Upcoming events

Switch to Calendar View

• Pediatric SIG - Developing Meaningful and Measurable IEP Goals

  • When
    21 Jan 2026
  •  
    7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  
  

  Chairpersons: Jocelynn B. Wallach, OT, MS, OTR, Esther Bertrand OT, MS, OTR

  Date: January 21, 2026, 7-8:30 pm

  Location:  Zoom - to be sent out the day before the event

  Title: Developing Meaningful and Measurable IEP Goals

  Speaker: Jan Hollenbeck, OT, OTD, OTR, FAOTA

  Learning Objectives:

  By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify the essential components of a well-written IEP goal that aligns with IDEA requirements and supports student participation in school-based occupations.
  2. Apply strategies to develop IEP goals that are both meaningful (linked to student needs and educational outcomes) and measurable (including clear criteria for progress monitoring).
  3. Analyze examples of occupational therapy goals to determine alignment with the student’s present levels of performance, educational relevance, and data collection methods.

  Bio:

  Dr. Jan Hollenbeck, OT, OTD, OTR, FAOTA, is an occupational therapist and special education administrator with over 35 years of experience in public schools. As co-founder of the Partnership for Advancement of School Service-Providers (PASS), she provides practical professional development, consultation, and mentoring to enhance collaboration, staff retention, and student success. She has worked with more than 50 Massachusetts school districts, taught MA DESE-funded institutes (2007–2019), and presented widely at local, state, and national conferences. A published author and co-author of Guidelines for Provision of Occupational Therapy in Massachusetts Schools, Dr. Hollenbeck also serves as MAOT Liaison to MA DESE and Co-Facilitator of AOTA’s State Leaders in School Practice Community of Practice. She is an AOTA Fellow recognized for her leadership, innovation, and advocacy. 

  References:

  American Occupational Therapy Association, American Physical Therapy Association, & American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2022). Joint statement on interprofessional collaborative goals in school-based practice. https://www.asha.org/siteassets/ipp/joint-statement-on-interprofessional-collaborativegoals-in-school-based-practice-2022.pdf

  Wynarczuk, K. D., Chiarello, L. A., Fisher, K., Effgem. S. K., Palisano, R. J., & Gracely, E. J. (2020). Development of student goals in school-based practice: Physical therapists’ experiences and perceptions. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(25), 3591-3605. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1602673

  Frolek Clark, G., & Polichino, J. (2020). School Occupational Therapy: Staying Focused on Participation and Educational Performance. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 14(1), 19–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2020.1776187

  
  

  Show details
• Mental Health SIG - Time to Collaborate: Partnering with Local Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Programs to Support Mental Health Needs in Your Community

  • When
    28 Jan 2026
  •  
    6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
  • Location
    Zoom

  Register

  

  MAOT Mental Health SIG

  Date and Time: Wednesday January 28, 2026, at 6:00-7:30 p.m.

  Chairperson(s): Emily Walker, OT, OTR, Allyson Lewis, OT, OTR, Rosa Colorado, OT, OTR

  Location:  Zoom - to be sent out day before the event

  TITLE: Time to Collaborate: Partnering with Local Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Programs to Support Mental Health Needs in Your Community
  

  PRESENTERS: Andrea Desimone, BSOT, OTR, LMT, CDP; Olivia Freeman, MBA, OTR; Kimberly Shurtleff, MSOT, OTR BCRP, CHT

  BIO’s:

  Andrea Desimone, BS, OTR, LMT, CDP is the Assistant Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the OT Program at MCPHS University on the Worcester campus.  She has over 20 years of clinical experience working with the adult population, including geriatric psych, inpatient rehab, SNF, and dementia care.  She is currently working on her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy, including a certificate in trauma-informed care.

  Olivia Freeman, MBA, OTR is the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator (AFWC) at MCPHS University for the Occupational Therapy program on both the Manchester, NH, and Worcester, MA campuses. Prior to her transition to academia, Olivia's clinical focus was the adult-based population in the settings of inpatient rehab, acute care, and SNF. Olivia is currently working on her Doctor of Education degree with a research focus on student stress and anxiety and how it impacts fieldwork performance.

  Kim Shurtleff, MS, OTR, BCPR, CHT, is the Assistant Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at the MCPHS Manchester campus. She has over 20 years of clinical experience in hand therapy, acute rehabilitation, and ergonomic consulting, and is both a certified hand therapist and a board-certified specialist in physical rehabilitation. Kim is currently completing her post-professional doctorate in occupational therapy along with a graduate certificate in Health Professions Education, with research interests focused on mindfulness- and occupation-based interventions in hand therapy and the learning preferences of occupational therapy fieldwork students.

  Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) University is a private university in Massachusetts, with three campuses: Boston, MA, Worcester, MA and Manchester, NH.  The Occupational Therapy program is located on the Manchester, NH and Worcester, MA campuses. 

  FOCUS: Community mental health needs are growing. OT has a valuable and vital role in contributing to this sector. This presentation discusses opportunities for OT practitioners to integrate OT into community mental health using nontraditional Level I fieldwork in conjunction with educational and community partners.

  OBJECTIVES:

  1. Identify the connections between Level I mental health fieldwork and curriculum at OT Educational Programs and discuss how to develop sustainable community partnerships, consistent fieldwork educators, and positive student learning.
  2. Analyze how this OT Educational Program’s fieldwork and curriculum model has been duplicated thus far and examine how Service and Experiential Learning Through Engagement in the Community (SELTEC) model could be implemented within other occupational therapy programs.
  3. Identify possible community partners in participants' areas and develop action steps for the establishment of nontraditional fieldwork experiences in the mental health setting.

  REFERENCES:

  Brown, A. B., & Mohler, A. J. (2020). SELTEC: Service and Experiential Learning Through Engagement in the Community: A Level I Fieldwork Model: Part 1.  Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 4 (3).  https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2020.040317

  Mohler, A. J., & Brown, A. B. (2022).  SELTEC: Service and Experiential Learning Through Engagement in the Community: A Level I Fieldwork Model: Part 2.  Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 6 (1).  https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2022.060110

  Nielsen, S., Klug, M., & Fox, L. (2020).  Impact of Nontraditional Fieldwork on Critical Thinking.  American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74 (3), 7433045010p1-7433045010p7.  https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.036350

  Please register by 4:00 p.m. on January 27, 2026. Registration will close on January 27, 2026. 

  Show details
• 2026 MAOT Spring Conference

  • When
    21 Mar 2026
  •  
    8:00 AM - 1:15 PM
  • Location
    Western New England University

  

  
  

  Show details