2026 Mental Health Specialty Conference Program
Program at a Glance
All sessions are closed captioned.
Below is the conference schedule at a glance. More information about sessions can be found in the program guide (coming soon).
October 8, 2026
|
8:00 am- 5:00 pm |
Registration |
|
9:00 am- 5:00 pm |
Pre-Conference Session #1 |
|
1:00 pm- 5:00 pm |
Pre-Conference Session #2 |
|
2:00 pm- 5:00 pm |
Exhibitor Setup |
October 9, 2026
|
8:00 am- 5:00 pm |
Registration and Exhibits |
|
8:00 am - 9:00 am |
Breakfast |
|
9:00 am - 9:45 am |
Keynote (see description below) |
|
10:00 am - 11:00 am |
Concurrent 101 Concurrent 102 |
|
11:15 am - 12:15 pm |
Concurrent 103 Concurrent 104 |
|
2:00 pm -3:00 pm |
Concurrent 105 Concurrent 106 |
|
3:15 pm -4:15 pm |
Concurrent 107 Concurrent 108 |
|
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm |
Posters Conversations That Matter |
Keynote
From 3% to More: Strengthening Mental Health Occupational Therapy Workforce Development
Halley Read, PhD, OTR/L, Western Oregon University, Monmouth, OR; Nuriya Hefron, MS, OTR/L, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
This session engages practitioners, researchers, and academicians to identify barriers to clinical education and job shadowing in mental health. With ~3% of occupational therapy practitioners in mental health settings, participants will explore solutions to expand learning and workforce pathways.
October 10, 2026
|
8:00 am - 4:00 pm |
Registration |
|
8:00 am - 9:00 am |
Breakfast |
|
8:00 am - 2:00pm |
Exhibits |
|
9:00 am - 10:00 am |
Concurrent 201 Concurrent 202 |
|
10:15 am - 11:15 am |
Concurrent 203 Concurrent 204 |
|
11:30 am - 12:30 pm |
Concurrent 205 Concurrent 206 |
|
2:00 pm -3:00 pm |
Concurrent 207 Concurrent 208 |
|
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm |
Closing (see description below) |
Closing
Advancing Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: Professional Identity, Resilience, and Workforce Development
Margaret Bolger, OTR/L, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
Using an autoethnographic approach, this session examines barriers to occupational therapy practice in mental health and illustrates how professional identity and resilience drive advocacy, program development, and workforce advancement.
