IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks :: Browsing by Author "Belkiewitz, Johnna"

Browsing by Author "Belkiewitz, Johnna"

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Application of a Model of Family-Centered Harm Reduction in Community-Based Programming
(WMU, 2023) Belkiewitz, Johnna; Wilburn, Victoria G.; Larson, Sydney; Schrader, Kate; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
Coupling high substance use disorder rates with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, our nation faces a growing mental health crisis and a shortage of adequately trained mental and behavioral health providers. As occupational therapists work toward recognition as qualified providers in this practice area, we must ensure that future therapists can meet client needs. Traditional mental and behavioral health educational practices in occupational therapy use a model of harm reduction that minimizes negative outcomes for a select subset of the population engaging in specific “high-risk” behaviors, such as individuals engaging in substance use and sexual activity. Expanding our understanding of the harm reduction model and incorporating a more holistic trauma-informed care lens can better ensure beneficence for all clients. To do this, educational institutions must train students to identify harm in all of its contexts, such as the household dysfunction of cohabitating with a family member with substance use disorder, and apply practical treatments for addressing the impacts of dynamic family systems through occupation-based interventions. This paper illustrates a family-centered harm reduction model and offers a community-based educational intervention that allows occupational therapy students to gain valuable trauma-informed care practice skills through hands-on experiences.
Empowering Families: The Role of Provider Coaching in Indiana Early Intervention
(2025-05) Murtiff, Samantha; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Young, Constance; Faust, Leann
In 2022, Indiana’s early intervention program, First Steps, provided services to over 27,000 children ages 0-3. Throughout a comprehensive needs assessment, First Steps identified a need for more culturally inclusive educational materials to ensure early intervention therapists are providing culturally appropriate care. The goal of this capstone project was to provide education to early intervention providers regarding cultural humility in home visiting. This project consisted of a cultural presentation informing providers about typical household routines in Haitian, Burmese, and Latino/Hispanic cultures, as well as the creation of several cultural handouts. A pre- and post-survey approach was used to gather data regarding provider comfort, confidence, and use of Family Guided Routines Based Intervention (FGRBI) in early intervention home visits. Quantitative results of these surveys found that providers reported increases in all the previously mentioned categories. Many providers also provided qualitative evidence of increased knowledge due to the cultural presentation and handouts.
Enhancing Student Occupational Performance: How Physical Activity and Sensory Systems Intertwine in an Early Childhood Setting
(2025) Notter, Hope; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Miller, Erin
Physical activity (PA) is not only essential for supporting health and well-being, but for stimulating the sensory systems. The underutilization of sensory systems, particularly the vestibular system, has increased due to the rise in sedentary behaviors among children and adolescents. Schools are uniquely positioned as an ideal setting to promote PA and the establishment of healthy routines. Doing so within the early childhood timeframe has shown to be especially crucial, with impacts lasting into adult life. However, school personnel have expressed that the role of Occupational Therapy (OT) is unclear, impacting interprofessional collaboration and ultimately, students—specifically regarding PA-induced sensory stimulation and corresponding classroom accommodations. Furthermore, caregiver involvement and modeling are needed for continued carryover of these activities at home. This Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) aimed to address these concerns by implementing the Minds-In-Motion (MIM) program in an early childhood setting to enhance student occupational performance through PA-induced sensory stimulation. Additionally, this DCE provided training for teachers to increase their understanding of the role of Occupational Therapy (OT) in the school environment and strategies to integrate PA into the daily routines of their students. A caregiver resource was also developed to promote skill carryover at home. Results from pre- and post-surveys demonstrated improvements in students’ social-emotional behavior, motor movement and strength, visual tracking, and auditory processing skills as well as school personnel’s knowledge and confidence levels. Findings reinforce the essentiality of PA in supporting early childhood development, the value of OT in school-based settings, and caregiver modeling.
