Manchester Occupational Therapist Offers a Helping Hand for Healing

Kimberly Shurtleff’s research shows how mental health wellness goes hand-in-hand with injury recovery.

As an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, Kimberly Shurtleff understands just how much we depend on our hands—and how challenging life can become when we can no longer rely on them. 

“Even a seemingly minor hand injury can have a major impact—not just on physical function, but on emotional well-being and sense of identity,” Shurtleff said. 

With 22 years of experience as an occupational therapist, Shurtleff developed an interest in hand therapy during a fieldwork placement at the Manchester Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She now serves as Assistant Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS), where she teaches adult rehabilitation courses and mentors students through their fieldwork experiences.

Her latest research explores the use of mindfulness-based interventions in hand therapy, an innovative approach she presented this year at a major international conference hosted by the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand and the International Federation of Societies for Hand Therapy. Shurtleff says her research was inspired by her experiences working with students completing fieldwork. 

“I'm always learning from them,” she said. "Sometimes what they're doing in class, or questions that they ask me, really spark my interest and make me think, what's the research here? Or, how can we integrate this idea in another area of practice?”

Shurtleff has worked with many clients over the years, including a stay-at-home mother of three with a tendon laceration who struggled with tasks like changing a diaper or preparing a meal, and an avid knitter who found that the hobby she once used for relaxation had become a source of stress after a thumb surgery for arthritis. She says injuries like these should be treated holistically, with a strong focus on supporting mental wellness alongside physical recovery.

“It’s challenging when you can't do the things that you love to do in the way that you used to do them. There’s a big emotional component to it. As occupational therapists, mental health is the root of our practice,” she said.

As she conducted her research, she found that 20 percent of patients experienced anxiety or post-traumatic stress symptoms following hand injuries. However, she also discovered that mindfulness-based activities like guided meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises significantly reduced stress and alleviated pain.

“There are so many different facets of mindfulness that it would really be beneficial to the profession to have more research on specific protocols integrating different mindfulness techniques,” Shurtleff said.

In March, she presented her findings at the conference in Washington, D.C., where attendees from more than 80 countries gathered. It was the first time Shurtleff had the opportunity to share her own research on such a large stage. 

“I had been out of school for 20 years before I decided to go back to get my post-professional degree, and it was really daunting at first. But it was very exciting to have my research reviewed by hand therapists whose research has had a tremendous impact on my growth as an occupational therapist,” Shurtleff said.

She added that she hopes her students will discover their own passion during their fieldwork. 

“Learning doesn’t end after graduation. This profession offers endless opportunities to grow and evolve,” Shurtleff said.