Degree Name
Occupational Therapy Doctorate
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Dr. Chen, Szu-Wei
Abstract
Many organizations that serve the care of pregnant and postpartum women have identified unmet client need specific to the health and well-being of new mothers, which occupational therapy (OT) has the potential to address, through health promotion and well-being initiatives that focus on the prevention of barriers to participation, specific to the co-occupation of motherhood. While in an emerging practice area, the inclusion of Occupational Therapy (OT) is well positioned to address the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of new mothers. Through the creation of educational programming, this doctoral capstone project supported from an occupational therapy perspective, the development of group programming designed to facilitate self-efficacy in the lives of an underrepresented population within healthcare. The outcome of this initiative was the development of a structured maternal health group program, focused on evidence-based, best practices in the development of maternal health activity groups.
Recommended Citation
Baker, Leslie M. "OT in Maternal Health." (Spring 2026).
Comments
Many organizations that serve the care of pregnant and postpartum women have identified unmet client need specific to the health and well-being of new mothers, which occupational therapy (OT) has the potential to address, through health promotion and well-being initiatives that focus on the prevention of barriers to participation, specific to the co-occupation of motherhood. While in an emerging practice area, the inclusion of Occupational Therapy (OT) is well positioned to address the physical, emotional, and psychosocial needs of new mothers. Through the creation of educational programming, this doctoral capstone project supported from an occupational therapy perspective, the development of group programming designed to facilitate self-efficacy in the lives of an underrepresented population within healthcare. The outcome of this initiative was the development of a structured maternal health group program, focused on evidence-based, best practices in the development of maternal health activity groups.