The Incredible Brain
A relatively new addition to the Mountain Valley Team, Dara Spezial, MS, OTR/L, serves as milieu clinician. She uses her extensive background as an occupational therapist to help residents rebuild routines, strengthen self-efficacy, and reconnect with the activities that bring purpose and grounding. The Massachusetts College for Pharmacy and Health Science recently recognized Dara’s passion for teaching with the Outstanding Fieldwork Educator Award, honoring her for work with students at local colleges in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We caught up with Dara to learn more about her work on Mountain Valley’s growing OT team.
Tell us about your background?
“I knew I wanted to be an occupational therapist pretty early on. I actually did OT myself as a kid because I had a really hard time learning to walk and talk. It was kind of a passion by proxy, learning so much early on in my youth. I ended up at Ithaca College in New York and met Camille Wrege, who was in my same year. She’s my best friend and was my maid of honor at my wedding. We both fell in love with mental health and had a passion for it. We ran a mindfulness club in college which was great, but I didn’t know how to integrate OT into mental health as a career. It was always in the back of my brain.
I ended up working in geriatrics and the work is very fast, which is awesome. For the past six or seven years I’ve been in nursing homes and hospitals, assisted living facilities and homes, doing home care, inpatient, and outpatient work. It’s been fortunate that my employers have seen my passion for the field and they’ve expanded my job opportunities to include fieldwork education with students. I recently received the Outstanding Fieldwork Educator Award for my work with students at local colleges in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I truly love teaching and educating about occupational therapy.”
How did you end up at Mountain Valley?
“I burned out at my previous job. It had massive productivity standards and was very focused on the bottom line. In June I quit and decided to look at what I could do next. I got my ergonomics certification and did some contracting on the side. My husband and I also bought a house after we fell in love with the Upper Valley.
I contacted Camille and said ‘Hey, I know you love your job. Is there any way I could come for a day and see what it’s all about?’ I got to come in and shadow and I fell fully in love with Mountain Valley. This is what I went to school, this is why I want to be an OT. The team has been outstanding and allowed me to have incredible opportunities so quickly in my milieu clinician role. It’s a very special place where we can have freedom in our work.”
Tell us about how your work complements that of the other occupational therapists, Camille and Renee?
“It’s incredible that we have four occupational therapists, including executive director Zack Schafer, when it previously was just Camille and Zack. Camille was doing groups and individual sessions, and it was getting wild as the program expanded. She just needed a hand, so Renee came in and they realized that residents needed individual OT sessions every week. Therapy and OT complement each other so much.
At almost the same time, the former milieu support specialist Kelsey decided to leave for an incredible opportunity at the VA. Mountain Valley needed someone to lead groups, and I jumped in. They also needed someone in the milieu to help with those smaller OT things like if someone’s in actively in a compulsion, I can support them through an occupational therapy lens. I get to educate other residential staff and be that person a lot of the time to get everyone on the same page with what’s happening in our OT work.”
What’s your favorite part about working with the residents at Mountain Valley?
“Their brains are incredible. I’m also kind of a neuro nerd, and I would see a lot of neuro plasticity in the pediatric population I loved early on. When I was in the geriatric work, I had a lot of patients with dementia—that side is fascinating but it’s repetitive work with the same interventions, because the research shows that’s most effective.
Every day is so different here, I love that feeling of the unexpected. I can pivot when I’m working with residents. This worked yesterday but didn’t today. You can see the wheels turning and the light turn on in front of you. It’s incredible, and that feeling is why I got into the health profession. I love helping them grow and learn, and I get to facilitate that every day.”
Tell us about your work with OT modules?
“I lead three to four modules in a week, which often focus on exposures for our residents. For example, the other week we had two residents with contamination anxiety plunge their hands into the dirt while we planted seeds in a gardening module, and everyone was cheering. It was so cool to see them sit with the discomfort and actively do some response prevention while they also engaged with the earth.
With OT groups, I try to match the ERP schedule, but I put more of an OT spin on things. Yesterday residents learned about the four different communication styles, and we did a fun activity where we had them draw pictures on their partner’s backs. It’s nonverbal communication but you can still clearly communicate. The residents loved it and it spun off into a massive game of telephone.
On Friday I lead creative expression, which is really where I encourage them to find that flow state and enjoy some art. Make it free and find some joy while also maybe working on a contamination exposure around paint, for example.”
Where do you see yourself in five years?
“Definitely still at Mountain Valley. I would love to take on more leadership roles, whatever it looks like in the future. I can see where we’re headed and it’s such a beautiful picture—I want to be a part of that.”
What do you like to do for fun in your free time?
“My schedule is really nice because I work 7:30-3 pm, whereas at my previous job I was working 12-hour shifts. Now that my husband and I have a home, I get to garden and we’re revamping our backyard. We live right next to a lake, and we love kayaking in warmer weather. I’m also looking forward to checking out the local trails!”
