Mental Health in Occupational Therapy Syllabus for 2025-2026
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Amarillo College prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, under Title IX and Texas Education Code §51.253–255. Faculty and staff are mandatory reporters and must share any related concerns with the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@actx.edu. Reports and additional information are available at https://www.actx.edu/hr/title-ixtitle-ix. Confidential counseling and advocacy services are available through the Counseling Center and Advocacy & Resource Center.

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

OTHA-2309-001 Mental Health in Occupational Therapy

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: OTHA 1415

Course Description

Promotion of mental health and wellness through occupational therapy. Topics include theory and intervention strategies to enhance occupational performance.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 2 lec, 3 lab)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Mental Health Practice for the Occupational Therapy Assistant, Manville, Keough 

Developing Clinical Competence, A Workbook for the OTA, 2nd Edition, Morreale, Marie J. 

The OTA's Guide to Documentation: Writing Soap Notes, 4th Edition, Morreale, and Borcherding

Occupational Therapy Practice: FRAMEWORK: Domain & Process, 4th edition, AOTA

Supplemental Reading:

AOTA Selected Resources

Adult Physical Conditions: Intervention Strategies for Occupational Therapy Assistants, 2nd Edition Mahle & Ward

Quick Reference to Occupational Therapy, Reed

Supplies

Google access

Computer access including print capability

Supplies for student preferred method for note taking

Supplies to prepare presentations, assignments as determined by student

Student Performance

Consistency with and connection to the OTA curriculum

The curriculum design of the OTA program incorporates both developmental and adult education models of learning. In planning and implementing the curriculum, courses progress from easier to harder, general to specific, limited time observing to full time practicing. The program focuses on adult education concepts of self-directed learning, an increasing responsibility for one’s own learning, as well as establishing one’s own learning goals and objectives. The curriculum design incorporates the philosophy of the profession in that human are active beings and so students enrolled in OTA courses are actively learning not passively listening to lecture or viewing power point presentations. OTA students create the power point presentations from which they learn.

Therapeutic Use of Occupation I is a first semester course. This course builds knowledge of the student in the form of language which will be used across all courses and increases in complexity between Therapeutic Use of Occupation I and the next semester course Therapeutic Use of Occupation II.  Students begin learning abbreviations in the first course and those abbreviations are utilized again in the next semester in written notes based on the first clinical course observations. Basic healthcare concepts are taught in course I such as hand washing, protective equipment use, and workplace safety. The second course in the second semester builds on knowledge from the first course by requiring treatment plans which include safety and precautions.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

ACADEMIC CIVILITY & INTEGRITY

The OTA program seeks to have a civil and high integrity learning environment for the benefit of all learners, guests and instructors.  Any act of incivility or lack of academic integrity may result in a number of actions including being asked to leave the classroom up to dismissal from the college. 

Civility includes: 

1. Respect. Respect is demonstrated in verbal and non-verbal ways. Be sure your voice conveys respect as well as all body language. Respect is expected between instructors, between instructors and learners and between learners.  

2. Advocate for yourself. Speak up when you have a question or don't understand something. Please ask the instructor rather than your table mates. If you have a question, perhaps others in the room have the same question. Let the faculty answer your questions rather than getting wrong information from a classmate. 

3. Make the best use of your class time. You're paying for it! Arrive on time. Wait to pack up until the instructor dismisses class. Be prepared for class by bringing ALL MATERIALS and completed assignments in the format they were asked for. Take your turn in discussions and don't interrupt. Let others answer ahead of you who might be shy or quiet about answering. You don't always have to be the first one to answer. Listen carefully to other learners questions so you don't repeat what has already been asked. This is another reason to limit learner to learner conversation - the number one reason learner questions are repeated is due to side conversations. However, your classmates will view it as not paying attention. Speaking of paying attention...

4. Stay awake and attentive in class. Take a 10 minute power nap during breaks if needed.  Stand up in the LAB doorway or at the back of the classroom without distracting others. Stay alert and ready to participate if you are standing. A tired student can be confused with one who is bored or apathetic. It's better to let me know you had a rough night than to look like you're not paying attention in class or are disinterested. Sleeping in class may result in being asked to leave class which counts as an absence and reduces your grade in the Professional Development category. 