Evidence for the Effectiveness of Occupation-Based Interventions to Improve Social Participation for School-Aged Autistic Children: A Rapid Systematic Review
(2021-05-05) Hernandez, Jocelyne; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Feldman, Anna; Payne, Chafin; Smith, Cassie; Taylor, Abigail; Chase, Anthony; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
A rapid systematic review of the literature was conducted to review effective occupational therapy interventions for promoting social participation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was conducted as part of the Evidence-Based Literature Review Project of the American Occupational Therapy Association. This review provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of 30 studies that addressed many of the occupation-based interventions commonly used for children with ASD. Findings reveal that the use of occupation-based activities has reasonable, yet limited evidence to support its effectiveness in increasing social participation within this population. This review supports the premise that many client factors can be positively affected through the use of several commonly used occupational therapy–related modalities and methods. Further research should be conducted assessing the implementation of these interventions by occupational therapy practitioners to ensure generalizability. The implications for occupational therapy practice, research, and education and limitations of reviewed articles are presented within this systematic review.
Gender as Occupation: The "Doing" of Authentic Expression and Reciprocally Affirming Care for Transgender Individuals
(WMU, 2023) DeRolf, Annie; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Wasmuth, Sally; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
The current predominant view of gender as binary, alongside limited training of affirmative care practices, is severely and negatively impacting transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. This paper urges the re-conceptualization of gender as an occupation, suggesting that gender is a doing that allows for positive identity development, roles, habits, and routines. Doing gender facilitates meaning-making and the ability to engage in other occupations. However, occupational injustices rooted in discrimination, stigma, and/or implicit biases impede TGD people’s ability to engage in the doing of gender and other occupations. Articulation of conceptual guidelines and interventions to support TGD people’s ability to do gender and other occupations is a critical area of need in occupational therapy literature and practice. In accordance with the profession’s ethical mandate to promote occupational justice, it is critical that occupational therapists become educated and involved in providing affirmative services to support occupational participation for this population.
Implementation of a Wellness Exploration Group for Women with Substance Use Disorder
(2024-05) Mathieu, Hannah; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Young, Nikole
Individuals with substance use disorders are heavily impacted in participation and performance of their daily activities due to the neurobiology, occupational deprivation, and occupational balance barriers. In the theory of addiction as occupation, individuals with substance use disorder are more likely to relapse if their addiction is not recognized as an occupation (Wasmuth et al., 2014). When addiction is removed from their daily routines an occupational deprivation is created and must be addressed for success in recovery (Wasmuth et al., 2014). The capstone student implemented a wellness exploration group focused on meeting adult female residents at a recovery house where they were at with their recovery process. Wellness exploration groups concentrated on resident-identified leisure, social participation, and self-care activities on a weekly basis. The intent of group meetings was to improve quality of life, well-being, and occupational balance while also addressing occupational deprivation with occupational replacement of healthy lifestyle activities. Outcome data was collected through a survey composed with the PROMIS database. The survey was administered before group implementation and after group implementation in aggregate. The results of this project indicated an improvement in quality of life, well-being, and occupational balance through survey dissemination and verbal comments. This further demonstrated the important role that occupational therapy can play in treatment for substance use disorder.
Knowledge, Confidence, & Competence: Utilizing Personal Narrative as a Pedagogical Tool for Educating Professional Healthcare Students about Local Lead Involvement
(2023-04-28) Belkiewitz, Johnna; Wasmuth, Sally; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Wasmuth, Sally
Community-based occupational therapy provides a unique opportunity for practitioners to listen and respond to the needs that are most pressing in local communities. In Marion County, Indiana, lead exposure and resulting negative health consequences should be of major concern to local residents and healthcare providers, as many homes are older and at-risk for lead-based paint and corroded water piping and lead soil contents are high due to historical locations of lead-based product factories (United States Commission on Civil Rights, 2020); however, few local professional healthcare educational programs focus on equipping students with lead toxicity knowledge regarding symptomology, treatment, and legislative mandates for testing schedules, putting community members at high-risk for continued exposure. This 14-week doctoral capstone utilized community-based occupational therapy methods to address these issues, creating and disseminating a videoed narrative-based theater pedagogical tool to educate professional healthcare students and advocating for the profession’s unique role in addressing lead exposure. The intervention consisted of a 35-minute video, produced from community interviews and utilizing narrative medicine techniques, and a virtual lead toolkit for students to implement in future client care. Mixed methods data analysis found significant learning outcomes of occupational therapy students who engaged in the intervention. The products of this doctoral capstone are being broadly shared through professional publication and widespread community distribution of a modified version of the intervention.
