WINTERFEST: Occupational Therapy Model for Addressing the Needs of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

ON DEMAND WEBINAR

Presented by Kacey Barahona OTD, OTR/L

0.5 Contact Hours

Description:

Globally, 2.7 million children live in institutional orphan care and most will age out by age 18 with limited preparation for adulthood. These youth often grow up in isolation, lacking essential independent living skills and community experiences, which negatively impacts their transition outcomes. They face increased risks of homelessness, unemployment, and long-term disadvantage compared to their peers.

This project aimed to design and implement an occupation-based life skills education program for adolescents in institutionalized orphan care in Central America, with the goal of enhancing life skills competence and self-efficacy. A systematic review informed the intervention design, highlighting occupations as key components and experiential learning as a critical method. The program included modules targeting instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), emotional and physical health management, education, work, and social participation.

Seven youth, aged 14, participated in the program and completed pre- and post-intervention assessments measuring self-efficacy and life skills. Results demonstrated increased perceived competence and self-efficacy following program completion.

These findings suggest that occupation-based life skills education can support improved transition readiness for youth aging out of international orphan care. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) have a valuable role in promoting life skills development and should advocate for involvement in transition planning across diverse settings and populations, both locally and globally.

Objectives:

• Identify the need for increased occupational therapy involvement in community-based settings to support youth aging out of orphan care and similar populations in their transition to adulthood.
• Explain how occupation-based life skills education programs build self-efficacy through successful engagement in practical adult responsibilities.
• Analyze how occupational therapy practitioners grade interventions and scaffold skill-building in life skills education programs to promote independent community participation.
• Explore the work of Ohio-based occupational therapy practitioners in expanding community-based practice locally and globally.

Presenter bio:

Kacey Barahona is an occupational therapist and program leader with a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from The Ohio State University, where she also completed a graduate minor in Nonprofit Management as a University Fellow. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Liberty University, graduating summa cum laude with a specialization in developmental psychology. Kacey is bilingual in English and Spanish and holds an Ohio OT license. Her clinical experience includes work in pediatric inpatient behavioral health, acute care, and inpatient rehabilitation at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, as well as Level II fieldwork rotations in burn/SICU and forensic care at Ohio State University Medical Center and in pediatric behavioral health. She co-founded the Vision House Project in Honduras, a nonprofit organization that establishes safe housing and supportive services for youth aging out of orphan care, where she serves as Program Director developing evidence-based life skills and mental health programs. Kacey has also served as Honduras Country Director and International Programs Administrator for Reach Out Orphanage Ministries, where she established legal NGO operations and developed curriculum. She is a recipient of the AOTF Martha Kirkland Scholarship, was named an Elwood Scholar, and has held leadership roles including President of the Ohio State Student Occupational Therapy Association. Her volunteer experience includes serving on the board of Children’s Home Emmanuel and assisting with hippotherapy research for children with cerebral palsy.

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