 AOTA-approved CEUs for completing the Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification.

What's the Refund Policy?

We offer a 30-day money back guarantee if you decide this wasn't the right certification for you. Please note there is a $45 processing fee for refunds to cover credit card and administration fees.

Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification overview

Here's what this investment delivers:

Confidence to handle the emotional responses that surface in sessions

Clients who see faster, lasting results

A reputation as the practitioner who gets results with "difficult" cases

Protection from burnout through proper trauma boundaries

3.2 AOTA CEUs to advance your career

The only training prerequisite for becoming a Certified Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner™

BEST VALUE

Pay $997 Today

Online Course : 9 chapter online course covering the impact of trauma on the brain, behavior and the nervous system, somatics in pelvic health trauma informed care, safety, connection, empowerment and dignity and so much more.

Support : Bi-weekly coaching from Sept 23rd - Nov. 14th All calls are recorded; you don’t have to be there.

Certification : Requirements for the certification include: the online lessons and turn in a Case study + Workbook (before Dec. 2nd)

IMPORTANT: Only 50 spots are available during this enrollment!

Add me to the notification list!

BUDGET FRIENDLY

3 Monthly Payments of $397

Support : Bi-weekly coaching from Sept 23rd - Nov. 14th All calls are recorded; you don’t have to be there.

Certification : Requirements for the certification include: the online lessons and turn in a Case study + Workbook (before Dec. 2nd)

IMPORTANT: Only 50 spots are available during this enrollment!

Add me to the notification list!

30-Day Confidence Guarantee

If you don't feel significantly more confident handling emotional responses in your first 30 days, we'll refund your investment.

What Graduates Say

"I decided to sign up because I felt ill equipped at the time to properly address and work with someone with a history of trauma. What if they brought up their trauma? What if what I was doing was accidentally compounding their trauma? Since taking the course with Lindsey and Lara I feel like I have so many more tools in my clinical toolbox to choose from. I would 100% recommend this course to every therapist."

Dara Clauson

"The trauma informed care pelvic floor certification has truly changed how I practice. The information was complex yet digestible and allowed me to start implementing into my treatment sessions as soon as the first week. My favorite part of all is that I left... with my cup filled up. It's not just about how to treat your clients; what's more important is how you take care of yourself to be able to serve your clients effectively every day."

Brianna Murosky

"The guest speakers provide expert insights from a variety of topics relevant to clinicians hoping to work in settings where trauma-informed care is essential. The live support calls provide opportunity to create community, network with colleagues, as well as access to instructors. I am using so many things from this brilliant course with success with my clients already!"

Jennifer Robbins

"This course wasn't just about my own learning. It reshaped how I show up for my patients. It is rare to find a course that impacts both the provider and the patient experience so deeply, but the Trauma Informed Pelvic Health Certification truly does."

Emily Moseman, MOT, OTR/L

"I would truly recommend this to any OT, as it serves us in all areas of practice, not only pelvic health."

Kathryn Bobe

About Your Instructors

Lindsey Vestal, OTR/L

Lindsey is the founder of The Functional Pelvis, the first pelvic health practice in NYC run by an occupational therapist.

Since 2018 she has taught more than 3,000 OTs how to specialize in pelvic health through her online courses, and she created the Certified Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner™ credential: the only pelvic health certification for OTs aligned to over 200 knowledge, skills, and abilities in our OT Practice Framework.

She hosts the top-rated podcast OTs in Pelvic Health, now past 150 episodes, and runs the OTs for Pelvic Health Facebook group of more than 8,800 members.

Her goal is to train over 10,000 OTs by 2030.

Lara Desrosiers, MSc. OT Reg. (Ont)

Lara is an Occupational Therapist with a keen interest in mental health, pelvic health and pain science. She has worked in community mental health and addictions settings since 2009.

She is an advocate of integrating a deeper understanding of pain, the nervous system, and the body into mental health care, and of integrating a deeper understanding of psychology and trauma into rehabilitation practice.

Lara launched her private practice, Pelvic Resilience, in Ontario, Canada in 2017, with a mission of supporting individuals experiencing pelvic floor dysfunction and persistent pain to get back to living life.

Lara is a teacher, mentor, and passionate advocate of the value of the Occupational Therapy lens in pelvic health care, and a mentor to clinicians developing their psychologically-informed and trauma-informed practices.

Don't have the foundations yet?

The only prerequisite for this certification is OT Pioneers or an equivalent foundational pelvic health course.

If you haven't done that yet, you can start OT Pioneers today, self-paced, and be ready when the next cohort opens. You'll also earn 1.2 AOTA CEUs along the way.

Start with OT Pioneers

The Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification opens twice a year.

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