About
Deana is a master's graduate from Colorado State University's Occupational Therapy program. Born in Chicago, IL and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, she moved to Fort Collins, CO prior to returning to graduate school to pursue OT. Deana's undergraduate Liberal Arts degrees in English, History, and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Resolution deepen her understanding of the cultural and societal determinants of health that affect her clients. She is a passionate advocate for people facing chronic mental health and substance use issues and hopes to focus her future research and practice on addressing these pervasive societal issues with clients in all settings.
Deana is the fifth OT in a family whose areas of practice span a variety of ages and conditions; her family works or has worked in early intervention, inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, hand therapy, adult and adolescent mental health, and community-based occupational therapy. As such, you might imagine her path to choosing OT was an easy one...but you'd be wrong! After four years of working in nonprofit development at a community arts theater and a food bank, Deana experienced one of those accidents that bring people to OT - a wreck on her bike leaving her ankle fractured in two places, requiring surgery and rehabilitation over the course of three months. She moved back in with her OT parents to undergo treatment and rehab, and during those months had many conversations about the nature of their work and the ways in which OTs work to address participation and accessibility for all. They invited her to attend the 2017 Centennial AOTA conference in Philadelphia to learn more, and as you can see by the photo below, it was the start of a joyous journey to a new profession as an occupational therapist.
Deana is the fifth OT in a family whose areas of practice span a variety of ages and conditions; her family works or has worked in early intervention, inpatient rehabilitation, acute care, hand therapy, adult and adolescent mental health, and community-based occupational therapy. As such, you might imagine her path to choosing OT was an easy one...but you'd be wrong! After four years of working in nonprofit development at a community arts theater and a food bank, Deana experienced one of those accidents that bring people to OT - a wreck on her bike leaving her ankle fractured in two places, requiring surgery and rehabilitation over the course of three months. She moved back in with her OT parents to undergo treatment and rehab, and during those months had many conversations about the nature of their work and the ways in which OTs work to address participation and accessibility for all. They invited her to attend the 2017 Centennial AOTA conference in Philadelphia to learn more, and as you can see by the photo below, it was the start of a joyous journey to a new profession as an occupational therapist.
Deana went to graduate school knowing that she wanted to know more about the relationship between people's mental health and their ability to participate more fully in their personal and social lives. Colorado State University helped her to expand her interests to include many areas of practice, including dementia and Alzheimer's care, sensory-based interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, pediatric mental health, trauma-informed care, and interventions for minority or underserved populations, such as people in the LGBTQIA+ community, incarcerated people, and those living with chronic substance use issues. She also took on several student leadership roles, including Assembly of Student Delegates Representative, President of CSU's Student Occupational Therapy Association, and founding member and Secretary of CUS's chapter of DiverseOT, the third national chapter of a student-based OT group that seeks to foster diversity and inclusion in the profession and its curriculum. In 2023, Deana was invited to join the national DiverseOT board where she serves to further those same goals on a nation-wide level.
Deana's career goal is to become a powerful advocate for the role of occupation in treating mental illness. She hopes to be a future leader in mental healthcare by developing clinical and research skills in this area to be an effective advocate for the profession as well as for her clients. Part of her work will take place in the public realm, as it is also her life's work to change societal prejudices against people with mental health conditions that further prevent their participation in everyday life activities.
Occupational therapists take what is referred to as a "client centered approach", which simply means clients participate in therapy sessions that are tailored to their unique physical, emotional, and social goals and capabilities. Deana takes this holistic approach to her practice and supports this with a character that is grounded in building connections and community and reframing challenges with positivity and gratitude. She dreams of disability justice and communities founded on solidarity, mutual-aid, and respect for all ways of life.
"When I think about access, I think about love. |