Mental Health SIS
The Mental Health Special Interest Section (SIS) of the Michigan Occupational Therapy Association seeks to share information and resources, advocate for the continued presence of OT in mental health, identify gaps in the literature, and support research endeavors as well as the dissemination of such. Priorities of this SIS include promoting evidence-based practice as well as the identification / pursuit of legislative revisions to increase OT's role in mental health.Next Meeting:
TBD
Past Meeting Recordings:
Stay tuned for recordings of meetings
Past Meeting Minutes:
Stay tuned for previous meeting minutes
Please email the Mental Health SIS co-leaders Shelby Nelson and/or Susan Frisbie-Yu with questions
The MH SIS seeks to...
-Provide information
-Share resources
-Promote networking / professional collaboration
-Collectively identify barriers to MH OT and work to address / remove them
-Advocate for MH OT including but not limited to impacting relevant legislation
-Support therapists in this area of practice
-Offer educational / professional development opportunities
-Disseminate and discuss EBP as well as emerging practice
-Identify gaps in the literature and support research endeavors
-Develop a resource library for MIOTA MH OT practitioners.
-Establish monthly mentorship meetings for new or recently graduated OTs in mental health.
Lobbying / Legislative endeavors:
Stay tuned for lobbying/legislative endeavors
Mental Health SIS Contacts:
Shelby Nelson
Shelby Nelson, MSOT, OTRL has worked as an occupational therapist for the past 6 years. She has experience providing occupational therapy services in mental / behavioral health, corrections, and skilled nursing settings. In her career to date, she has worked primarily with forensic mental health populations in admissions, acute, and long-term care capacities. Her passions include community reintegration, recidivism and relapse prevention, program development, evidence-based practice, and advocacy. In her current role, she has made significant contributions to vocational therapy, horticulture therapy, life skills, and therapeutic activity programs. She is particularly passionate about improving health parity and access through provision of physical rehabilitation services to underserved behavioral health populations. She has presented at the national AOTA conference (2017) as well as the Center for Forensic Psychiatry (2022), and seeks to contribute to the body of research to optimize outcomes for mental / behavioral health populations. Through involvement in this SIS, she hopes to make herself useful in continued advocacy projects aimed at emphasizing the value of occupational therapy in mental / behavioral health settings while sharing resources, supporting colleagues with similar passions, and continuing to grow into the best therapist she can be.Susan Frisbie-Yu
Susan Frisbie-Yu, MS, OTRL, received her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University (WMU). She has practiced with clients across the lifespan in outpatient and community-based settings. Additionally, she has been a part-time faculty member at WMU for 8 years, focusing primarily on psychosocial clinical instruction. She is currently pursuing her post-professional occupational therapy doctorate at Chatham University. Her advocacy priorities focus on increasing mental health-based employment opportunities for OT practitioners and services for clients in the state of Michigan. Prior to her occupational therapy career, she worked in non-profit development and outreach for educational and international institutions/organizations.