Hello from the Master of Occupational Therapy Program,

Occupational therapy is the art and science of fostering mindful engagement in activities and meaningful occupations to enhance clients’ performance, ability, and quality of life. Occupational Therapy’s unique contribution to healthcare is that it is built on the premise that every aspect of our daily lives — from driving a car to brushing our teeth to getting coffee — is an engagement in occupation. All those activities are occupations that help individuals maintain their health and enjoy life. Our students learn to help clients regain their ability to do what makes life meaningful.

The OT program at Governors State maintains small class sizes to enable ongoing active engagement between our faculty and students. A primary goal is to help our students develop practical professional reasoning to guide them in their future practice. Students engage with individuals in the community during their coursework and fieldwork to enhance their development of the client-clinician relationship and therapeutic skills. The faculty recognizes that the healthcare industry is constantly evolving, and our students must be equipped to comprehend the most current research and clinical guidelines to help their clients achieve optimal outcomes.

I have been an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at GovState since 2019. Before joining the faculty, I worked as an Occupational Therapy clinician and manager in post-acute rehabilitation settings for over 25 years. Occupational Therapists working in rehabilitation treat individuals who have suffered from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, medical trauma, orthopedic injury, or mental health condition. In addition to teaching, service, and scholarship, I provide private practice Occupational Therapy services to clients living in community and home-based settings. In my private practice, I help individuals manage their chronic conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s Disease, diabetes, and issues surrounding aging in their community. But I also help young people dealing with mental health issues or finding the right occupational fit in their environment. My current research platform focuses on health promotion, wellness, and prevention, as well as interprofessional practice, leadership, and management.

I also currently serve as the Co-Chair of GovState’s Institutional Wellness Committee, as the Scholarship and Service Co-Chair for the Occupational Therapy department, and Co-Chair for the Administration and Management Special Interest Section of the Illinois Occupational Therapy Association. My primary goal, as both teacher and therapist, is to foster evidence-based Occupational Therapy practice across the lifespan to enhance the quality of life for the individuals we serve.

Because all the OT faculty continue to practice as Occupational Therapists, we provide real-world experience and reflection in our teaching. We engage our students as instructors and mentors in a variety of educational strategies to ensure their learning is active, relevant, and practical.

Governors State offers a range of learning strategies to cater to a diverse student body. This is not just about race, ethnicity, and gender. It is the way we engage neurodiversity, the way we learn, and move away from neurotypical standards. It’s a priority in our program from inclusion to belonging. Our Occupational Therapy program builds diversity into our philosophy to empower all learners to succeed. We utilize evidence-based practices to empower our clients to achieve their life goals. It is essential that students can support their work with clients by using the latest research. We train students to engage in a client-centered, strength-based approach. This allows our clients to build on areas where they are already strong, motivating and empowering them. Some of our most valuable educational activities include community service-learning opportunities, where students spend time supporting various community organizations and service providers in developing programs and interventions to enhance clients’ occupational performance. This includes our community garden development, innovative driver rehabilitation program, and our annual GovState Wellness Week event.

We strive to mentor the next generation of Occupational Therapists to become the highest-quality clinicians, professionals, teachers, and managers. We seek to facilitate optimal learning outcomes for all students while ensuring that GovState OT grads are considered the best new hires entering the job market.

Frank Czuba DrOT, OTR/L