The American Health Council Appoints Ms. Willow Dea to the Occupational Therapy Board

Ms. Willow Dea has been warmly welcomed onto the Occupational Therapy Board of the American Health Council for her impressive contributions to the field. Based in Austin, Texas, Ms. Dea is a Management Consultant where she has worked since September of 2018. Overall, she has worked in the healthcare industry for the past 20 years.

Ms. Dea was inspired to pursue occupational therapy after observing her cousin, a globally renowned professor and Occupational Therapist, working with an infant at the age of sixteen. She was inspired by the impact one could make in the field, while serving children.

With a clear career path in mind, Ms. Dea completed her BS/MS in Occupational Therapy in 1999 at Russell Sage College with Magna Cum Laude. Whilst at Russell Sage College, she was part of Phi Beta Kappa and a Student Senator, received the Charles M. Green award for Student Leadership and was on the Dean’s List. She has also completed a range of post-masters certification/training qualifications.

She was certified to provide Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in 1998, then moved on to become certified to teach Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy in 2008. Later, she was certified to coach by Newfield Coach Training in 2012. She also obtained certification to administer the Leadership Agility 360 Assessment in 2013, along with Advanced Skills for Large Scale Transformation and Change Management, and the Change Leaders’ Roadmap, also in 2013. She completed Neurodevelopmental Therapy training and Diversity and Inclusion training in 2017. This has allowed her to further refine her exceptional abilities in leadership and team development, organizational effectiveness and executive coaching.

Ms. Dea founded One Trusted Consultant with the mission to provide consistently exceptional impact for every leader whom she serves. She continues to provide consulting and leadership development for Ensign Services, which has been operating since 1999, comprises of independent operating affiliates that are dedicated to providing patients with the best post-acute care possible. The business structure empowers individuals to make a difference to their local community and provide a personalised medical service. The Ensign Groups’ services specializes in Rehabilitative Care, Assisted Living, Hospice Care, Skilled Nursing, Post-acute Care, Home Care and Home Health. Ms. Dea responsibilities here include providing vital support to her peers, therapy resources, ensuring the best leadership development and team development opportunities are provided and that there is a healthy culture present in all of the independent facilities. In addition, she provides monthly training for her colleagues and offsite retreats.

In addition to her current work, Ms. Dea has also written extensively for the Huffington Post and has worked in private practice. She was the managing editor and lead project manager for an innovative anthology on innovative educational techniques. The book, entitled “Igniting Brilliance: Integral Education for the 21st Century” published by Integral Publishers, included seventeen experts in the field and she contributed two chapters herself. Ms. Dea enjoyed an adventurous cycling expedition through Central America in 1996. This involved reaching the summit of the tallest peaks in 4 countries and was sponsored by Power Bar, Bad Bad and Teva. Ms. Dea credits her success to her dedicated work ethic and the passion she feels for her profession. This is in addition to consulting and working with both adults and pediatrics.

The share her knowledge with other professionals in the field, Ms. Dea is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association, the Newfield Network, the International Coaching Federation and the Association for Talent Development.

In her spare time, Ms. Dea likes to pursue personal growth, cycling, Ashtanga Yoga and Argentine Tango and contributing to Kiva. Looking to the future, Ms. Dea would like to branch out to develop CEU courses specifically for entrepreneurial leadership in healthcare. She is also committed to collaborating with those in healthcare management and leadership to create opportunities for greater leadership capacity.