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Helen van Huet is a part time lecturer in occupational therapy. She joined CSU permanently in mid 2002 after casual involvement with the course from 1997. She has worked in a variety of clinical practice settings, including psychiatry, orthopaedic and neurological rehabilitation, pain management and vocational rehabilitation. She has a specific interest in neurological rehabilitation, upper limb rehabilitation and chronic pain management.

Helen completed her PhD with the University of Sydney in 2011 researching chronic pain and it’s management from the perspectives of clients with pain and occupational therapists working in that practice area.

Helen teaches in technique and practice-related subjects which focus on applying theory to practice.

Roles

• First year occupational therapy student coordinator
  
• Honours Supervisor
  
• Post-Graduate Associate Supervisor
  

Teaching

Involved in design and implementation of the undergraduate occupational therapy curriculum. Participation in ALTC project: Creating curriculum guidelines for commencing occupational therapy courses.

Subject Delivery

• OCC 100- Occupation and Occupational Therapy
• Guest lecturing into OCC300, HIP 201 & PHS 415

Innovations in Teaching

Joint recipient of Faculty of Health Award for teaching excellence, 1998.

Focus on the First Year Experience and improvement of student transition to university and retention of students. Particularly focused on the diversity of the student cohort, curriculum design to meet diverse learning needs, student engagement in the curriculum, a diversity of assessment methods and evaluation of curriculum content and student retention.

Research

Research Interests

• Chronic pain management,
  
• Qualitative research,
  
• Occupational engagement and occupational therapy practice in stroke rehabilitation
• Research codes (FORs) 1117

My professional practice and academic research experiences have been in the above interest areas. I retain a regular interest in professional innovative practice in occupational therapy in the above area.

Research Higher Degree Students

• Erin Ferguson    Honours   
  Parental Role expectations from NICU to transition home for premature infants
  
• Jenny Kashyap     Master’s of Health Science   
  Chronic disease research
  

Professional & Community Engagement

Have maintained professional membership of the Australian Occupational Therapy Association since graduation. Have been active in the special interests groups and have ongoing involvement in the OTEL network that provided support and communication between academics in occupational therapy across Australia

Roles

• Australian Association of Occupational Therapists and the Chronic Pain Special Interest Group
• Member of ALTC OTEL Emerging Leaders Network
• Member of Chronic Pain Australia (support service for people in the community).

Publications

• van Huet, H., Parnell, T., McLeod Boyle, A., & Mitsch, V. (2010). Enabling engagement in self-care occupations In M. Curtin, M. Molineux, J. Supyk (Eds.).Occupational therapy and physical dysfunction (6th ed.) Oxford: Elsevier
• van Huet, H., Innes, E., & Whiteford, G. (2009). Living and doing with chronic pain: Narratives of pain program participants. Disability and Rehabilitation.
• van Huet, H., & Williams, D. (2007). Self-beliefs about pain and occupational performance: A comparison of two measures used in a pain management program. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 27 (1), 4-12.
• van Huet, H., & Innes, E. (2006). Chronic pain stories and reflection on self in occupation. In G. Whiteford (Ed). Voice, Identity and Reflexivity: Proceedings of the Second RIPPLE Qualitative Research as Interpretive Practice Conference, 2005, Australia (pp.201-208).
• van Huet, H., & Lyneham, J. (1997) NRS 235- Pain Management, Occupational Therapy Supplement. Bathurst: Charles Sturt University.