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:
- Participants will understand the methodology and development process behind the creation of this educational resource (universal audience) and professional resource (interprofessional providers audience) to support the role of OTs in children and adolescent mental health services.
- Participants will gain an increased awareness of occupational therapy’s scope of practice in pediatric mental health, including common theories/frameworks/models, evaluations/assessments, and interventions.
- Participants will be informed about global perspectives on the facilitators and challenges that occupational therapists encounter when practicing in pediatric mental health settings.
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:
- Arbesman, M., Bazyk, S., & Nochajski, S. M. (2013). Systematic review of occupational therapy and mental health promotion, prevention, and intervention for children and youth. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(6).https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2013.008359
- Cahill, S. M., Egan, B. E., & Seber, J. (2020). Activity- and occupation-based interventions to support mental health, positive behavior, and social participation for children and youth: A systematic review. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(2), 7402180020p1–7402180020p28.https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.038687
- Fouché, L., & Wenger, L. (2014). Specific occupational therapy intervention with adolescents. In R. Crouch & V. Alers (Eds.), Occupational therapy in psychiatry and mental health (5th ed., pp. 276–294). John Wiley & Sons.
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.