We are offering the following Pro Bono Experience opportunities in 2025:

• Individual Physical Therapy: eight weekly sessions during Summer 2025 term
  • Work with our 1st year students under the supervision of a licensed and board-certified physical therapist faculty member.
  • Priority is given to those with musculoskeletal conditions such as low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, ankle pain, and/or foot pain. 
     
• Individual Physical Therapy: eight weekly sessions during Fall 2025 term
  • Work with our 3rd year students under the supervision of a licensed and board-certified physical therapist faculty member.
  • We can accommodate a mix of health conditions and medical diagnoses, including musculoskeletal conditions and neuromuscular conditions. 
  • Priority is given to those with limited physical therapy coverage and/or benefits. 

To sign up, email the contact listed near the bottom of this page. 1st come, 1st served...spots fill quickly, so reach out now to ensure a space. 

Opportunities to participate in the education of DPT students as a community participant happen in spring and fall terms, but vary depending on your problem and the content DPT students are learning. Visits are provided by SMU DPT students under licensed physical therapist supervision and may include exercise, hands on manual treatments, support in making health behavior changes, and individualized education. The Community Participant Labs are highly collaborative with a goal of mutual learning for both the participants and our students. 

Eligibility to participate in SMU’s Physical Therapy Community Participant Lab includes the following:

• Spring: we need participants with a documented neurologic condition (such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, brain injury, or generalized balance problems) for 5 sessions starting in March. Participants must be able to walk/wheel independently or require no more than minimal assistance from one other person to move around. 
• Fall: we need participants with an orthopedic condition that is symptomatic and/or results in dysfunctional movement (such as shoulder pain limiting your ability to participate in your hobbies) for 4 sessions starting in October.
• Commitment to attending all scheduled sessions
• Understanding that we accept participants on a first-come, first-served basis, in conjunction with the educational needs of our students    

What is the Occupational Therapy Adult Community Participant Lab?

• An opportunity for individuals with a diagnosed neurological condition to contribute to our students’ education. Some conditions that might bring a client in for services are a stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson's disease, for example.
• A student-led program, supervised by licensed occupational therapy faculty.
• A service for the Bay Area community focused on promoting participation and engagement in personal occupations. Personal occupations include activities of daily living such as personal care and home tasks, as well as work and leisure activities. 

About the Occupational Therapy Adult Community Participant Lab Program

Our program consists of nine visits, with the first visit being an examination followed by treatment sessions and concluding with a home program and recommended adaptive devices, equipment, and strategies to improve function in daily tasks.

Visits are designed to improve an important area of functioning in the participant's daily life, such as:

• Self-care tasks (dressing, grooming, bathing, using the toilet)
• Home tasks (cooking, dishes, cleaning, bills, etc.)
• Work activities (transportation, use of the computer, endurance, mental focus)
• Leisure tasks (going out to eat, socializing, playing sports, etc.).
• Exercises to improve strength or mobility in order to complete daily tasks
• Recommendation of adapted devices, equipment or strategies to improve function in daily tasks.

Please note: If the main objective is to improve walking, please see the Community Participant Lab offered by the Physical Therapy program.

2020 Dates:

• Monday afternoons
• Nine 50 minute sessions starting at 1:30, 2:30 or 3:30 pm
• February 3 through April 6, 2020

Eligibility: You are eligible to participate if you

• Have a desire for improvement in an area of daily function such as those described above
• Can commit to attending all scheduled sessions
• Understand that we accept participants on a first-come, first-served basis, in conjunction with the educational needs of our students

How to Apply

Please complete the Adult OT CPL Enrollment Form and return it to us via email*, fax, or mail. The form is a fillable pdf and can be completed on your computer or printed.

Email:OTLab@samuelmerritt.edu       Fax: 510-457-4008      Voicemail: 510-879-9200 x7456

Mail: OT CPL, 450 30th St. 4th floor, Oakland, CA 94609

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us!

*Please note that the enrollment form will contain your personal medical information which is protected by HIPPA. Email is not considered a HIPPA compliant method of communication, however, you may email your form to us if you wish.

What is the Occupational Therapy Pediatric Community Participant Lab?

• A free occupational therapy service for children ages 6 months through 16 years who have difficulty engaging in typical activities of childhood due to medical conditions, developmental challenges, or injury. 
• Our OT student-run lab helps community children to develop skills to enhance their participation in self-care, play, and school activities. SMU students are supervised by SMU's OT faculty. 

About the Pediatric Occupational Therapy Community Participant Lab

Our program consists of nine visits, with the first visit being an examination and parent interview followed by treatment sessions and concluding with a home program. Visits are designed to improve an important area of functioning in the participant’s life, such as:

• Self-care skills (teeth-brushing, dressing, utensil use for self-feeding)
• Visual-motor and visual perceptual skills (eye-hand coordination, handwriting)
• Fine motor (using hands to manipulate items)
• Functional gross motor skills for play (using the whole body to move through space)  
• Social skills (turn-taking, play skills)
• Attention and self-regulation skills (learning to control energy level and emotions)*
• Environmental modification for participation in daily life activities

*Due to the student-run nature of our services, our CPL does not provide services to address behavior issues, complex sensory processing issues, or swallowing/feeding difficulties. These are considered areas of advanced practice and are best served by practitioners who have advanced level training in these areas. Children should have a need for skill development in one of the areas listed above to be a good fit for our CPL services.

2019 Schedule:

• The 2019 lab will take place on Mondays, beginning September 30, 2019, and ending on December 2, 2019
• Children will be scheduled for a 50-minute therapy session.
• Sessions will start at 2:30 or 3:30 pm. 
• We accept clients on a first-come, first-served basis.

Who's Eligible for Occupational Therapy Pediatric Lab Services?

• Families that have a child who has developmental needs in one or more of the areas listed above
• Families who can commit to attending all scheduled sessions
• Families who understand that we accept participants on a first-come, first-served basis, in conjunction with the educational needs of our students
• Families who apply and submit the Pediatric Community Participant Lab Form

Forms must be sent by the parent or legal guardian of the child applying for services. These enrollment forms contain private health care information protected under HIPAA laws. Email is not considered a HIPAA-compliant way to submit protected health care information. We do allow families to submit forms via email for convenience but must inform you that email is not HIPAA compliant. You may email completed forms to OTLab@samuelmerritt.edu. Or submit them via fax to 510.457.4008 (Attn: OT Pediatric CPL), or by mail to:

Pediatric Community Participant Lab
Occupational Therapy Department
Samuel Merritt University
450 30th Street, 4th Floor
Oakland, CA 94609