The occupational therapy program at Cleveland State prepares students to address population-health issues in the community through the capstone process. Students collaborate with a local site to design a capstone experience. After working on site for 14 weeks, the student completes an individual capstone project to demonstrate synthesis and application of knowledge gained. These posters highlight the accomplishments of the occupational therapy doctoral students at Cleveland State University.
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Development of a Dating Violence Prevention Program for Adolescents
Melissa Arellano
2024This capstone focused on the development of an 8-session program with The Journey Center for Safety and Healing that aims to empower high school-aged adolescents through activity and leisure-based sessions to develop skills and routines to promote healthy dating... (read more)
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Occupational Therapy's Role in the Area of Eating Disorders and Body Image
Tayler Arjune
2024The role of Occupational Therapy with the eating disorder and body image population is not widely addressed. This capstone, worked alongside TripleAWellness, to advocate for occupational therapy services within the population of body image and eating disorders by educating... (read more)
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Universal Guideline Manual (UGM) for Inclusive Physical Education Service (PES) Courses at Cleveland State University (CSU)
Jamie Bartolovich
2024In collaboration with the Department of Health Sciences and Human Services at Cleveland State University, this capstone included the development and dissemination of a Universal Guideline Manual for physical education instructors at CSU. Incorporating diverse teaching methods and adaptive... (read more)
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The Positive Impact of Occupational Therapy Working with Foster Youth on Campus; Leading by Example
Nautica Bell
2024Aged-out foster youth are under-serviced requiring support in the transition to adulthood. This capstone focused on the development of a guidebook and education on mental health, sensory needs, and life skills for foster youth. The resources showed a positive... (read more)
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Transitions to Independent Living for Adults with an Intellectual Disability/Down Syndrome
Samantha Blashinsky
2024This capstone included an 8-week curriculum designed and implemented to meet the needs of individuals with an intellectual/developmental disability at The Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio. This program addressed transitions to independent living skills, such as post-secondary education,... (read more)
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Promoting Occupational Justice Within an Adaptive Rock Climbing Program
Kate Bliven
2024This capstone project enhanced Rec2Connect's adaptive rock climbing program through a contextual analysis which identified areas for improvement and guided the development of comprehensive resources for facilitators supporting individuals with and without disabilities. The project aimed to enrich engagement... (read more)
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Care Partners as the Client: Understanding the Needs of Informal Care Partners of Older Adults with Dementia and Addressing Their Challenges
Mariam Boulos
2024This capstone at Brush Development produced an educational dementia program to meet the specialized needs of at-home care partners. Content within this program addresses the challenges for both the care partner and the person with dementia through strategies that... (read more)
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Implementation of OT Services through a Reverse Job Fair for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD)
Rachel Braunegg
2024Employment rates for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities (IDD) is extremely low, despite having the desire and skill sets to work (Friedman, 2019). This capstone, partnering with Cleveland State University's Center for Career Development & Exploration, provided RISE... (read more)
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Occupation-Based Wellness within the Veteran Population
Jennie Burdette
2024Transitioning from military to civilian life often leaves veterans with long-lasting difficulties which includes physical and mental health challenges that affect different aspects of daily functioning. This capstone, at Baldwin Wallace University’s Student Veteran Center, provided occupation-based education and... (read more)
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Returning to Sexual Activity and Intimacy After Spinal Cord Injury
Hanna Bush
2024Sexual activity and intimacy are meaningful occupations for many individuals, regardless of ability. According to the OTPF-4, sexual activity and intimacy are activities of daily living. It is also a right for persons to have access to engage in... (read more)
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Increasing Cultural Inclusivity Within Your Practice: DEI Toolkit for Occupational Therapy Practitioners
Kaitlyn Deere
2024In the world of healthcare, there is an alarming amount of health disparities and lack of access to quality healthcare for those belonging to marginalized communities. The purpose of this capstone was to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion... (read more)
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Occupational Therapy in the U.S. Criminal Justice System: Assessing Leisure Engagement and Parental Roles within the Criminal Justice Setting
Kelly Dezsi
2024In collaboration with Northeast Reintegration Center, this capstone examined the effects of leisure engagement on nurturing relationships between incarcerated mothers and their children. Furthermore, it advocated for occupational therapy services in the criminal justice setting by identifying critical needs... (read more)
