Occupational therapy student celebrates her feature in a published book
“Mind and Movement” explores how exercise can positively impact mental health
By Sarah Shoaf, Staff Writer
Having a chapter in a published book is something Paige Oliver never envisioned as an Occupational Therapy (OT) student at Governors State University (GovState).
The book, “Mind and Movement: Advancing Mental Health Treatment with the Science of Physical Activity,” explores how physical exercise can positively influence mental health across a variety of contexts.
“I’m in a book! It’s so exciting—being in a book is just something I never would have imagined,” said Paige with a big smile. “It kind of didn’t settle in until I just got the published book recently. I was like wow, I made this! There’s my name and I’m representing my school.”
From cardiovascular fitness and strength training to dance and recreational sports, the book offers evidence-based reasoning for including movement in therapy. Each chapter brings together current research, clinical expertise, and practical tools for improving mental health through physical activity.
For her chapter, Paige specialized in functional and daily-life movement. “It’s a huge part of OT, basically what our target is,” said Paige about her field, which helps those recovering from physical or mental illness by encouraging rehabilitation through activities required for daily life.
As the sole graduate student representing GovState in the book written mostly by graduate students from Touro University, Paige shared how this chance opportunity came to be through a connection with the editor, Dr. Daniel J. Moran, an internationally recognized psychologist and Associate Professor at Touro University.
“I’ve known him for years. He’s a colleague of mine,” said Paige. “He reached out to me saying ‘this section I want to address is perfect for occupational therapy.’”
Paige wrote the chapter herself, though she said she’s grateful for Dr. Frank Czuba, Assistant Professor in OT, who offered tips and feedback on her draft.
While she’s been working on her part of the book, Paige has also been busy with her level two field work for the last six months. Her last rotation had her working in early intervention services with kids zero to three. Currently, she’s working at Saint Mary’s Hospital in acute care, which is immediate care for urgent health needs.
“The primary goal for me is to evaluate the people who come in, see where they’re at, and then work towards their next placement. That might be safe to go home, or they may need a skilled nursing facility,” said Paige.
She added that her latest placement is the field she’d like to work in after she graduates. “I really like doing the acute care, so I think this is the setting that I want to pursue.”
As she gets closer to the end of her field work, Paige is counting down the days until she completes her Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) program this December.
“I can’t wait to graduate. It’s been a long, long time being a student,” said Paige with a slight laugh. “Then I’ll be taking the board exam sometime in February. I’m hoping to pass the first time, so I would be licensed and I can get a job.”
Interested in reading the book? Click here to learn more or to buy “Mind and Movement.”