Inside Occupational Therapy at MAC Midwest: Collaboration, Flexibility, and Purpose

Occupational therapy at MAC Midwest is about much more than checklists and sessions. It’s about people, flexibility, collaboration, and meeting learners exactly where they are.

Clare, a Lead Occupational Therapist at MAC Midwest, has been practicing occupational therapy for more than eight years and has spent nearly six of those years with MAC. She originally came to MAC looking for a pediatric occupational therapy role that offered the right balance of location, schedule, and professional support. What mattered most to her was finding a workplace with other occupational therapists on staff, where learning, mentorship, and collaboration were truly valued.

Those practical factors brought her to MAC Midwest. The people are what made her stay.

“The learners, the coworkers, the supervisors, all of the people,” Clare explains. “That’s what makes this such a meaningful place to work.”

Occupational Therapy at MAC Midwest

Occupational therapy at MAC Midwest is pediatric-focused and serves a wide age range. Learners may be as young as three years old, while others are young adults in their early twenties. This broad age range allows occupational therapists to support individuals at many different developmental stages.

OT at MAC covers a wide variety of goal areas. As Clare describes it, occupational therapy is inherently broad. If an activity is meaningful to a person and part of their daily life, it can be considered an occupation.

For many learners, OT focuses on essential self-care skills such as dressing, washing hands, brushing teeth, and feeding. Fine motor skills like using zippers and buttons, opening lunch containers, and handwriting are common areas of focus. Gross motor skills, coordination, stretching, and movement-based activities are also part of daily practice.

Sensory play and sensory regulation are another important component of occupational therapy at MAC. Occupational therapists work closely with learners and the broader care team to develop sensory diets and supports that help individuals regulate throughout the day.

MAC Midwest also offers both in-person and telehealth occupational therapy services. Therapists may provide a mix of both, giving flexibility to meet learner needs and making care more accessible. Since the pandemic, MAC has invested in optimizing its telehealth platform to ensure high-quality virtual services.

Values That Shape the Work

Through her time at MAC Midwest, Clare says three professional qualities have grown deeper in her practice: flexibility, compassion and empathy, and collaboration.

Flexibility is essential in a setting where learners may attend therapy for 20 to 40 hours a week, depending on their needs. Occupational therapy sessions are typically scheduled multiple times per week, but illness, weather, or daily challenges can require adjustments. Being able to pivot and reschedule while ensuring learners still receive consistent care is a key part of the role.

Compassion and empathy go hand in hand with flexibility. Even with a carefully planned session, therapists often need to adapt in the moment. A learner may arrive needing support with regulation rather than focusing on a planned skill like handwriting or buttoning. In those moments, therapists listen to what the learner is communicating and adjust accordingly.

“If someone is struggling, helping them regulate is far more important than pushing through an activity that isn’t meeting their needs,” Claire explains.

Collaboration is another cornerstone of occupational therapy at MAC Midwest. Therapists work alongside speech-language pathologists, mental health clinicians, behavior therapists, BCBAs, and center supervisors as part of a truly transdisciplinary team. Learning from colleagues across disciplines strengthens practice and ensures care is coordinated and consistent.

Occupational therapists also share strategies with team members so that skills and supports extend beyond individual OT sessions. Fine motor strategies, self-care supports, and sensory regulation tools are integrated throughout the learner’s day, not limited to a single appointment.

A Place to Grow and Make an Impact

While no single video can capture everything it’s like to work at MAC Midwest, Claire’s experience reflects a workplace grounded in teamwork, flexibility, and compassion. For occupational therapists who want to grow their skills, collaborate across disciplines, and make a meaningful difference in the lives of learners and families, MAC Midwest offers a supportive and purpose-driven environment.

For those exploring the next step in their OT career, it’s a place where professional growth and human connection go hand in hand.

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