5. Have courage. When you have a concern, speak up. If it's conflict with a classmate, talk to that classmate NOT others in the cohort. When it's an issue with a faculty member/instructor, take the concern to the faculty member involved NOT other instructors.

If AFTER talking with either a classmate or an instructor you feel the issue is not resolved, please visit with the program director. In the event the program director does not resolve your issue, the program director will direct to concern to the Dean of Health Sciences, a resolution committee may be appointed, the VPAA office might become involved as well as the President of AC. This is the sequence or order of resolution an AC learner is expected to follow. If it is not followed, the person who you have contacted will refer you to the person you should be engaging with. 

6. The instructor is open to amending this syllabus to include additional suggestions regarding civility using a collective learner contract process.

Grading Criteria

Grading Policies:  Any grade disputes must be addressed within one week of receiving the grade; otherwise, the grade stands and will not be changed.  Grades will not be given over the telephone.  An appointment must be made with the instructor for a conference if a question over a grade arises.  The issue will not be discussed during class time. 

Evaluation:  The final course grade will be computed as follows:

Professional Development            10%

Content Exams                              30% 

Lab Activities                                  25%

Portfolio                                          10%

Final Examination                           25% 

                                                       100%

The following grade scale applies throughout this course:

                    A = 92.5 – 100

                    B = 83.5 - 92.4

                    C = 74.5 – 83.4

                    F = 74.4 and below

Note:  A grade of “D” is not possible in this course.  A student receiving a final grade of less than a “C” will be required to repeat this course and may not continue the next curriculum courses.  This course may only be repeated once and must be done in curriculum sequence.

 The following information details the policies of expectations and missed exams/ assignments:

A.   Content Exams –Each exam will cover the information presented since the previous exam (or the start of the semester for the first exam) and will be announced in advance.  If an exam is missed, for any reason, that exam will be made up according to OTA department policy. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the instructor ASAP to schedule a make-up time. The exam must be completed within 8 days of the missed exam. The format for the make-up exam will be at the discretion of the instructor and may differ from original exam format.  It is the responsibility of the student to obtain test information –no review will be given.  The maximum achievable score will be 95.  

B.   Quizzes- Quizzes will test knowledge of any/all previous lectures/readings.  They may or may not be announced and may be given at anytime during the course of the class.  A quiz cannot be made up for any reason. 

C.   Portfolio Assignments – All in-class, out-of-class, or presentations must be completed on time.  If you will be absent, you must send the instructor a picture of the completed assignment to be considered for credit. Any written portion of an assignment may be handwritten as long as it is legible.

D.   Lab Activities – All effort will be made to keep assignments to a level that can be completed during lab times.  Assignments given for each lab will be turned in at the end of lab, unless the instructor gives approval to complete it outside of lab.  In the event of lab homework, it will be due at the beginning of the next lab.

E.  Final Examination – One final exam will be given and will cover any/all material presented throughout the course.  The date and time of the final will follow the schedule set forth by the occupational therapy assistant instructor.

Attendance

ATTENDANCE: Being prompt and attending class is crucial for your learning experience.

Amarillo College endorses attendance as a key to success.  Attendance is required for successful completion of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program. 

Professional development grade: This portion of the grade is based on prompt and full attendance of class time. The learner begins the semester with 100 points in this category worth 10% of the course grade for each course.

For each time the student is ABSENT from the course, 4 points will be deducted from the current points available.

For each time the student is late/tardy/out of class for less than the full class time, 2 points will be deducted from the current points available. Examples include but are not limited to:

• arriving after the published start of class by any amount of time
• leaving prior to the published end of class
• going to get books/class materials from a car
• being on a phone call during class
• not returning for breaks in a timely manner habitually
• taking extra breaks

A student can lose several points quickly if in one day they arrive late, go to the car to get books, and leave early. That would be a total of 6 points off the professional development grade for the course.

Calendar

Additional Information

THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS THE COURSE INSTRUCTOR DEEMS NECESSARY TO FULFILL THE COURSE OBJECTIVES.