Occupational Therapy Month event to focus on mental health

To celebrate Occupational Therapy Month, the Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs at the University of Southern Indiana are teaming up for a special forum, "Giving Voice to the Distinct Value of Occupational Therapy," on Friday, April 22, 2016, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Mitchell Auditorium in the Health Professions Center on the USI campus.

This program is open to all health professionals and students with an interest in thinking more holistically and making a positive impact on the community. The topic of discussion will focus on Occupational Therapy with an interdisciplinary team model approach as it relates to mental and behavioral health.

The keynote speaker will be Debora Davidson, PhD, OTR/L, of Bright Futures, a private practice in St. Louis, Missouri, that provides client-centered OT to young adults with mental health challenges. She has over three decades of professional experience working as an occupational therapist. She has taught at highly-regarded universities, presents nationally and is widely published. In 2011, she left academia to initiate Bright Futures for young and mid-life adults with a variety of disabilities who want to experience interesting careers, independent living and full social lives. Her community- and home-based interventions have transformed clients' and their parents' lives, often beyond their expectations.

The evening will also include a panel of professionals with experience in mental and behavioral health in our community and abroad and a presentation from Connect with Southern Indiana, USI's annual leadership program.

Connect with Southern Indiana, in its 10th year, is coordinated by USI's entrepreneurship initiative faculty and USI Community Engagement. This program selects 18 participants from a nine-county region in southwest Indiana. USI business school faculty facilitate sessions on strategic entrepreneurship from a community development perspective. This year, Connect with Southern Indiana has chosen Occupational Therapy and mental and behavioral health care as its main focus; the top two teams will be sharing entrepreneurial ideas at the OT Month event.

The event is free, but reservations are required, especially for those health professionals pursuing continuing education credit for this OT Month Event. Register on or before April 15 at www.USI.edu/health/OTmonth