Heather Martin, OTD, OTR

Heather Martin, OTD, OTR, is a faculty member in the Occupational Therapy Department at Mount Mary University and has been training future occupational therapists for the past fifteen years. Her clinical experience focuses on pediatric practice, especially in outpatient settings, and her passion stems from these interactions with children and families. Heather brings this passion to the classroom in educating her students with an awareness and focus on providing support for not only the child, but for the entire family unit.

It is because of this passion that she began exploring ways to use mindfulness practices to support parents and families. As part of her doctoral work, she developed a Mindfulness program that uses this intervention to support parents of children with special needs, with a focus on introducing various mindfulness techniques and educating parents in its foundational concepts. Her desire to support parents and families continues to lead her in seeking out additional ways to share this information with other professionals, knowing the impact that mindfulness can have in their lives and the lives of the clients and families they serve.