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A common thread connects many of the places Skylar Simpson has worked while pursuing her doctoral degree in occupational therapy.

“Everywhere I go, I am meeting people who went to Dominican,” she says.

This includes Erin DeNola MSOT ’19, owner of the San Carlos-based Skilled Therapy & Play Services, where Skylar completed her 50-hour job shadow requirement before entering Dominican’s occupational therapy program. Many of the staff were also Dominican alumni, and the team not only gave Skylar hands-on experience but supported her through the application process, including writing letters of recommendation.

“It just affirmed for me that Dominican would be a good fit and a good community,” Skylar says.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Skylar attended Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory before majoring in kinesiology at Chico State University. She wasn’t immediately certain where that path would lead, but a class presentation by an occupational therapist made a lasting impact.

“I immediately knew occupational therapy is what I wanted to do,” she says. “I loved the idea that occupational therapists view the whole person, not just a diagnosis or injury. An OT gets to know what matters to people. You discover their interests and their routines, and then you work with them through this lens.”

After undergrad, Skylar worked for San Francisco Parks and Rec and coached high school girls’ lacrosse at her alma mater while planning her next move. Growing up in the city, she was aware of Dominican in nearby Marin County. The OT department’s solid reputation convinced her this was the right next step.

Now in her third year of Dominican’s occupational therapy doctoral program, Skylar has explored a wide range of experiences. She entered the program with an interest in pediatrics but has kept an open mind about the many ways OT can serve different populations, including mental health.

“I didn’t realize until my first year how deeply OTs can work in psychosocial and mental health spaces,” she says. “That was new to me, and it really clicked.” 

This summer she completed fieldwork with the psychiatry department at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

“We provided group-based interventions and individual sessions. We would start with chart reviews, but we always went deeper to learn about patients’ personal goals, what they enjoy, and what barriers they’ve faced in life,” she recalls.

Skylar credits her first fieldwork mentor, Salvador (Sal) Chávez Guerrero, ’16, MSOT ’17, at El Camino Hospital, with inspiring her to consider this path.

“He showed me what ‘therapeutic use of self’ really looks like. Just his presence — the energy he brings into a room — makes a huge impact on people going through a crisis. That stuck with me.”

Through Dominican, Skylar also had the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland in spring 2024, visiting Dublin, Waterford, and Cork. The experience offered a very different perspective on mental health care.

“In Ireland, we saw community-based practices where the client truly leads the care process,” she says. “It was amazing to soak up a different culture and approach.”

Across her fieldwork, which also included her second-year summer placement at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland, where her clinical instructor was a former Dominican instructor, Skylar has carried with her the importance of addressing mental health and emotional well-being, even in more physically focused settings.

“Whether I’m working with an adult recovering from a hip replacement or a child working on handwriting, I have learned the importance of meeting people where they are at and making sure their mental health and well-being needs are addressed, along with their physical issues,” Skylar says.

“Trust-building and seeing the whole person are so important.”

Skylar continues to work part-time with San Francisco Parks and Rec and hopes to serve the San Francisco community long term, possibly through the school district or a local clinic. She also is keen to explore working in a mental health-based setting – either acute care at San Francisco General or a community-based program – due to her positive fieldwork experiences.

“I really care about my SF community,” she says. “I was once in the shoes of the youth I work with now. It means a lot to be able to give back.”

Her capstone project reflects that commitment: a mental health and wellness curriculum for the city’s summer camps, designed to support children ages 8–12.

“It’s a nine-week workshop where we’ll focus on the power of occupation as a way to support well-being, build friendships, and create a sense of belonging,” she says.

Skylar’s work is deeply influenced by Dominican faculty like Dr. Karen McCarthy, associate professor of occupational therapy, whose emphasis on social justice has shaped Skylar’s approach to care.

“She’s amazing,” Skylar says. “The way she centers clients in everything and brings a progressive tone to our work. This will stay with me my entire career.”