Prenatal Therapy – Live Webinar

Live one-hour webinar on July 14, 2026 at 1:30pm Central
To earn a continuing education unit (CEU) certificate, you must be a member of the OT Potential Club.

Course Description

Only in this past year did it come on my radar that some therapy clinics are offering prenatal therapy. While I can personally relate to the desire to have a therapist guide you through such a complex stage of health, I thought that because it isn’t offered widely, the evidence base would probably be weak.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. The evidence for prenatal prevention therapy is robust for improving:

Pelvic health. Pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy reduces urinary incontinence by 28% and cuts the risk of severe perineal tears in half (Zhang et al., 2024).

Pregnancy outcomes. Prenatal exercise programs lower the risk of gestational diabetes by 25%, hypertensive disorders by 33%, and cesarean delivery by 14% (Xiang et al., 2026).

Mental health. Mind-body interventions like yoga, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy significantly reduce prenatal anxiety, depression, and stress — while also improving pain management and self-efficacy (Miao et al., 2026).

Maternal role and quality of life. OT-specific prenatal interventions improve maternal quality of life, emotional regulation, and coping — with benefits that persist into the postpartum period (Karakus & Akyurek, 2026).

Despite this evidence, prenatal therapy remains vastly underutilized. The gap between what the research supports and what is actually available to pregnant individuals represents one of the biggest opportunities in our profession right now.

In this course, we’ll welcome Marissa Horak from Thrive OT, who is paving the way in offering these services and will share what she has learned about helping to build a thriving practice around this massive need.

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OT Potential courses are presented as live webinars, then released on-demand video and audio via the OT Potential Podcast. Attendance in the live webinar will be indicated on your certificate. Learn more about how our courses help meet live webinar requirements, and OT CEU requirements overall.

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Learning Objectives

• You will be able to identify occupation-based assessments to utilize with prenatal clients. 
• You will be able to recognize treatment interventions for prenatal clients with robust support in evidence.

Agenda

1. Tell me your story of how you found prenatal OT. 
2. Tell us about your current work – and your prenatal offerings. 
3. I’m surprised at the strength of the research for prenatal therapy- why do you think prenatal therapy is NOT a standard offering? 
4. Tell me about how you attract prenatal OT clients. 
5. When you have a client come to you- what assessments are typical for you to perform? 
6. What are typical treatment areas you cover?
7. What patient education do you typically provide? 
8. What do you personally feel are the most high-impact interventions you do for prenatal clients? 
9. What does discharge and follow-up typically look like? (Is it common for clients to come back after birth?)
10. What would you change in the prenatal industry, if you could wave a magic wand?

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Effects of prenatal exercise interventions on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, maternal health, and pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis
• Effects of different mind-body interventions for pregnant women on mental health: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials 
• Effects of Maternal Role Preparation Training and Awareness-Centered Occupational Therapy Interventions on Psychosocial Parameters and Quality of Life in Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial With Postpartum Follow-Up
• Influence of pelvic floor muscle training alone or as part of a general physical activity program during pregnancy on urinary incontinence, episiotomy and third- or fourth-degree perineal tear: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn more about therapy and how it is measured. The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic. 

Speakers

Marissa Horak, MOTR/L, CLT-LANA, CPAM

Marissa is an occupational therapist and the director of operations at Thrive Occupational Therapy Health and Wellness in Omaha, NE. She specializes in lymphedema, oncology, and pelvic floor therapy. Marissa obtained a master’s degree Cum Laude in occupational therapy from the College of Saint Mary and has been practicing since 2016. She also holds a degree in psychology and rehabilitation studies. Marissa was the recipient of the prestigious Spirit of Saint Mary award from her graduate program – this highlights her compassion and drive for serving others.She has advanced pelvic floor training and provides top quality services for male and female clients in all stages of life.

Marissa also has advanced specialty breast cancer rehab and male pelvic oncology certifications. Marissa prides herself in focusing on quality of life and helping clients thrive. She is a mom to an energetic two year old daughter. She and her husband have three dogs and support rescue through fostering. Marissa loves being outside, traveling, and family adventures.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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