Microcredentials: Trauma Informed Care in Occupational Therapy

MICROCREDENTIAL PROGRAMMING

Presented by Quinn Tyminski, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA and Dr. Kailin Lust

1 contact hour

Description:

This course introduces trauma-informed approaches in occupational therapy, emphasizing the impact of trauma, systemic inequities, and intersecting identities on occupational participation. Participants will learn to identify institutional practices that may unintentionally cause harm and apply trauma-informed strategies throughout the OT process. The course highlights the importance of prioritizing safety, choice, collaboration, and meaningful participation in client-centered care.

Objectives:

• Analyze how intersecting identities, social determinants, and systemic inequities impact clients’ occupational access, engagement, participation, and trauma responses.
• Evaluate systemic and institutional factors that may perpetuate trauma or inequities and propose strategies to mitigate their impact on client outcomes.
• Apply trauma-informed practices to assessment, goal-setting, intervention, and discharge planning while adapting strategies to avoid re-traumatization.
• Create client-centered approaches that integrate cultural, social, and environmental contexts to support safe, equitable, and meaningful participation.

Presenter Bios:

Quinn Tyminski, PhD, OTR/L, BCMH, FAOTA, (she/her) is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Qualified Therapy Solutions an occupational therapy company that provides services specifically to non-profit organizations to meet the needs of underserved populations. She also serves part-time as an Assistant Professor in the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Mental Health by the American Occupational Therapy Association. She is an occupational therapy practitioners, educator, and researcher whose work centers on expanding access to occupation-based services for individuals experiencing marginalization, particularly those impacted by serious mental illness and homelessness. Dr. Tyminski’s research and leadership focus on improving occupational participation, community reintegration, and quality of life through innovative, occupation-based mental health services.

Dr. Kailin Lust (she/her) serves as the Chief Operating Officer of QTS. She is an occupational therapist with a deep commitment to advancing equitable, client-centered services, informed by her extensive experience working with individuals from historically marginalized communities. In addition to her role at QTS, Dr. Lust is a lecturer in the Washington University School of Medicine Program in Occupational Therapy, where she teaches a course focused on mental and behavioral health. She earned her clinical doctorate in occupational therapy from Washington University School of Medicine in 2023. During her doctoral training, she worked in a student-run clinic providing occupational therapy services to individuals experiencing homelessness and conducted research with Dr. Quinn Tyminski focused on this population. In her clinical work, Dr. Lust provides both individual and group-based occupational therapy services and is actively engaged in expanding access to mental health-focused OT services within the nonprofit sector. Her professional background includes work in homeless service agencies and domestic violence shelters, experiences that continue to shape her passion for mental health advocacy and systems-level impact.