Date and Time: January 23rd, 2025, 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Chairperson(s): Emily Walker, OT, OTR, Allyson Lewis, OT, OTR, Rosa Colorado, OT, OTR
Location: Zoom - to be sent out day before the event
Title: Occupational Therapist’s Role in Children and Adolescent Mental Health (A Capstone Project)
Speaker: Eugénie Planche, OT, OTD, OTR
Learning Objectives:
Bio: Eugénie Planche, OT, OTD, OTR
A recent graduate from the Boston University Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program, Eugénie has a strong interest in mental health care across the lifespan. Her commitment to mental health advocacy began at Bates College with an innovative thesis, which explored virtual reality simulation of visual and auditory hallucination to reduce stigma in schizophrenia, which was presented at the American Psychological Association's Annual Conference in 2019. She continued to advocate for mental health care through various professional roles (e.g., care management coordinator, medical assistant, research assistant) in diverse settings (e.g., start-ups, early-intervention settings, hospitals). Her recent work as an OT includes developing mental health resources for her Level II fieldwork (LTAC & Adult Inpatient Psychiatric), as well as her doctoral capstone project at Boston Children's Hospital: Occupational Therapist’s Role in Children and Adolescent Mental Health.
Focus:
The presentation will explore how Eugénie used her capstone experience to educate and advocate for the role of OT in mental health settings for children and adolescents (e.g., outpatient and inpatient) through targeted professional and educational initiatives. Based on direct observations at Boston Children's Hospital, interviews with practicing clinicians, clinical experience, and current literature, the research identifies critical opportunities for OT intervention in both outpatient and inpatient mental health settings. By addressing critical knowledge gaps and increasing awareness of OT's unique contributions to children and adolescents’ mental health, this project sought to enhance interprofessional collaboration, increase appropriate referrals, and ultimately improve access to vital OT services for this population. The potential impact extends to improved client outcomes, expanded visibility of OT in mental health care, and contributions toward addressing the pressing shortage of MH providers.
References:
Registration will close the day before the event. Zoom link will be sent out at that time.
Please register by 4:00 p.m. January 22, 2025.
Date and Time: Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Presenters(s): Karen Hefler, OT, OTR, FAOTA, Jan Hollenbeck, OT, OTD, OTR, FAOTA
Title: The School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP)-Overview and Updates
Identify considerations for determining medical necessity
List key resources to understand the requirements of SBMP
Identify systems-level supports needed for effective SBMP implementation and strategies useful in advocating for supports
Bio/Focus: The MassHealth School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) is a reimbursement mechanism to offset local education agency (LEA) costs for providing certain health care services and administrative activities in a school setting. Congress granted access to Medicaid reimbursement in 1988 due to shortages in IDEA funding (Holahan, 2019). The SBMP allows participating LEAs to seek cost-based reimbursement for providing medically necessary Medicaid services (direct service) to eligible MassHealth-enrolled children who have parental consent. This session will provide an overview of the SBMP process and resources. Participants will then have the opportunity to problem-solve challenges in determining medical necessity and are encouraged to come prepared to share and discuss student examples.
Karen Hefler, OT, OTR, FAOTA, is the Owner/Director of Rehabilitation Therapy Associates, LLC, a pediatric occupational therapy private practice that she founded in 1985. Her company primarily contracts with schools and provides assessment services, occupational therapy services and consultation, in-service training, and program development. As a practitioner, Karen has fostered the OT/OTA partnership in her private practice and has facilitated Level 1 and Level 2 Fieldwork programming for OT and OTA students in the public schools. Karen has done presentations for a number of facilities and agencies, including: early intervention programs, hospitals, public schools, private schools, residential programs, college programs, and professional associations. She was the Chairperson for the MAOT School System Special Interest Group for three years, participated in the revision of the Guidelines for Provision of Occupational Therapy in Massachusetts Schools, and is a member of the AOTA School-Based Community of Practice. Karen is the Past President of MAOT and the current SIG Coordinator for MAOT.
Jan Hollenbeck, OT, OTD, OTR, FAOTA, is the former Coordinator of Related Services, Secondary Transition Services, Assistive Technology, and Section 504 for Medford Public Schools. She is co-founder of the Partnership for Advancement of School Service-Providers (PASS), providing professional development and consultation to inform and empower related service providers and others to support and facilitate the success of children in educational settings. Dr. Hollenbeck is a state and national presenter and has authored several chapters and articles on the role of OT in public schools. She is the MAOT Liaison to MA DESE and the first author of the Guidelines for Provision of Occupational Therapy in Massachusetts Schools. She is currently Co-Facilitator of the AOTA State Leaders in School Practice CoP and served a 3-year term on the AOTA Early Intervention and Schools Special Interest Section Committee.
Registration will be closed at 4 p.m. the day before the event. Please register by Monday, January 27, 2025.
Please keep this copy for your own records and keep with your certificate. MAOT is not responsible for maintaining records for contact hours.
MEOTA, MAOT, NHOTA, RIOTA and VOTA members unite as the New England Occupational Therapy Collaborative to offered shared membership benefits and enhance YOUR state organization's offerings.
On February 6th at 6:30PM EST, NBOTC, the National Black Occupational Therapy Caucus will present a webinar on Implicit Bias with speaker, Nardia Aldridge, PhD, OTR/L.
Objectives:
1. Define implicit bias and microaggressions
2. Identify strategies for recognizing and addressing implicit bias and microaggressions
3. Share the history of NBOTC
4. Highlight work of the NBOTC over the past 50 years
5. Discuss opportunities for collaboration and support
Estimated to be 1 contact hour. A digital certificate will be generated following a completed evaluation form which will be distributed after the event.
This event will close the day before. Please register by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 5, 2025.
Registration will close on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
