Practical Neuro Treatment Strategies for the Acute Care Therapists

Practical Neuro Treatment Strategies for the Acute Care Therapists
Chelsie Guyeski, OTR/L

November 14, 2026
8:00-4:00 pm Pacific
1000 Veteran Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024 (Get directions)

Registration: UC Employees

Course Description: This course will address assessment of underlying impairments in patients with a variety of diagnoses and clinical presentations within the acute care setting. Emphasis of this course will be on addressing those underlying impairments, learning how to grade and adapt strategies and techniques to meet the patient’s unique needs, and how to integrate critical clinical thinking skills into hands on treatment strategies. This course will emphasize lab-based learning, with participants actively applying the treatment techniques and strategies learned within the course, demonstrating their understanding of clinical applications.

Learning Outcomes: By the end of this class:

Participants will demonstrate hands-on techniques for the treatment of a variety of deficits.
Participants will apply planned progressions of tasks/activities to address underlying impairments and progress patient safety and independence with functional tasks.
Participants will integrate critical and creative thinking skills into the selection of, grading of, and progressing of therapy activities

Course Schedule/Agenda:

8:00 am-8:15 am:

Introduction of instructor and instructor disclosures
Introduction of participants (including field of practice and clinical practice setting)

8:15 am-8:30 am:

Review of learning objectives and course outline

8:30 am-10:30 am:

Lecture
- Where to Begin?
  - Identifying impairments, effect on level of function, and developing a plan to address the identified impairments
- Proximal stability
  - Principles of body mechanics, types of forces, options for positions within which to address underlying deficits, and how to progress through a variety of positions until functioning in standing and with ambulation/return to daily roles
- Addressing/integrating the limbs
  - How to manage hypertonicity and hypotonicity; principles of positioning; progressing function and use of extremities

10:30 am-10:45 am: Morning break

10:45 am-12:45 pm:

Lab:
- Application of stabilization techniques, positions, options for treatment, how to grade and adapt strategies/techniques, how and when to progress to standing/mobility tasks, and how to manage as well as rehabilitate the upper and lower extremities, with the instructor providing hands on feedback

12:45 pm-1:15 pm: Lunch break

1:15 pm-1:45 pm:

Group discussion of clinical application of skills learned thus far into daily treatment as well as case study discussions, emphasizing how to grade, adapt, and progress techniques to meet patient needs
Question and answer session

1:45 pm-2:00 pm:

Afternoon break

2:00 pm-3:00 pm:

Lecture:
- Neuro-related vision assessment and treatment in acute care
- Functional assessment and treatment of cognitive skills in acute care

3:00 pm-3:45 pm:

Lab:
- Practicing neuro-vision assessment and treatment skills, with instructor providing hands-on feedback
- Question and answer session, integrating examples/case studies from daily practice

3:45 pm-4:00 pm: Course wrap-up

Instructional Methods: Lecture, labs, group discussion, and case studies will be utilized. The emphasis of this course will be on lab-based demonstration, practice, feedback, and adjustments to techniques as indicated based on such feedback.

Target Audience: The intended audience is physical therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapy assistants, and occupational therapy assistants who work in the acute care setting.

Educational Level: Intermediate: General working knowledge of current practice trends and literature related to the subject matter will be required. The focus of the course is on increasing understanding and competent application of the subject matter.

Prerequisites: None

Completion Requirements: To earn a certificate of completion, participants must:

Attend the entire duration of the course. Registration and full attendance are required to receive credit. Participants must sign in and sign out using the QR codes displayed immediately before the start of the course and again at the conclusion of the course. QR codes will not be available before or after these designated times. Participants who arrive late, leave early, or fail to complete both the sign-in and sign-out process will not receive credit or a certificate of completion.
Complete the post-course evaluation. Participants must complete the course evaluation using the QR code provided at the conclusion of the course.
Successfully demonstrate competency during the lab portion of the course.
No partial credit will be awarded.

Cancellation Policy:

Provider Cancelation: The UCLA Health Rehabilitation Services reserve the right to cancel a course due to low enrollment, unforeseen circumstance, or instructor availability. In such cases, participants will be notified via email as soon as possible.

Participant Cancellation: If you are unable to attend, please email [email protected] at least 7 days before the course date. This class is nonrefundable for UC employees. Non‑UC participants are eligible for a refund if requested at least 7 days before the class.

Complaint Policy: UCLA Health Rehabilitation Services strive to provide professional development that highlights today’s best practices. If you have complaints, please contact [email protected] no later than a week after the event and the Rehab Clinical Educator will review your concerns and respond to you as soon as possible.

Accommodation Request: For questions and accessibility request, contact Joan Vicente at [email protected] or at 424-440-0369 seven days before the course date.

Chelsie Guyeski, OTR/L graduated from Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania in 2013 with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. Since then, she has worked in a variety of practice settings including acute care, acute inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, private practice, as well as outpatient. She has done extensive continuing education in a variety of topics and fields including neuromuscular re-education, vision rehabilitation, spinal cord rehabilitation, and myofascial release. She has obtained LSVT BIG certification, CA Physical Agent Modalities Advanced Practice Certification, Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist designation, and Neuro-IFRAH Certification. She has also obtained advanced Neuro-IFRAH credentialing in the areas of upper extremity rehabilitation as well as fine motor control and hand function. She completed a six-month intensive training program with Waleed Al-Oboudi in the advanced application of the Neuro-IFRAH approach to rehabilitation. Chelsie has a passion for continuing her own education and advancing her clinical skills; she enjoys mentoring and teaching others, so that they may do the same in the future.

Instructor Disclosure: The instructor is not affiliated with any organization or industry related to any equipment or materials referenced within the course, and the instructor receives no payment or sponsorship from any of the mentioned institutions, companies, organizations, etc. The instructor has no conflicts of interest to report.

Practical Neuro Treatment Strategies for the Acute Care Therapists