Occupational Therapy

General Services

• Provide group and 1:1 interventions to engage clients in personally meaningful daily activities.
• Focus on client participation in “normal” daily activities with as much independence as possible.
• Maximize client learning opportunities through task-based modalities so that clients experience success as they “learn by doing.”
• Assess cognitive and functional capacities through observation of client interactions and behavior in the milieu, as well as through client participation in group and 1:1 interventions.

Mission

To support the recovery of persons with serious mental illness through offering personally meaningful, purposeful activities that promote independent living skills, community reintegration, and improved quality of life.

Vision

Through partnership with our consumers and community prevocational and vocational service providers, the NVMHI Occupational Therapy Department will become the preeminent regional provider of mental health OT services.

Discharge Planning

OTs formally assess a client’s cognitive and functional capacities related to discharge through standardized assessments. The assessments are administered on a consultative basis to determine the recommended level of care and supervision required for the client to function successfully in the community.

• Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills: Assesses an individual’s abilities in the areas of Self-Care, Safety & Health, Money Management, Transportation, and Work & Leisure.
• Allen Cognitive Levels Screen: Assesses an individual’s cognitive capacity related to recognizing needs, disabilities, mistakes and safety concerns; completing basic self-care, managing a home, working, problem solving and learning.

Frequently Offered OT Group Interventions

Life Skills Groups

. Community Living Skills . Job Skills . Arts & Crafts . Transportation Skills . PC Skills
. Pet Visitation . Money Management . Cooking Skills . Library Outing . Volunteer Group
. Stress Management . Gardening

“Paid” Prevocational Groups

. Market . Market Shopping . Market Clean-Up . Gardening . Clothing Closet

Clients receive a $3.00 cash “token” for each prevocational group participated in.
Tasks are work-like and aim to have clients demonstrate increased responsibility in timeliness, attention to detail, initiation and completion of tasks, ability to take directions and work well with others, etc..

Occupational Therapy Student Program

The Occupational Therapy department accepts Level II Fieldwork students from accredited Occupational Therapy programs on a first-come, first-served basis.

Requirements:
• Current contract between NVMHI and the Occupational Therapy program/University
• Current malpractice insurance (in the name of the student or the OT Program/University)
• Criminal background check and fingerprinting completed before the affiliation or during NVMHI orientation (see details on p.4 of the Fieldwork Data Form)

Contact Information

Occupational Therapy Supervisor
April Masick, MS, OTR/L
(703) 207-7192

Occupational Therapy Staff
(703) 207-7374 / 7445
Merissa Bernstein, OTR/L
Derek Piggott, MOT, OTR/L
Jennifer Landy