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Adaptive Outdoor Recreation to Promote Health and Well-being for Adults with Disabilities
Brittany Earle
2024Individuals with physical disabilities are disproportionately excluded from leisure pursuits including outdoor recreation due to various barriers. In collaboration with Cleveland Metroparks, I created a program designed for adults with disabilities to enhance health and well-being through participation in... (read more)
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Increasing Occupational Therapists' Knowledge and Awareness of Service Dogs
Emily Freyberg
2024This capstone involved the development and dissemination of a resource manual on service dogs for children based on collaboration with the 4 Paws for Ability organization. This manual provides occupational therapists with education on the purpose and scope of... (read more)
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The Truth to Transitioning: Development of a Trans* Specific Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Involving an Integrative Care Model
Amanda Gale
2024Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) clients are underserved by occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) throughout their transition journey. This research based capstone involved completing stakeholder interviews with OTPs and TGD individuals to inform and update an existing occupational therapy model and... (read more)
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Arm and Hand Functional Priorities of Individuals with Tetraplegia
Ashley Giffen
2024This research-based capstone conducted at MetroHealth Rehabilitation Institute determined specific functional arm and hand priorities among individuals with tetraplegia. The identification of these client values will inform the development of future rehabilitation processes and technological advancements to improve overall... (read more)
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PLAAY on the Move Manual for Dynamic Floor System
Brittany Henke
2024The dynamic floor is an interactive projector that facilitates play opportunities for children with physical disabilities. The purpose of this capstone was to develop a manual that will be used to assist clinicians with use of the dynamic floor... (read more)
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Improving Community Integration Through a Leisure Program to Address Cyclic Veteran Homelessness.
Breeanna Host
2024This capstone worked to provide increased leisure opportunities and build leisure skills for homeless veterans through the development of a leisure program and community speaker series at Harry Donovan Jr. Valor Home. This program focused on improving community integration... (read more)
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Optimizing Effects of Occupational and Physical Therapy Post Stroke
Taylor Joseph
2024Even after rehabilitation, 40% of individuals post-stroke are left with upper extremity residual deficits. This capstone, completed at Cleveland Clinic's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, focused on current research that is being conducted to optimize the effects of... (read more)
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Justice Involved Individuals and Sensory Processing
Anessa Kleem
2024Incarcerated individuals can have sensory processing challenges - these challenges can be exacerbated by the corrections environment. This capstone, at the Ohio Department of Rehab and Corrections, advocated for education of staff on sensory processing. This program provided staff... (read more)
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Understanding the Impact of Trauma-Informed Interventions on Child and Family Mental Health, Dynamic, and Engagement in Occupations
Jaela Kynard
2024This capstone, conducted at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, determined the efficacy of assessments and interventions for children and families affected by trauma. Comprehensive resource guides were developed regarding occupational therapy's role and trauma-responsive methods to support... (read more)
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Northeast Reintegration Center Leisure Program
Jessica Mravec
2024Occupational therapists have the opportunity to develop programming for inmates to increase skills and engagement in meaningful leisure activities, and to help inmates successfully reintegrate into the community. Through the collection of data from my needs assessment, I created... (read more)
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Promoting Positive Maternal Mental Health: Co-Occupational Education, Engagement, and Empowerment in the Perinatal Period
Elyse Mueller
2024This capstone, which took place at University Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, focused on enhancing maternal well-being and the maternal/infant dyad. This was promoted and advocated for through telehealth sessions for perinatal individuals and by increasing the awareness and... (read more)
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Investigating How Children with Autism Respond to Virtual Environments
Mykaela Naragon
2024Over 90% of individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder face sensory processing challenges. Virtual environments can trigger adaptive sensory responses akin to real-world experiences. This preliminary study explored how students with autism interact within virtual settings. Conducted at Julie... (read more)
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Resiliency Program Implementation on Children with Chronic Pain and Caregivers
Madison Palmer
2024This capstone included the implementation of an 8-week resiliency-building program for children with chronic pain and their caregivers. This program provided the children and caregivers with education on mindfulness, coping strategies, and social support to overcome challenges they experience... (read more)
