Occupation-Based Pelvic Health

Your accelerated pathway from pelvic health curious to confident Pelvic Health OT!
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Coming Soon!
Fall 2026

Does any of this sound familiar?

You’re noticing pelvic health concerns showing up in your clinical work...

  • Bladder urgency affecting daily routines.
  • Constipation shaping comfort and energy.
  • Pelvic pain interfering with sitting, movement, or intimacy.


You can clearly see how these symptoms impact occupational participation.

And you’ve probably thought:

Occupational therapy should have something to offer here.
Maybe that curiosity is even personal.
Perhaps, like me, you’ve navigated your own pelvic health challenges, or supported someone close to you through them.

Seeing the gaps in standard care makes the need for an OT perspective feel obvious and it sparks a real passion for this work.

But turning that passion into practice hasn't felt straightforward.

Maybe you've found yourself wondering...

Am I even allowed to address pelvic health as an OT in Canada?

Where does pelvic health fit within my role and scope?

There is so much information out there...where do I even start?

For other OTs, the challenge might look a bit different...
You CAN perform internal pelvic floor therapy where you are in the world BUT you don't want to!

You’re drawn to something deeper.
You want to understand and address pelvic health as a whole-person experience shaped by routines, environments, mental health, nervous system responses, sensory processing patterns, roles, and daily life.

Without a clear pathway showing the many ways occupational therapists can influence pelvic health symptoms, that curiosity often stays in the background waiting for permission to practice pelvic health in alignment with our OT roots.

But here's the thing...our stretched Canadian healthcare system can't afford for us to waste any more time waiting for permission. We need the OT perspective in the field of pelvic health now more than ever!

I GET IT!

Because this was my experience too! 

For years, I pieced together pelvic health education from interprofessional colleagues and clinicians in other parts of the world.

I have spent thousands of dollars trying to learn and practice in ways that didn't fully fit me and my practice. 

Through trial and error, I have translated training designed for different professions, healthcare systems, and regulatory contexts into a thriving, sought after Pelvic Health OT practice that fits my context and the needs of pelvic health patients in my corner of the world.
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And somewhere along the way, I had a bit of a come to Glinda moment: 

“You’ve always had the power, my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.”
 
Each course added a valuable piece to my pelvic health knowledge gap puzzle...

But what I kept searching for to ease my imposter syndrome wasn’t something I needed to learn from scratch, it was something that I was reminded I already had.

Our profession uniquely prepares us to help people make sense of complex symptoms and understand how those symptoms shape their daily lives.

This lens is where our magic lies.

What I HAD been missing and what I would like to offer OTs coming after me who want to move into this field is...

A clearer pathway to pelvic health knowledge and competence that speaks directly to:

Occupational Therapy.

Canadian Practice.

And the MANY DIFFERENT ways that OTs can help people navigate the real-life impact of pelvic health concerns.

That experience is what led me to begin building Occupation-Based Pelvic Health.

What becomes possible with Occupation-Based Pelvic Health?

When occupational therapists have a clear foundation for understanding pelvic health through an OT lens, something shifts...

Instead of feeling unsure about how to squeeze your way into a seat at the proverbial pelvic health table, you confidently slam down your own chair in the place where you KNOW you fit!

That might look like...

An OT in community practice confidently opening the door to the conversation.

During a routine assessment, your client mentions bladder urgency and leaks that keep them homebound. Instead of ducking the issue when they say they can't afford pelvic floor PT, you feel equipped to use a bladder diary to help your client identify meaninfgul changes that have a HUGE impact! 

An OT stepping confidently into a role within a private interdisciplinary pelvic health clinic.

Working alongside incredible providers, you recognize that you bring a UNIQUE and VALUED perspective that focuses on daily life, habits, environments, roles, and participation. You help clients integrate the pelvic health "shoulds" into the activities that matter most to them.

An OT working in a publically funded interprofessional pain program creating pelvic pain resources. 

Recognizing the unique challenges faced by people living with pelvic pain, the occupational therapist feels confident to develop and launch a support group tailored to this often underserved group within the program's client population.

An OT advocating for their role in a gender-affirming healthcare service.

The OT understands that they have a role to play in supporting clients preparing for or recovering from gender affirming pelvic surgeries by helping them adapt routines, environments, and daily activities so they can move through this transition and engage in pelvic floor therapy with greater confidence and support.
The goal of Occupation-Based Pelvic Health is not to prescribe one specific pathway into pelvic health practice.

Instead, the program provides the foundational understanding and clinical frameworks that allow you to springboard toward the version of pelvic health OT practice that feels right for you.

What matters most is that you no longer feel like you’re standing on the sidelines wondering how to begin.

About Your Instructor

Lara Desrosiers OT Reg. (Ont.)

Lara is an Occupational Therapist and the founder of Pelvic Resilience, a thriving pelvic health practice based in Guelph, Ontario.

Before moving into pelvic health, Lara spent many years working in mental health, addictions, and chronic pain, developing a strong foundation in psychologically informed approaches to complex symptoms. This background now shapes the way she practices and teaches pelvic health. A focus on the interaction between the nervous system, lived experience, and meaningful daily activities is often central but not addressed.

At Pelvic Resilience, Lara works closely with pelvic health physiotherapists, when clients are navigating significant distress, pain, or nervous system dysregulation alongside their pelvic health symptoms. Her work focuses on helping people make sense of complex symptoms and develop strategies to manage them while reconnecting with the activities and roles that matter most in their lives.

Through her teaching and mentorship, Lara is passionate about helping occupational therapists recognize and step confidently into the unique magic in the fiedl of pelvic health. 
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