Bridging Practice & Possibility in OT

Bridging Practice and Possibility: The Uncommon OT Journey

Patricia Motus

Occupational therapy has always been rooted in creativity, adaptation, and participation, yet many practitioners still feel confined by narrow definitions of what OT "should" look like. Through an autobiographical exploration of her unconventional career journey spanning mental health, community practice, homelessness services, trauma-informed care, program development, advocacy, podcasting, entrepreneurship, and education, Patricia Motus, OTR/L, CTIS, RYT shares how the occupational therapy lens can create impact far beyond traditional practice settings. Rather than viewing non-traditional practice as a departure from occupational therapy, this keynote reframes it as a continuation of the profession's pioneering roots: identifying unmet needs, building meaningful solutions, and creating access where it does not yet exist. Grounded in AOTA's Vision 2030, the second half of the keynote shifts from story to action, inviting participants to reflect on their own professional journeys and explore new possibilities for growth and contribution. Attendees will identify transferable skills, recognize emerging opportunities, and consider how their strengths, interests, and experiences can shape future career paths. Participants will leave with practical strategies for navigating professional growth and renewed inspiration to expand where and how their OT lens can create impact.

Building the Bridge: OT Entrepreneurship in Community Reentry After Incarceration 

Ariana Gonzalez, OTD, OTRL, CTP, RYT

Life After Incarceration: Transition & Reentry (LAITR) founder, Dr. Gonzalez, takes you on her journey from her OT education, through practice and development of community-centered programs for underserved populations. You'll learn about the hard and soft skills required for OT entrepreneurship in niche areas of practice, best practices for OT working with justice-involved individuals will be explored, and perhaps even more importantly, we'll discuss how to sustain your own health and wellness in the midst of the pursuit.

Advocacy as an Occupation: Expanding the OTP’s Role Through Leadership and Public Policy

Laura Aust, OTD, OTR

Occupational therapy's impact extends far beyond traditional practice settings and individual client outcomes, reaching into the systems, policies, and communities that shape health and participation. This session examines advocacy as a natural extension of occupational therapy practice and explores how professionals can advance access, equity, and quality of care through public policy engagement. Drawing from experiences with the Indiana Occupational Therapy Association and the Alzheimer's Association, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the profession's role in shaping systems and improving population-level outcomes.

From Pain to Participation: OT Strategies for Pain Management

Josie Miller, OTRL 

Pain is one of the most common reasons individuals seek rehabilitation services, yet traditional biomedical approaches often fail to fully explain the complex relationship between pain, function, and participation. This session will explore contemporary pain neuroscience concepts and the biopsychosocial factors that influence the pain experience. Emphasis will be placed on helping clients engage in meaningful activities despite persistent pain, ultimately supporting improved participation, health, and well-being.

This session will meet the requirements for Michigan LARA's pain and symptom management training.

Hippotherapy

Cara Masselink, PhD, OTRL

Abstract forthcoming.

A New Frontier for OT: Expanding Use of Functional Assessments in Guardianship Decision-Making 

David Renter, OTRL, CLT-LANA and Maureen Mickus, PhD

This breakout session will meet the requirements for implicit bias training while providing an overview of guardianship and introduces a demonstration project, recently funded by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, using in-home functional capacity assessments for at-risk older adults. The initiative — a partnership among the WMU Department of Occupational Therapy, the Michigan Advancing Guardianship Innovations Center, and Adult Protective Services — aims to generate findings that inform legal and advocacy professionals in guardianship determinations. 

Adult guardianship is a court-ordered process authorizing a guardian to make decisions for adults who lack decision-making capacity. While intended to protect vulnerable adults, guardianship can restrict autonomy and has raised concerns about abuse, financial mismanagement, and disregard for individual preferences. A central challenge is accurately assessing decision-making capacity, which varies across domains and over time; in the U.S., evaluations often emphasize medical diagnoses over functional performance.