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Elaine Huzel, BMR (OT)
Clinic Director/Occupational Therapist
Elaine is the owner and principal consultant at Work-Able Solutions. As an occupational therapist for over 28 years, she brings a wealth of experience and an energetic person-focused approach to her work. She is a dedicated professional who always goes that extra step for her clients, with a natural ability for developing resourceful and practical solutions. Elaine obtained her Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation in Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba in 1993 and has worked in both the public and private sectors. She founded Work-Able Solutions in 1998, and currently manages the clinic while maintaining her OT skills by keeping an active caseload.
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Elaine works with individuals experiencing a range of health conditions such as orthopaedic and soft tissue injury, hand injury, mental health illness, brain injury, neurological conditions, and complex chronic medical conditions. She feels privileged to be a part of a person's recovery journey, and to help find solutions to improve well-being and life participation. Elaine has a particular interest in neurobiology and the body-mind connection as essential elements to building an individual's strengths and resiliency. She has expertise in home and independent living assessment, cognitive assessment and rehabilitation, functional capacity evaluation, mental health assessment and rehabilitation, and medical-legal assessment.
Elaine provides a full spectrum of corporate services including ergonomic assessment, training, and design, workplace accommodation solutions, stay at work mental health services, return to work rehabilitation, and job demand analysis. She has conducted well over 1000 office ergonomic assessments and has been involved in multiple large-scale projects providing ergonomic consultation around office design, renovations, and new equipment purchases. Elaine has been the ergonomics and workplace accommodation consultant for the staff of the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba since 2006, in addition to providing ergonomics services for both the federal and provincial governments and numerous private organizations. She has also conducted industrial ergonomic risk assessments, primarily in the manufacturing industry, for over 20 years. Elaine has expertise in workplace accommodation and is able to combine her occupational therapy skills with an understanding of current legislation and the roles of the employee and employer in the interactive accommodation process. She has provided our corporate clients with support to develop and enhance their workplace accommodation policies and has developed a cognitive demands analysis protocol which has assisted our clients to provide leading-edge workplace disability management. Elaine has developed and delivered a wide range of ergonomics and wellness training and is well regarded as a dynamic and engaging speaker who is able to connect with her audience to facilitate a positive experience.
Elaine has actively supervised and mentored other occupational therapists for over 25 years. She is a member in good standing with the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba (COTM), the Manitoba Society of Occupational Therapists (MSOT), and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT).
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Sandra Ott, BMR (OT)
Associate Occupational Therapist
Sandra has worked as an occupational therapist for over 20 years. Her experience spans both the public and private sector with individuals experiencing a wide variety of health conditions. Sandra's experience, creativity, and solution focused approach allows her to be particularly effective with complex medical situations. She is an engaging speaker, with an interest in promoting injury prevention, active living, and helping adults manage and live optimally with chronic health conditions.
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Sandra completed her Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Manitoba in 1996. Throughout her career she has been dedicated to providing occupational therapy with genuine care that truly enhances the lives of her clients. In her role at Work-Able Solutions she provides home safety and independent living assessment, personal care assistance assessment, hospital discharge planning, functional abilities assessment, office ergonomic assessment, cognitive assessment and rehabilitation, physical and cognitive job demands analysis, workplace accommodation, and return to work rehabilitation. Sandra also provides injury prevention and wellness training in office ergonomics, safe body mechanics, energy conservation, and strategies to optimize sleep.
Sandra shares her clinical expertise as a sessional instructor to occupational therapy students at the University of Manitoba. She has served as a volunteer with the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba since 2017, and has also held various positions on the executive of the Manitoba Society of Occupational Therapists, including president in 2002.
