A partnership formed from a shared mission is highlighting the value of occupational therapy (OT) in improving the lives of pregnant women and mothers in addiction recovery and their children.
Recognized for projects focused on adolescents in recovery, Victoria Wilburn, D.H.Sc., OTR, CLT, FAOTA, and Overdose Lifeline, dedicated to supporting people affected by addiction, are teaming up on novel research that incorporates occupation-based programming into recovery supportive housing.
Launched in 2022, Overdose Lifeline’s Heart Rock Justus Family Recovery Center is a sober residential community in Indianapolis for pregnant women and new mothers over the age of 18 and their children under age 4. The women, who are eligible to live at Heart Rock after completing a substance use disorder treatment program, participate in structured programming, including 12-step groups and individual trauma therapy.
“Overdose Lifeline has always been committed to filling gaps that exist in services for individuals with substance use disorder,” said Justin Phillips, M.A., who founded the organization 10 years ago after her son Aaron died from a heroin overdose.
“Serving women in recovery supportive housing who are pregnant or parenting young children is a space where we saw a gap in recovery that we wanted to help address,” Phillips shared.
Grant-funded research, targeting both mother and child, integrates occupational therapy into Heart Rock’s service offerings to demonstrate the effectiveness of OT-based recovery.
After an initial evaluation by a licensed OT, each woman in the study participates in up to 24 individualized sessions with the OT that may include strategies to cope with self-trauma, trauma-informed parenting, education, socialization and employment preparation. In addition, the OT works with mother and child together to identify and address any developmental delays in the child and establish a foundation for healthy parenting.
“Community is an antidote to overdose, and re-establishing oneself as a person in recovery within communities and participating in occupations are vital,” said Wilburn, an associate professor in the IU OT program who has partnered with Overdose Lifeline in addiction recovery programming since 2017.
“What we’re aiming to show with this research is that occupational therapists can be an integral part of the recovery journey,” Wilburn continued, “helping people find the meaning, structure, routines and healthy habits that are so important to maintaining recovery.”
Leah Van Antwerp, OTD, MS, OTR, PMH-C, occupational therapy clinical assistant professor with IU’s OT program, provided the occupational therapy services for the research study at Heart Rock and is now working at the center, in addition to her OT teaching responsibilities.
“All of the women I work with have significant trauma history, and most did not have positive parenting role models,” said Van Antwerp. “Because of the addiction and the trauma, they’re at risk for continuing that cycle with their own kids.
“Through the study, we’ve been able to do a lot of good prevention work to strengthen those bonds between mother and child and build positive parenting skills.”
Data gathering for the study was completed this fall, and while final assessment and evaluation are underway, Phillips believes OT-based recovery programming is critical to Heart Rock’s continued success.
“Leah’s involvement has made a world of difference,” said Phillips. “From early intervention with the babies who are showing signs of developmental delays to helping moms with parenting, we’ve proven the concept works. The research lends tremendous credibility to the work we’re doing.”
The collaboration with Heart Rock demonstrates the value of community-based research and practice—something Wilburn said is a priority in enhancing the OT workforce’s understanding of addiction and the role OT plays in helping individuals thrive in recovery.
“We’re illustrating the versatile role of the occupational therapy profession,” Wilburn said, “and providing the outcomes that are so necessary for community programming like this to continue.”