鈥淚 hope (our students) become OT practitioners who always take time to truly see their clients as experts on themselves.鈥
Years at 九色视频: I joined the Occupational Therapy (OT) Program faculty as an assistant professor in 2017.
Scholarly Interests:
- Effect of incorporating equine movement (hippotherapy) and the equestrian environment as an occupational therapy intervention to improve occupational performance
- Therapeutic benefits of adaptive horseback riding programs for adults with neurological disorders as perceived by participants and their family
- Experience of occupational adaptation when living with a neurological condition
- Inclusive teaching strategies in health care professional and pre-professional higher education
What is most rewarding about working with students at 九色视频?
In our program, students are assigned a faculty mentor in their first quarter. I am assigned 2-4 students each year and I continue to mentor them until graduation. I witness their excitement upon entering a new profession and a growing understanding of the many possibilities for future practice. In their last year, I typically hear them articulate a clearer vision of their professional self. In addition, I observe their confidence increase after completing each of their clinicals where they have put their new knowledge to practice and honed their professional skills. It鈥檚 very rewarding to see this growth!
What is one lesson you hope students will carry with them into their professional lives?
In the courses that I teach, I emphasize the importance of taking time to get to know clients and showing empathy. I hope my students understand the importance of supporting their clients鈥 occupational participation by seeing them holistically, as multifaceted occupational beings, with unique life narratives. I hope they become OT practitioners who always take time to truly see their clients as experts on themselves. This approach will help ensure their intervention is occupation-focused and guided by client-centered goals.
What鈥檚 something you wish more people understood about your field or profession?
I wish people were more aware of the occupational therapy profession. The name of our profession makes sense to those of us in a health profession, but not to the public. Unless people have received OT, or know someone who has received services, they are unlikely to be familiar with the purpose of OT and the value of our expertise. Occupations are how we occupy our time. We view our clients as occupational beings. We take a client-centered approach to enabling adults and children to participate in meaningful occupations (e.g., self-care, childcare, work, leisure, etc.) in a variety of contexts (e.g., home, school, community, etc.). And we take an occupation-focused approach to intervention, embedding everyday activities in our therapy activities.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not on campus?
I love horses and have ridden all my life. My horse Riley died two years ago, and so I am horseless. I get my horse 鈥渇ix鈥 at Equestrian Connection, where I provide OT services that incorporate horses. I hope to eventually return to riding. In the meantime, I am quite busy with establishing a new English cottage garden, swimming and working out, socializing with family and friends, and attending classical music performances. I love to travel to exotic places and go anywhere I can get outdoors and hike -- especially, the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
