Event Calendar
Prev MonthPrev Month Next MonthNext Month
Occupational Therapy & Re-Entry Services Post Incarceration:   Perspectives, & Considerations for Practice & Fieldwork
Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM CDT
Category: Events

*This event will be held live via Zoom.*

Timed Agenda
5:30 - 6:00  Presentation & Introduction of Panel 
6:00 - 6:45  Panel 
6:45 - 7:00  Question & Answer

Event Description
This course will include an overview of the problem (statistics regarding incarceration, history & details regarding prevalence of people with mental health and dual diagnosis who are incarcerated);  Trends regarding increased acknowledgement of social justice issues & the connection of social determinants of health and the school to prison pipeline (nationally).  Breakdown of data relevant to Minnesota.  Programs and trends in MN & select other states.  Opportunities to provide service (at academic, government, private practice levels) as occupational therapists.

Speaker Biographies
Nicole Onori Hansen, Dr.OT, is an occupational therapist and Wellcoaches-certified Health and Wellness Coach who teaches at the University of Minnesota in the Occupational Therapy Program and is a Fellow with The Patient Revolution. She is also a mental health educator and advocate who promotes a mind-body approach to health care education and practice. Her primary areas of interest include interprofessional education and collaboration, therapeutic use of self, the influence of meaningful living on well-being, and narrative therapeutic approaches. Dr. Onori Hansen recently created and launched the innovative and interdisciplinary L.E.G.A.C.Y.® Appreciative Life Review Model. The L.E.G.A.C.Y.® Model is the first values-centered, strengths-based, and meaning-focused approach to life review that has also been designed for use across the lifespan. L.E.G.A.C.Y.® facilitates the development of purpose, meaning-in-life, and the positive psychosocial resources that are essential for mental health, resilience, and thriving across life roles and contexts.   Dr. Onori Hansen received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy (Dr.OT) degree from Nova Southeastern University, M.S. in Counselor Education from Winona State University, Master of Occupational Therapy (M.O.T.) from Texas Woman’s University, and B.A. in Psychology from West Virginia Wesleyan College.   (Panel Moderator)

Joni Watling, OTD, MOT, OTR/L, QMHP-A lives in Richmond, Virginia in the North Highland Park neighborhood, which contains close to a dozen recovery houses and nonprofit organizations aiding re-entry efforts and halting the school-to-prison pipeline. Joni was instrumental in advocating for OTs in the Commonwealth of Virginia to achieve status as Qualified Mental Health Professionals and has served in a supervisory capacity for fieldwork education with Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Minnesota.  Her educational background includes a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Minnesota and a Post-Professional Doctorate from the University of St. Augustine. Joni’s interest in prison history began while employed as a journalist, however, learning about societal occupational injustices firsthand from psychiatric patients experiencing acute symptoms of mental illness and legal involvement during her work at the University of Minnesota Medical Center / Fairview from 2013-2018 serves as the primary catalyst for her work in re-entry. Leveraging opportunities provided by where she currently lives and the University of Minnesota Occupational Therapy program, where Joni has served as Adjunct Faculty since 2017, a partnership was established to connect UMN OT students needing Mental Health Level 1 Fieldwork with the Richmond based non-profit REAL Life organization, which serves individuals impacted by incarceration, homelessness, or substance use disorder.  The relationship has been transformative and deeply rewarding.  

La’ Shandra “Elle” Holmes-Russell, MSOT, OTR/L is a board-certified and licensed Occupational Therapist practicing in the state of Virginia. She received her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from Shenandoah University and her Certificate in Early Intervention from Georgetown University in 2019.  She is the owner of Occupational Transitions, LLC, a mobile clinic practice providing in-person and virtual services to include occupation-based maternal mental health virtual support group (The Mindful Melanated Mother), lactation/breastfeeding education, and care management services (Opulent Milk Lactation & Breastfeeding Clinic), postpartum care management of musculoskeletal conditions and early childhood developmental screenings, consultations and therapeutic treatment plans.

Through a recent community partnership with a local transitional housing program, Elle has been able to extend her services to support the needs of women/families in the criminal justice system who are preparing for community reintegration. 

