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MiOTA Fall Conference 2026
Welcome to MiOTA’s Fall Conference 2026!
Saturday October 3, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Limited Capacity seats available
The U.S. is experiencing a mental health crisis alongside a shortage of mental health providers, with over 1/3 of the population living in shortage areas (HRSA, 2024). Occupational therapy  practitioners (OTPs) are underutilized in mental health, despite their historical roots in the field (AOTA, 2015). Current documentation does not clearly demonstrate occupational therapy’s distinct value, limiting recognition, reimbursement, and policy support (Gee et al., 2022; Leland et al., 2014). Researchers disseminated a survey to current occupational therapy practitioners in inpatient mental health settings to discover what occupations are addressed in this setting, what the common treatment goals are, and how practitioners are displaying occupational therapy’s distinct value through documentation in inpatient mental health.
Speakers
LB

Lindsey Bulich

OT Student, Grand Valley State University
Lindsey Bulich is an Occupational Therapy graduate student at Grand Valley State
University. She has experience working as a rehabilitation technician at an outpatient
orthopedic, neurologic, and pediatric rehabilitation clinic. She also has fieldwork experience in a
pediatric schoo... Read More →
GB

Grace Buscemi

Graduate Occupational Therapy Student, Grand Valley State University
Grace Buscemi is an Occupational Therapy graduate student at Grand Valley State
University. She has experience working as a physical therapy technician in an outpatient clinic
and has completed pediatric outpatient and school-based fieldwork experiences. She currently
serves as the... Read More →
KF

Katie Freed

Graduate Occupational Therapy Student, Grand Valley State University
Katie Freed is an occupational therapy graduate student at Grand Valley State
University. She has experience working in activities at an assisted living facility and as a level 1
occupational therapy fieldwork student in early intervention. She has experience with individuals
of all... Read More →
SL

Sarina LoCascio

Graduate Occupational Therapy Student, Grand Valley State University
Sarina LoCascio is an occupational therapy student at Grand Valley State University.
She has experience working as a registered behavior technician at an outpatient autism center,
and as occupational therapy level I fieldwork experience in outpatient pediatrics. She currently
serves... Read More →
KM

Katherine Mahoney

Graduate Occupational Therapy Student, Grand Valley State University
Katherine Mahoney is an Occupational Science and Therapy graduate student at Grand
Valley State University. She has had experience working with children with disabilities, mostly
consisting of autism spectrum disorder and fetal alcohol syndrome disorder. She has completed
her first... Read More →
LJ

Lauren Janness

Occupational Therapist, Holland Hospital
Lauren Janness is an occupational therapist with experience supporting children,
adolescents, adults, and their families in developing adaptive skills for participation in meaningful
life activities through creative, evidence-based treatment approaches.

MW

Mikhila Wildey, PhD, LP

Associate Professor, Grand Valley State University
Mikhila Wildey, PhD, LP is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Grand Valley University.
She is also a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and maintains a small private-practice where she
specializes in couples therapy. Her research interests focus broadly in the area of romantic
rela... Read More →
avatar for Kelly Machnik

Kelly Machnik

Association Professor, Grand Valley State University
Faculty member at GVSU. 
Saturday October 3, 2026 1:00pm - 2:00pm CDT
Rhine (50) POSTERS

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