Browsing by Author "Young, Nikole"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Healing Through Leisure: Empowering Recovery For Mothers
    (2025-05-05) Messenger, Elizabeth; Van Antwerp, Leah; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Young, Nikole
    Mothers in early recovery from substance use disorder face unique challenges, including societal stigma, disrupted occupational roles, and a lack of structured, meaningful engagement outside of traditional treatment settings. At Heart Rock Recovery Center, a residential sober living community for pregnant and parenting women, staff identified a need to strengthen mother- child bonding through co-occupational leisure and daily activities. This doctoral capstone project aimed to address these needs by implementing a structured leisure exploration and life skills program designed to support maternal identity, promote co-occupational engagement, and enhance overall wellbeing. The program focused on engaging mothers in meaningful leisure occupations while reinforcing essential life skills to support daily function and long-term recovery. At the conclusion of the 14- week doctoral capstone project, staff reported high satisfaction with the program implementation and perceived positive effects on the mental health and overall wellbeing of participating residents. Although the sample size was limited, these findings provide preliminary evidence that integrating leisure-based, occupation-centered interventions into recovery settings can play a critical role in promoting wellness and improving quality of life for mothers in early recovery.
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    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.
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    Supporting Development for Children in a Family-Centered Recovery Home Setting: A Play-Based and Educational Program
    (2024-04-21) Leonard, Erin; Belkiewitz, Johnna; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Young, Nikole
    Play is a child’s most important occupation. Through play, children develop fine motor and gross motor skills, social skills, and independence. Occupational therapists have a role in addressing play development and caregiver education in many settings, including family-centered residential recovery housing. Research has established that children impacted by parental substance use often experience developmental delays impacting play engagement. Barriers to age-appropriate play participation include parental lack of experience and education on developmental milestones and age-appropriate activities. The capstone student collaborated with the site to develop and implement a play-based and educational program with the purpose of encouraging developmentally appropriate play engagement for the children residing in the recovery home. The goal of this program was to target caregiver confidence and satisfaction in promoting developmentally appropriate play for their children. Results of the study indicate the staff and participants were satisfied with the implemented program and experienced improved confidence and competence in facilitating the development of their children following program implementation.