Elle believes in taking a holistic approach in supporting the mother to and through the transition of motherhood, and is passionate about partnering with families in order to collaboratively identify therapeutic interventions that support and strengthen familial bonds and relationships, as well as maximize childhood developmental outcomes. For it is Elle's held belief that “relationship is the organizing factor in which all development (physical, social, and emotional) occurs”...and that every family deserves an "exceptionally bright beginning". A belief that continues to guide her professional development to include being a Certified Educator in Infant Massage, completing training/education to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant(IBCLC), being a member of the Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Health as well as training/education to be eligible sit for the PSI Certified Perinatal Mental Health Exam .

Nicole Konz, OTR/L, RYT,  is a 2011 St. Kate’s MAOT graduate. She had spent the last decade working with individuals who have oftentimes experienced trauma and now find themselves in intense settings such as; MN Security Hospital in Saint Peter, Regions Hospital Mental Health ICU, MN Juvenile Correctional Facility in Red Wing, and currently for the State of MN: Child & Adolescent Behavioral Health Services in Willmar. It is through these experiences she has come to witness that individuals have an innate desire for purpose, a sense of belonging, and to feel safe, and from that safety grows connection to others and onto living life more fully. Nicole has extended her training in various areas including SomaYoga, Somatic Experiencing, QiGong, and Emotional Freedom Technique. Nicole is most recently evolving her practice to community OT through Purpose Artisans, a cross-cultural group of OTs focused on generating social justice awareness and opportunities for social participation through community projects.

Kristine Haertl, Ph.D., ACE, OTR/L, FAOTA, is a Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at St. Catherine University. She teaches Masters and Doctoral courses related to foundations of occupational science, educational methods and practice, sensory-perceptual-cognitive processing, and introductory and advanced mental health practice.

Kristi has been active in mental health research related to peer-supported mental health housing models and exploration of the nature and efficacy of services at a free-standing psychiatric occupational therapy clinic.  Kristi’s research has led to legislative changes regarding evidence-based mental health practice in Minnesota and has helped secure funding for the development of Fairweather housing units in Pennsylvania.  In addition to full-time faculty work, Kristi has served as the Chair of a large mental health board in Minnesota, is a co-founder and co-chair of Occupational Therapy for the Advancement of Minnesota Mental Health Services, is currently the President of the Tasks Unlimited Training Center board and on the Executive Board for Tasks Inc.,  and maintains a private practice serving persons with psychiatric disorders and developmental disabilities. Kristi was honored to receive the St. Catherine University Faculty of the Year Teaching and Advising Award in 2008, she was awarded a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (FAOTA) in 2012 and she was inducted into the founding members of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Leaders and Legacy Society in 2015. She received the Marquis Who's Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation Meritorious Service Award the same year. Kristi has over 100 national and international presentations on 6 continents, over 50 publications and two books.

Ryan Rogers, M.S. COTA/L is a Unit Rehab Coordinator in Forensic Rehab at the Arizona State Hospital. Ryan’s ability to form meaningful relationships and skill set in the therapeutic use of self has proven to be an asset within the clinical setting with patients as well as with colleagues. Ryan actively mentors students and is committed to serving as a fieldwork educator for level I and level II COTA students. Additionally, he welcomes practitioners and students at any point in their careers to shadow him as a way to showcase the meaningful work those at the Arizona State Hospital engage in on a daily basis, such as the expansion of the hospital’s therapeutic vocational training program and focus on social-emotional intelligence. In addition to presenting at multiple state and national conferences, Ryan was awarded the Arizona Occupational Therapy Association’s Outstanding Occupational Therapy Assistant of the Year in 2018.


Learning Objectives
Participants will:

  • Distinguish opportunities for Occupational Therapists to serve clients engaged in community re-entryUnderstand the challenges experienced by people who have been incarcerated & who are re-entering community life. 
  • Distinguish sources of funding, policies, and reimbursement relevant to this area of practice.
  • Review potential strategic alliances in one’s own community based on case studies provided by panel participants. 


Target Audience: OT, OTA, Students

Level of Content:  Beginning, Intermediate, Advanced

AOTA Practice Area: Mental Health

CEUs: 1.5

Fees: $5/MOTA Members, $30/ non-members


REGISTER HERE


Contact: [email protected]