Mental Health Literacy for Adolescents with Special Needs: A Pilot Occupational Therapy Curriculum in a Middle School

In school communities, addressing student mental health and establishing safe, supportive relationships have become part of our everyday work. National statistics currently report one in five children in the United States struggles with a mental disorder (One in Five Minds, 2020). Students are presenting with increasingly complex psychiatric, behavioral, and trauma experiences that impact their ability to access education and navigate the tasks of adolescence-with life-long health results. This doctoral project has explored youth mental health prevention and promotion interventions for the occupational therapy practitioner and contributing factors such as youth marginalization, social inequity, and youth health literacy deficits. Throughout my career, I have worked in diverse settings, serving in different roles. Each experience has taught me skills and built upon core professional values to shape my practice. I have worked collaboratively with patients, parents, and peers to create programs that expanded the role of occupational therapy in a given community and have been privileged to work with individuals who have experienced significant loss or trauma. Their stories have inspired me to develop professional competencies to create safe, supportive environments that teach skills and allow healing. Through facilitating successful occupation and engagement in community, I have helped individuals define and create their next chapter of meaningful living. My three knowledge translation projects apply the occupational therapy lens to maximize effectiveness and student engagement in implementation of mental health promotion programs in a school serving adolescents with special needs. The project aims are to improve mental health literacy of adolescent students with special needs by offering a pilot curriculum within the science class of a special education setting, to increase awareness of occupational therapy contributions to a school-based mental health program for adolescents with special needs through a professional presentation at an interdisciplinary national conference, and to introduce entry-level occupational therapy graduate students to the process and outcomes of a pilot mental health literacy curriculum for adolescents in a special education setting through completion of an educational module. The projects, themselves, and their outcomes have been significantly impacted by societal changes of the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health literacy pilot, begun in a middle school classroom, was converted and successfully delivered through virtual learning. Despite changes, both students and staff consistently reported positive increases in knowledge of mental health with effective strategies for coping in everyday life. The interdisciplinary conference proposal is currently stalled as we await the conversion of the conference to a virtual format. The presentation for occupational therapy graduate students was successfully developed for virtual delivery. The questions and dialogue with the students were insightful and hopeful about the future of occupational therapy in addressing mental health needs in school-based practice. In reflection, I can identify two aspects of achievement in these doctoral projects. In the first, my clinical expertise has been honed into an innovative, successful intervention approach for youth-supported by science and implemented with creativity and flexibility. The second is the understanding that completion of an advanced practice degree comes with a responsibility to share one’s narrative, from both a scholarly and a clinical perspective, to guide and encourage others in their practice. If the work resonates, they carry it forward in multiple directions similar to a pebble that creates ripples in a pond

FORCES AFFECTING CHANGE IN CROP PRODUCTION AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Competitiveness, Crop Production, Agricultural Biotechnology, Agricultural Sustainability, Agricultural Inputs, Agricultural Profitability, Crop Production/Industries, Q10, Q12, Q13,

Effect of Researched-Based Information on Principals\u27 Actions Regarding Retention

This study examines the relationship between the thoughts and actions of principals regarding retention in some West Virginia and Ohio schools. This research is a follow-up to Grade Retention as Perceived by Principals, by Galford (2008). The number of students retained per year for the schools of principals that participated in Galford\u27s 2008 study was examined for three school years before Galford\u27s 2008 study and two school years after. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used to determine if any changes occurred. A chi-square was used to analyze data: Year 3 as the expected rate and Year 4 as the observed rate. Results show no significant effect across the five years examined. An effect was observed for Year 4: nine of twenty-two schools that year reduced the number of students retained

