Headlines


Congratulations to OTTP Division Director Sarah Bream, OTD/OTR/L, who has been elected to serve the Occupational Therapy Association of California as the Region 2 Director-Elect. Dr. Bream will serve one year in the director-elect position and then three years in the director position. OTAC was established in 1972 and represents the interests of 14,000 licensed occupational therapy practitioners in the state of California. OTAC serves, supports and promotes the profession of occupational therapy and its practitioners.




OTTP Division Director, OTD/OTR/L Sarah Bream, contributed an article to the June 28, 2010 issue of OT Practice, entitled "Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Adolescents."  The feature-length editorial highlights OTTP, the specific role of the OT practitioner in community-based mental health practice with adolescents, and some key examples of the interdisciplinary model.  
"The state of mental health among our nation's adolescents is alarming. Violence, suicide, and substance abuse continue to impact millions of adolescent lives each year," Bream wrote.  "The mental health needs of adolescents are immense, but occupational therapy practitioners have the knowledge and skills to help address their needs......OTTP serves as a model program striving to meet the critical needs of adolescents in Urban Los Angeles."    

View the complete article here.



The American Occupational Therapy Association's annual conference took place in Orlando, FL April 28- May 1, 2010. Sarah Bream, OTD, OTR/L, Liz Carley, OTD, OTR/L, and Michelle King-Nimmers, OTR/L, represented OTTP to a national audience.
Carley and King-Nimmers showcased a poster presentation, which highlighted OTTP's "On A Good Note" music program. Conference attendees expressed much interest in the program, in learning about OTTP and in replicating the successful program in their own regions.





Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger officially declared May "Marriage and Family Therapists Month." A special thanks to OTTP's James McLindon for his assistance in pursuing the proclamation.






OTTP LCSW Clinical Supervisor Kasey Phillips Brown was featured on the National Association of Social Workers website during their Black History Month celebration.

"Our children are faced with poverty, a lack of resources, poor education, high unemployment, parental abandonment resulting from substance abuse, incarceration and mental illness and often these children act out their depression through oppositional behavior and criminal activity," she said. "These children are then viewed by society as ‘bad kids.’ I want the world to know that children are not just ‘born bad.’ I believe that if you sat that 'bad kid' down in an office and had he or she tell you about their life, you would most likely find that it is a wounded child that is just trying to survive. Our children are beautiful and resilient and I challenge those that disagree to walk a mile in their shoes."

Read the complete article: www.helpstartshere.org/tag/kasey-phillips-brown




OTTP OTA/L Mary Lawrence was featured in the January issue of OTAC regarding her work with the OTTP garden project.  

"Marcy Piercy wrote a poem, 'To Be of Use,' and said in it, "I want to be with people who submerge in the task, who go into the fields to harvest." When I submerge myself in the task of helping a client, I love my work. It is most rewarding when I see a client immersed and wholly occupied in a meaningful activity. I feel lucky to work in a unique, supportive environment with several creative, caring therapists. I am happy to work for supervisors who allow me to think, work and play outside the box."   

View the complete article here.