Measuring Impact: A Collaborative Community Project to Measure Peace Building
(IUPUI, 2022-06-22) Belkiewitz, Johnna; Flores, Jessica; Hernandes, Jocelyne; Prentice, Alex; Smith, Rachel; Batts, Dountonia; Garcia Wilburn, Victoria; Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
Peace is a prerequisite for creating an environment in which all people have the capacity to live safe and productive lives and to engage in meaningful activities and occupations; however, creating caring communities and measuring the impacts of peace is a challenge. To address this concern, nonprofit organizations strive to promote equity and justice by engaging in both direct service and advocacy work. One local nonprofit, the Peace Learning Center, works to promote peace in the Indianapolis community through a variety of innovative educational and advocacy programs, including equity learning, restorative practices, social emotional learning, and family learning. Uniquely, occupational therapists engaging in community-based work provide a lens through which key environmental factors, such as peace, are viewed as vital in consideration of the context surrounding a person and provide a perspective of how peace can affect the tasks and performance in which people are able to engage. Through a semester-long collaborative partnership, Indiana University occupational therapy doctoral candidates and the Peace Learning Center conceptualized peace and created implementable tools for measuring the impacts of the nonprofit’s efforts on peace building in the Indianapolis community. The following outlines the evaluative process that the student group performed and provides replicable tools and recommendations for surveying peace building impacts in K-12 restorative justice programming. By implementing these peace-measuring assessments, the Peace Learning Center will be able to gather both qualitative and quantitative data about perceived safety, violence, and peace from youth and parents in the communities that the organization serves. Recognizing the need for program evaluation, occupational therapy students have provided the Peace Learning Center with vital outcome measures that can lead to program remodeling, content recreation, and improved training, resources and follow up for facilitators, all within the profession’s scope of practice in the community-based realm.
Promoting Family Centered Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
(2025) Pisockyj, Mariah; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Bushur, Stephanie
While the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is often medically necessary, it can contribute significantly to stress for both infants and their families. Weber and Harrison (2019) identifies stress in the NICU to result from the physical environment, the psychosocial environment, and the medical complex requirements. Family centered care has been established as best practice in NICU settings, with increased evidence supporting its positive impact on infants and families (Lee, 2024). This capstone project was conducted in a level III NICU in central Indiana with the goal of enhancing caregiver education to promote greater caregiver participation and to foster a positive healing environment for infants. In collaboration with the site, the student identified a gap between the literature and the practical implementation of family centered care. A mixed-methods data collection approach, including a pre- and post-survey completed by NICU staff, was utilized to evaluate the project’s effectiveness. Evidence-based educational resources were developed, supporting a more therapeutic and family-inclusive NICU experience. Project evaluation results indicated a positive impact on caregiver education, staff knowledge, and the student’s clinical practice development.
Promoting Family Engagement in a Community Setting for Children Impacted by the Substance Use Disorder of a Family Member
(2024-05) Greenwell, Conner; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; McFadden, Rachel
Individuals caring for children impacted by the substance use disorder of a family member are often less able to participate in valued occupations, specifically social participation, and they lack a community in which they feel supported and understood. The capstone student collaborated with Camp Mariposa Aaron’s Place in Indianapolis, IN and Mitchell, IN, with the purpose of promoting family and peer engagement for caregivers of children who attend this program. The student identified a gap in current research on how to best support caregivers of children affected by the substance use disorder of a family member. The main component of this project was evaluation and further development of Camp Village Council, a support program for family members of children who attend Camp Mariposa Aaron’s Place. The student created an intervention binder, educational modules, and educational handouts to promote connectedness between group members and to provide caregivers with an improved ability to carry over what kids are learning at camp into the home. Another component of this project was supplemental programming of family events to promote family engagement. Overall, results suggest that groups facilitated by the student and materials created by the student had a positive impact on the Camp Village Council participants and program as a whole. Results were mixed on the impact of supplemental programming.

Browsing by Author "Belkiewitz, Johnna"

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