American attitudes toward British imperialism, 1815--1860

This dissertation explores American attitudes toward British imperialism between 1815 and 1860 to determine what Americans thought of imperialism before the United States became an imperial power. It addresses the debate of whether the United States\u27s acquisition of an empire in the 1890s was intentional or was, as many historians have characterized it, an accidental acquisition by a people long opposed to empire. This study also explores the benefits of incorporating American culture and society into the study of American imperialism.;This era connects the time when Americans re-established their independence from Great Britain---with the War of 1812---to the eve of the Civil War, which solved the sectional crisis and thus put the nation in a position to pursue overseas expansion unimpeded. America changed rapidly during this era. New Protestant denominations challenged the church\u27s authority, industrialization made workplaces more hierarchical and caused greater awareness of class, and a print revolution brought many more Americans into the reading public.;During the era under review, many Americans commented on episodes throughout the British empire. their views on issues including religion, war, and slavery strongly influenced their attitudes toward foreign events. Meanwhile, the often sketchy nature of accounts from abroad enabled writers to accept some accounts and doubt others.;The variety of American experiences partly explains the varying attitudes toward imperialism. Many Americans praised the British for spreading Protestant Christianity, a rigorous work ethic, and British governance, and for bringing new producers and consumers into international trade. They tended to accept the means to these ends, such as high mortality among natives and British suppression of native insurrections. But others lambasted the British for introducing diseases, weapons, and alcohol that decimated native populations and for reaping profits by exploiting natives.;Almost all Americans agreed that the British imperial system was flawed, but few concluded that imperialism was inherently wrong or unworkable. Although most considered the acquisition of a territorial empire unnecessary, they believed that a commercial American empire could benefit all parties involved

The Role of Narrative Medicine in Patient Healing and Meaningful Clinical Practice

The patient-clinician relationship is one that relies heavily on trust and understanding—both of which are reached through effective communication. As medicine advances, it is increasingly important to prioritize the human interaction in the clinical encounter. Illness is more than just a set of diagnoses; it is the culmination of one’s way of being and interacting with the world while experiencing these diagnoses—it is a narrative. In order for physicians to provide quality care, trust and understanding are of the utmost importance, but oftentimes these are not at the forefront of medical practice due to logistical barriers that the US healthcare system presents. This thesis aims to explore the arts aspect of medicine as seen through narratives and their integral role in the ability to provide quality care and reintroduce meaning in work. I argue that the integration of Narrative Medicine into one’s practice brings the focus back to the patient, allows the provider to be reminded of their initial draw to medicine, and equips clinicians with the means to practice quality care that extends past that singular clinical encounter. The human body is incredibly complex and interconnected, and a clinician\u27s understanding of a patient\u27s thoughts, emotions, and more can provide important insights into their overall health. By integrating narrative medicine into their practice, physicians can treat patients in a manner that recognizes the unique experiences and perspectives of each individual. This approach allows providers to connect with patients on a deeper level and provide more comprehensive and effective care while simultaneously promoting clinicians to continually develop their professional identities

Foster Youth Transition to Adulthood: Effects of Housing Stability and Social Support on Mental Health

Foster care adolescents have a more difficult time transitioning to adulthood, compared to non-foster care peers, due to the maltreatment and uprooting they often experience prior to entering the foster care system. Although foster care protects children from harmful environments, literature supports that multiple placement changes and lack of stable family and social support contributes to higher likelihood of housing instability, such as homelessness, and mental health problems, including stress, anxiety, and depression, in adulthood. Independent living programs, such as YVLifeSet, facilitate more successful transitions to adulthood by offering support in the form of mentors, life-skills training, and counseling. These programs improve foster adolescents’ self-efficacy with practical and emotional tools for more likely success in adulthood. Using secondary data from MDRC’s one year evaluation of Youth Village’s foster youth, the current study determined social support, including familial closeness, and housing stability correlate negatively with mental health problems. Regressions identified familial closeness and housing stability as predictors of better mental health. Independent t tests confirmed participation in independent living programs (YVLifeSet) produced significantly better mental health and housing stability after exiting foster care, compared to non-participants. The study findings demonstrate the significant difference independent living programs, like YVLifeSet, can make on foster youths’ mental health by increasing their sense of support and stability