Occupational Therapy's Improved Role in Mental Health

This course is discounted for NOTA members.

Occupational Therapy's Improved Role in Mental Health

Self-Paced
$60 ($30 for NOTA Members)
3 Contact Hours

This course is created by the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association.

If you need assistance or accommodations, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
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Currently, there is a mental health crisis raging throughout the state that has been amplified by the pandemic. The need for mental health services is growing. Still, the number of qualified practitioners has not risen to meet the need both within the psychiatric and traditional medical practice fields, especially in rural areas. Current Nebraska and federal legislation is addressing the lack of practitioners by clarifying OT’s scope of practice to meet mental health needs across the lifespan. In order to meet this need, our goal is to train and develop occupational therapy practitioners who can implement mental health evaluations and interventions in all practice settings.

Target Audience: Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapy students

Presented by: Kylie Widhelm, OTD, OTR/L
Samuel Troia, OTD, OTR/L
Michael Tambone, OTD, OTR/L
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Learning objectives
After completion of this occupational therapy continuing education course, participants will be able to:
  • Describe the mental health crisis
  • Analyze current legislation and its impact on OT practice
  • Demonstrate how mental illness affects the brain and cognition
  • Identify and implement best practice strategies for evaluation, interventions, and discharge planning in all practice settings
Instructor bio
Kylie Widhelm, OTD, OTR/L
NOTA Guest Instructor

Dr. Widhelm graduated from Creighton University with her OTD in 2009. For 10 years, she specialized in the ICU and inpatient mental health. She then took the position of Education Coordinator in which she coordinated OT, PT, SLP, and athletic training students for the CHI Health sites in the metro Omaha area. After serving in that position, she took the supervisor position over inpatient rehab at Creighton University Medical Center Bergan Mercy campus. She made the transition to academia in fall 2020, teaching various classes in the occupational therapy program at College of St. Mary. Recently, Dr. Widhelm started a community pro bono clinic at the Stephen Center, a homeless shelter and inpatient recovery program for those addicted to drugs and alcohol. She currently serves as the Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association Vice President of Mental Health and Wellness. Research interests include complex medical clients, mental health, addiction recovery, community health, program development, and clinical supervision. Dr. Widhelm is married with three small girls who enjoy camping and boating together. They also spend time at the Widhelm family farm outside of Valley, NE. She enjoys all sports and working out.


Samuel Troia, OTD, OTR/L
NOTA Guest Instructor

Samuel received his degree from Creighton in 2018 and then worked in Washington, DC on an inpatient rehabilitation for 4 years on a spinal cord injury unit primarily but moved throughout the hospital working with everything inpatient rehabilitation had to offer! He moved back to Omaha in 2021 and began working at Bergan in the ICU and ortho floor before transitioning to inpatient psychiatric care. Samuel has been full time working at Lasting Hope Recovery Center building occupational therapy's presence on the floor and beyond.


Michael Tambone, OTD, OTR/L
NOTA Guest Instructor

Michael graduated from Creighton University School of Pharmacy and Health Professions with an OTD in 2021. His doctoral capstone focused on mental health research as well as the creation and implementation of a mental health screener for outpatient care. Michael has experience working in behavioral health at Lasting Hope Recovery Center since August 2022.

Completion Requirements
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In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Complete payment or NOTA membership log in for course enrollment
  • Review the videos for the full duration
  • Pass the course exam with a score of 80% or greater
Please note that no credit or certificate will be issued unless all criteria is met.  Partial credit will not be issued.  
cancellation policy
Live Courses and Webinars
Learner cancellations: In the event that the learner requests to cancel or is unable to attend a course, a refund for the total paid for the course will be granted if Aspire OT is notified via email at info@aspireot.us within 10 business days prior to date of the scheduled course, minus a non-refundable registration fee of 25% of registration price.  If the learner provides notification of cancellation less then 10 business days prior to the scheduled course, the learner will be offered the opportunity to attend the same webinar on an alternate date or enrollment in the recorded on-demand version of that webinar, instead of a refund.  

No refunds will be issued after a course has been attended for more than 30 minutes.  Partial credit will not be issued.  

Provider cancellations: In the event of inclement weather or other event resulting in the inability for a live course to be provided within the scheduled time, learners will be offered an alternate date or a full refund for registration paid.
On-Demand web Courses 
Web courses will remain available to learners for 1 year. No refunds will be available for web courses that have been attended or viewed for greater than 30 minutes. In the event of a refund, the learner will be unenrolled in the course immediately upon issuance of a refund. No refunds will be issued for any course in which a certificate has been issued.  

Course Author

Logo for Nebraska Occupational Therapy Association Inc. with Letters NOTA and the 'O" a half circle blue and green graphic
This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered as part of Aspire OT's State Association Partnership Program. This course is discounted for NOTA members.