On this episode, occupational therapist Amberlynn Slavin and her husband Ben Slavin share information about SnapType, an app created based on an idea Amberlynn had on a Level I fieldwork clinical rotation while she was in occupational therapy school at Springfield College. The goal of SnapType is to help students complete their schoolwork even when their handwriting, literacy, or vision holds them back.

Amberlynn is a pediatric OT who has practiced in California and New Hampshire. She has experience working in a sensory clinic with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Down’s Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, mental health disorders, and other developmental disorders. When she’s not working, you can find her coaching gymnastics, working on all sorts of creative projects, and spending time with her husband and their two young boys. 

• Learn more about SnapType here: https://snaptypeapp.com or on Instagram @snaptypeot
• Check out Amberlynn's Instagram account which is dedicated to OT activity ideas: @creative_cheap_crafts
• Contact Amberlynn via email at [email protected]

Liz Grace is the pen name of an occupational therapist living from southwestern Ontario, Canada. She lives and works with a mental illness called schizoaffective disorder. She navigates the OT world despite profound hearing loss and cochlear implants. Liz has been working in homecare since 2015 after graduating from school. Her primary clientele is older adults and adults with severe physical disabilities. Liz enjoys community activities and curling in the winter. She has a service dog from the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides in Oakville, Ontario.

On this episode of the podcast, Liz talks about her experiences as a person with mental illness as well as profound hearing loss and shares about the autobiographical account she has written in a book entitled "Resilient: Surviving My Mental Illness," which is available on platforms such as Amazom and Audible.

Connect with Liz via social media through the account @lizgraceauthor or via email at [email protected]

On Episode 130, Sarah Zera, OTD, OTR/L, shares the story about how she discovered and fell in love with occupational therapy and discusses her work as a mobile- and community-based practitioner and insight about how to bring moxie to one's OT practice.

Growing up, two of Sarah’s primary caregivers were people with disabilities. Her background has provided her with first-hand knowledge of what is possible when living with a disability. These experiences also showed her the many barriers people with disabilities face on a daily basis. Sarah has been working as an occupational therapist since 2002. Throughout her career she has been proud to support her clients in their rehabilitation journey. As Sarah has grown as an occupational therapist she has realized that we can do better. Traditional rehabilitation services are vitally important. However, many people “graduate” from rehabilitation but do not return to doing the things in life that matter to them most. In 2013 she returned to school to study the most effective approaches to help her clients return to their most life-affirming activities. Her doctorate in occupational therapy propelled her to open Moxie OT.

Sarah can be reached via email at [email protected], and you can find information about her work including her podcast at https://www.moxieot.com/

Read her article in the British Journal of Occupational Therapy: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/03080226211008713

Read her Blog Post for the ICANCOOP website: https://icancoop.org/blogs/first-hand-account/goal-plan-do-check-supporting-community-participation-through-adult-group-sessions

Other resources mentioned on this episode:
Chappell, I. et al. (2006). Enabling Occupation in Children: The Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach. CAOT Publications ACE
Dawson, D. (2017). Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance in Occupational Therapy: Using the CO-OP Approach (TM) to Enable Participation Across the Lifespan. AOTA Press

Occupational therapist Amy Coopersmith, MOT, OTR/L, MAEd, has worked as an educator and OT for more than 25 years. She currently works as a lecturer on topics related to children’s independence and positive mental health. For 17 years, she worked as an OT Supervisor, clinician and evaluator for the NYC Department of Education. Amy is passionate about promoting children’s self-determination through AOTA workshops as well as national/regional conferences and online learning communities. In 2020, she created Captain Me®, a video-based musical self-determination program for all children. Through the evidence-informed use of guided questioning, role play, music, puppets and video modeling, Amy helps practitioners learn how to best utilize their pediatric sessions to promote motivation, engagement and independence. Currently, she is pursuing her OT doctorate at Temple University. Previously, Amy taught Pediatric Assessment and Treatment at Mercy College and worked as a teacher in New York City. Her favorite hobby is writing songs about self-determination and mental health to promote children’s independence.

