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Meeting Mental Health Needs Of Parents Caring For Children With Disabilities By Facilitating Occupational Balance And Well-Being, Emily J. Heumiller May 2022

Meeting Mental Health Needs Of Parents Caring For Children With Disabilities By Facilitating Occupational Balance And Well-Being, Emily J. Heumiller

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Parents caring for children with disabilities experience unique challenges which affects their well-being and occupational balance. The affects can contribute to further limitations within their family systems. The purpose of this capstone project is to explore the need and effectiveness of an occupation therapy-based program to address parents’ mental health needs. Needs assessment results and literary evidence supported the need for the proposed program, titled the Well Parent Program. Program development was guided by occupational therapy models and frames of reference. Three assessments were used to evaluate the effect of program interventions on parents’ perceived stress, perceived well-being, and goal …


Exploring Occupational Therapy In Perinatal Care: Promoting The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Women During And After An Unplanned Pregnancy, Sydney M. Korn May 2022

Exploring Occupational Therapy In Perinatal Care: Promoting The Mental Health And Well-Being Of Women During And After An Unplanned Pregnancy, Sydney M. Korn

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Unplanned pregnancy can have a significant effect on the health and well-being of both the mother and her child. Those who experience an unplanned pregnancy are two times more likely to experience maternal depression or stress than those who plan their pregnancies which can negatively impact the mother-infant bond. This capstone sought to explore occupational therapy’s role within perinatal care, specifically addressing the mental health needs of women in unplanned pregnancies by collaborating with already established programs at a pregnancy resource center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and incorporating the principles of occupational therapy. It explored the use of modules …


Incorporating Trust-Based Relational Intervention In Occupational Therapy To Address Mental Health Needs Of Elementary Students, Maci K. Stouffer May 2022

Incorporating Trust-Based Relational Intervention In Occupational Therapy To Address Mental Health Needs Of Elementary Students, Maci K. Stouffer

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Background. The rate of children experiencing mental health issues is increasing exponentially. Many mental health conditions could be successfully treated in childhood, yet they are overlooked, with only half of the diagnosed cases treated and many others undiagnosed. Youth spend much of their day in school. Therefore, their mental health must be addressed within this setting. Purpose. This capstone project aimed to develop and implement a trauma-informed, occupation-based intervention program for elementary students. Equipping students with self-regulation skills, teaching appropriate calming strategies, and providing opportunities to practice the main components of building healthy relationships. The school staff was educated on …


Peer-Led Building Resilience And Enhancing Social-Emotional Skills Program, Danielle K. Enrico Dec 2021

Peer-Led Building Resilience And Enhancing Social-Emotional Skills Program, Danielle K. Enrico

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

The purpose of the Capstone experience was to develop and implement a five-week peer-led building resilience and social-emotional skills training program at a public high school. This program addressed high school students' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding resources, social-emotional skills, and resilience. A questionnaire was administered pre and post-program to measure effectiveness. The results indicated an increase in scores, demonstrating a clearer understanding in all three areas.


Virtual Reality And Its Impact As An Intervention On Meaningful Occupations For Individuals With Mental Health Diagnoses, Alison S. Benson May 2021

Virtual Reality And Its Impact As An Intervention On Meaningful Occupations For Individuals With Mental Health Diagnoses, Alison S. Benson

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

The purpose of this capstone project was to administer occupation-based and therapeutic interventions based on virtual reality and evaluate their impact on participation in meaningful occupations by individuals with mental health diagnoses. I completed this 14-week capstone experience at the Professional Rehabilitation Consultants, an outpatient occupational therapy mental health clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota. The interventions that I tested were administered using strategies from principles of the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) and the Recovery Model. I created intervention modules based on published instructions on the use of VR equipment and information gathered from research on the VR applications. I …


Mental Health & The Modern Educator, Samantha Nousak Apr 2018

Mental Health & The Modern Educator, Samantha Nousak

Honors Projects

Mental health issues are far more prevalent than most are aware; according to the National Institute of Mental Health (2017), 49.5% of 13 to 18-year-olds will qualify for any mental illness. Mental health concerns will impact students in every single classroom, yet curriculum for Education majors does not include more than rudimentary information on this topic. This presentation aims to provide basic facts pertaining to mental health (including incidence rates, educators' responsibilities, and the impact mental health issues can have on students), discuss broad strategies to employ with students with mental health concerns (basic do's and do not's), and provide …