Browsing by Author "Richason, Hannah"

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    Facilitating Occupational Engagement Among Newly Resettled Refugees Through a Life Skills Curriculum
    (2023-05-02) Richason, Hannah; DeRolf, Annie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Vestal, Joel
    Refugees resettle in the United States due to the threat of war, persecution, or other situations which require legal protection. Occupational deprivation occurs when one is unable to participate in desired occupations due to barriers to engagement. Refugees often experience occupational deprivation after resettlement due to a variety of barriers to occupational participation. Occupational engagement is essential for one’s health and well-being, and experiencing barriers to accessing occupation can therefore negatively impact one’s health and well-being. Occupational therapists facilitate participation in occupation, and thus have a role in addressing occupational deprivation among refugees. The purpose of this Doctoral Capstone Project was to partner with an Indianapolis nonprofit, Migros Aid, Inc., to create a guide for volunteer mentors to utilize for addressing life skills with refugees. Over the course of the Doctoral Capstone Experience, the capstone student created and disseminated the Life Skills Curriculum and associated materials. Volunteer mentors participated in a training presentation addressing how to access and use the Life Skills Curriculum, as well as trauma-informed approach principles and cultural humility principles in line with best practice recommendations for resettlement work. Quantitative outcome data indicated an increase in mentors’ knowledge and confidence in teaching life skills to refugees before (n=15) and after (n=9) the presentation. This project contributed to literature about occupational therapy’s role when working with resettled refugees at a population level and provided resources to facilitate increased occupational engagement among refugees in Indianapolis.
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    Healing the Body and Mind: Sensory and Somatic Interventions for Interpersonal Trauma
    (2021-05-05) Nickel, Allison; Brooks, Emma; Flores, Jessica; Loeser, Madison; Richason, Hannah; Chase, Anthony; Petrenchik, Terry; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences
    In this rapid systematic review, research literature was investigated to evaluate sensory and somatic interventions that aid in the recovery of interpersonal traumatic experiences. This review included the evaluation of creativity-based (art, dance, music), mindfulness, neurofeedback, and emerging therapy interventions (adventure, play, resilience, neurophysiological psychotherapy). Many individuals who have been exposed to one or more traumatic events will experience a variety of side effects or consequences that will impact the rest of their lives. Survivors often experience imbalances in their psychological as well as their physical wellbeing. These imbalances are often presented in different aspects of life as well as in various parts of the body. Yet, there is little research to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions that are sensory and somatic based. The majority of our overall review indicate that there is moderate to strong evidence to support sensory and somatic based interventions used to aid in the recovery of those who have experienced an interpersonal traumatic event.