On this episode, Amy shares about her journey into the profession of OT and introduces listeners to Captain Me®, the program she developed to promote self-determination in children, and to Cappy, the star of that program. Here's a link to a sample of her work: https://www.seekfreaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Cappy-Lesson-Plan-Setting-Goals.pdf

To connect with Amy, email her at [email protected]

Also check out the continuing education courses she has developed through the company Apply EBP: https://www.applyebp.com/

Occupational therapy assistant Amy Mahle is passionate about promoting the occupational therapist/occupational therapy assistant (OT/OTA) collaboration, uniting and motivating OT practitioners, advocating for occupational therapy, and finding solutions. She is the founding OTA Program Director at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury, NC and co-author/co-editor of the comprehensive textbook, Adult Physical Conditions: Intervention Strategies for Occupational Therapy Assistants. Amy has been an active member of AOTA and the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association for her entire career and has served in leadership roles in both, including President of NCOTA. She is currently pursuing her EdD in Community College Leadership at NC State University. Prior to her career as an OTA, she was a small business owner and worked in the social service sector.

Connect with Amy:
Via email at [email protected]
Via her website - www.amymahle.com
On Instagram: @amyjanemahle
On Twitter @AmyMahleCOTA
On Facebook: Amy J. Mahle (professional page)

Resources:
The textbook Amy co-authored and co-edited: https://tinyurl.com/MahleBook
Dallas Herring lecture series: https://belk-center.ced.ncsu.edu/our-impact/executive-leadership-programs/dallas-herring-lecture/

Vikram Pagpatan, MS, OTRL, ATP, CAS, BCTS, EdDc is a practicing Asian-American occupational therapist from New York City. He is a full time Assistant Professor and Admissions Coordinator at SUNY Downstate’s MSOT program as well as an adjunct lecturer at York College. Prior to beginning his work as an OT, Vikram served the city he loves as a paramedic and found the profession of OT on his graveyard shift through one of his patients. Vikram's clinical interests are in the areas of assistive technology and seating and mobility systems within pediatric practice. He presently serves on the AOTA DEI committee, as the social media chair of the Asian-Pacific Heritage Occupational Therapy Association, and as a cohort member of the 2021 AOTA Academic Leadership Institute.

On this episode, Vik shares about the influence of diversity - and diversity of thought - within the OT profession- diversity of thought, his path into the profession, what OT has allowed him to do personally and professionally, and more - including his bid for a seat on the AOTA Board of Directors.

Connect with Vikram:
Via email: [email protected]
On Instagram @ VikramPagpatanOTRL
On LinkedIn @ Vikram Pagpatan

For more about the AOTA election:
https://www.aota.org/community/get-involved/elected-and-appointed-positions/elections/2022-elections

Mike Jankowski has been an occupational therapist since 2011 and has spent the majority of his career working with the pediatric population in start-up therapy clinics. In November of 2020 Mike started working at the EMR company SimplePractice as their Occupational Therapy Clinical Specialist. At SimplePractice, Mike brings together his knowledge of OT and private practice and works with SimplePractice's product and marketing teams to continue to enhance SimplePractice for its OT users.

Resources mentioned:
•Entrepreneuership FB groups –
oEntreneurship4OT - https://www.facebook.com/groups/otentrepreneurs
oOT Entrenpreurs - https://www.facebook.com/groups/536469659833481
•AOTA Private Practice Essentials - https://www.aota.org/Conference-Events/summer-series/schedule.aspx

Connect with Mike:
•Email - [email protected]
•Twitter - @MikeTheOT1
•LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-jankowski-otrl/
•Website/blog - https://www.simplepractice.com/mike-j/

Laura Simmons is the CEO and Founder of Theratrak, a company that offers a digital platform enabling allied health professionals including occupational therapy practitioners to more efficiently track participant progress in between treatment sessions. She is also a passionate pediatric occupational therapist working with families of children living with a range of disabilities in early intervention. Laura has worked in the private health sector in Australia for almost 10 years, and in this time she has noticed a distinct lack of innovative technology solutions targeting the ongoing care of clients outside of direct therapy and how this is impacting the client’s overall treatment. As a leader of a team of occupational therapists, Laura wants to improve the healthcare system from the inside out to support the growth of younger therapists everywhere.