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Amy Shepherdson, MOT
Associate Occupational Therapist
Amy graduated from the University of Manitoba Master of Occupational Therapy program in 2012. Since that time, she has worked in Northern Alberta and Northern Ontario before settling in her home province of Manitoba. Her past experience includes inpatient and acute care, long term care, home assessments, pediatrics, mental health crisis services, and functional assessments. Amy's practice in a variety of settings has allowed her to become a well-rounded therapist with strong clinical reasoning skills. Her kind nature, excellent communication skills, and sound problem-solving abilities lend well to providing thorough client-centred care.
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At Work-Able Solutions, Amy provides mental health rehabilitation and works in our early intervention stay at work and return to work mental health programs. She skillfully blends evidence-based therapeutic interventions such as CBT, DBT, ACT, behavioural activation, and motivational interviewing within a trauma sensitive and recovery-oriented approach to her practice. She also provides home and independent living assessment, personal care assistance assessment, job demands analysis, cognitive assessment, return to work programs and wellness education around mental health and coping. Amy has undergone additional training in office ergonomics and provides these assessments through our workplace services.
Amy uses an evidence-based approach and is always looking for opportunities in professional development. She is Level 2 Certified by APT Accreditation for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Amy strives to provide culturally competent care and values the time she spent working with individuals in rural and First Nation communities. Her passion lies in helping individuals engage in meaningful activities as independently as possible. Her exceptional ability to assess individuals in a truly holistic manner, using a strength-based approach, allow her to provide very in-depth assessments, recommendations, and treatment plans. Amy is registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba and holds memberships with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and Manitoba Society of Occupational Therapists.
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Katelyn Maruca, MOT
Associate Occupational Therapist
Katelyn obtained her Masters of Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba in 2012. She is a dedicated clinician with a wealth of experience in work rehabilitation and functional abilities assessment. Katelyn is committed to evidence-based practice and continuing education, and attends multiple courses and conference yearly. She is a Matheson Certified Functional Capacity Evaluator and Ergonomic Evaluator Specialist, a Certified Return to Work Coordinator, and is currently pursuing her Management Certificate.
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In her role with Work-Able Solutions, Katelyn provides home assessment, personal care assistance assessment, ergonomic assessment and training, worksite assessment, return to work programs, cognitive assessment, physical demands analysis, percentage of duty assessment, permanent impairment assessment, and functional capacity evaluation.
Katelyn is an outstanding mentor to OT students, and was awarded the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Educator Award of Excellence in 2020. She is also a dedicated volunteer serving as the Chair for the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba since 2018, and the Vice-Chair since 2015. Katelyn also serves on numerous boards and committees, including with the Manitoban's Riding with Disabilities Association. She is registered with the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba and holds memberships with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and National Institute of Disability Management and Research.
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Leslie Johnson, Msc, Bsc (OT)
Associate Occupational Therapist
Leslie has as worked as an occupational therapist for over 25 years, implementing rehabilitation and injury prevention services in industrial, hospital, and home/community settings for individuals experiencing a wide range of medical conditions.
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She has been a practice innovator throughout her career, and continues to strive to apply the most current research-based interventions. Through her commitment to ongoing education and her diverse clinical experience, Leslie has developed expertise in ergonomics and injury prevention strategies, return to work and work hardening, job demands analysis, functional capacity evaluation, chronic pain programs, medical-legal assessment, and workplace wellness education.
As the clinical coordinator at a large rehabilitation clinic offering multidisciplinary services, Leslie developed excellent team communication and case management skills. Leslie currently shares her expertise and interest in work related rehabilitation services with occupational therapy students as a faculty member at the University of Manitoba. Leslie has been awarded grants to complete a number of research projects, she has written several publications in peer reviewed journals, and has been invited to present this work at local and national professional organizations on numerous occasions. She earned her Master of Science degree in 2008; her research thesis project explored the effectiveness of office ergonomics education. Leslie’s extensive and diverse clinical and management experience, combined with her creativity and commitment to education and research, make her a highly sought-after occupational therapist.
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All of our occupational therapists are registered and licensed by the College of Occupational Therapists of Manitoba, and are members of the Manitoban and Canadian Occupational Therapy Associations.
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