ESOT Mentor Academy: Preparing Mentors. Strengthening Practice. Building the Future

Exceptional practitioners do not automatically become exceptional mentors. Effective mentorship requires intentional skills in coaching, professional reasoning, adult learning, communication, leadership, and reflective practice. The ESOT Mentor Academy is a year-long professional learning experience designed for experienced school-based occupational therapy practitioners who mentor new clinicians, fieldwork students, practitioners transitioning into school practice, and developing leaders. Grounded in evidence-informed mentorship, implementation science, adult learning theory, and the Quality Indicators for Effective School-Based Occupational Therapy Practice, this program prepares mentors to confidently support the growth, confidence, and professional development of others. Participants will explore strategies for developing clinical reasoning, facilitating reflective practice, providing meaningful feedback, supporting educationally relevant decision making, fostering resilience, navigating difficult mentoring conversations, and building sustainable mentoring relationships. Throughout the year, mentors will develop practical tools, coaching techniques, and leadership skills that strengthen individual practitioners while building organizational capacity and advancing high-quality school-based occupational therapy practice. The ESOT Mentor Academy is ideal for practitioners who supervise new therapists, coordinate onboarding programs, provide peer mentorship, support fieldwork education, or aspire to leadership roles within school-based occupational therapy.