As mentioned in the interview, TheraTrak is looking for partners in the United States to pilot their HIPAA certified digital tracking system. On this episode, we talk about Laura's work in the field and how she developed TheraTrack as well as how COVID-19 impacted pediatric therapy practice in Australia as compared to in the U.S.

To connect with Laura:
Email - [email protected]
Twitter - https://twitter.com/laura1simmons
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/theratrak
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theratrak/
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/theratrak/
Website/blog - https://www.theratrak.co/ https://www.theratrak.co/

For this interview, I brought back the guest from Episode 119 so we could dig deeper into the topic of time management for clinicians and clinical practice owners and managers.

Jamey Schrier, P.T. is an author, former practice owner and founder of Practice Freedom U. PFU solely focuses on helping practice owners work less, earn more, and reignite their passion for patient care. His book, The Practice Freedom Method, has been an Amazon best-seller. Jamey is on a mission to help ambitious practice owners achieve their dreams of what he refers to as Practice Freedom.

Resources mentioned during this interview:
*The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey - https://www.franklincovey.com/the-7-habits/
*TEDs talk by Dr. Anne Zachry, PhD, OTR/L - "Be a Daydream Believer" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omGbKQIzoWY

To connect with with Jamey:
Email - [email protected]
Twitter - https://twitter.com/jameyschrier
Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/PracticeFreedomU
Instagram - https://instagram.com/practicefreedomu

Lydia Cremer Kite is an occupational therapist who has experience in a variety of settings including skilled nursing facilities, subacute rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation, long term acute rehabilitation, community based, along with ergonomics, injury and prevention. She has a focus in work rehab and is a certified aging in place specialist. She has been teaching at University of St. Augustine for several years and also practices OT at an outpatient clinic with a focus on return to work. Lydia earned her Bachelor of Arts with a major in psychology from Georgia Southern University and a Master's of Occupational Therapy from University of St. Augustine in 2015. She also has experience in not-for-profit organizations, day programs, group homes for adults with varying intellectual and developmental abilities.

Lydia's sister, Kaitlyn Cremer, is also an occupational therapist and was featured on Episode 120 of On The Air.

On this episode, Lydia talks about OT and community partnerships.

On this episode, we talk about the importance of the support provided by therapists during rehab and the incredible power of hope.

Cindy Kolbe has been a lifelong disability advocate—even before her youngest daughter’s spinal cord injury. In her memoir, Struggling with Serendipity, she shares about her battle with depression and guilt after her daughter's injury. Since the injury, Cindy and her daughter have shared many adventures which Cindy calls "unexpected," from during her daughter's time in rehab in their small town in Ohio to time they spent at Harvard, on Capitol Hill, and around the world. Cindy has now signed a movie contract with a producer/writer who is shopping Struggling with Serendipity to Hollywood movie studios. Her motto is: “If you never give up, hope wins.”

To connect with Cindy:
Email - [email protected]
Twitter - @cindy_kolbe
Facebook Page - Struggling with Serendipity
Instagram - @cindybkolbe
Website/blog - www.strugglingwithserendipity.com
YouTube Channel: Struggling with Serendipity

Resources and quotes from the episode:
Spinalpedia - a social mentoring network and video archive about the experiences of individuals with spinal cord injuries - https://spinalpedia.com/

Soul of a Citizen book – “La esperanza muere al ultimo” (p. 326). Hope dies last – never lose hope, never give up. Here's the author's website: https://www.paulloeb.org/soul-study/

Dum spiro spero – as I breathe, I hope – there is always something for which one can hope.