Spangler Associates Information

Spangler has translated her background in neuroscience, occupational therapy, and workplace health promotion into a system to create positive change in individuals and organizations. Her dedication to the brain came from early neuroscience studies and clinical work as an occupational therapist (OT) in pediatric, rehabilitation, and psychiatric settings. As an OT, she saw clients make dramatic improvements in social-emotional processing and skill development despite significant challenges. Clients included adults with serious brain injuries related to trauma, stroke, and accidents; children with serious developmental disabilities related to autism, cerebral palsy, and abuse; and clients with serious mental illness. She had experience with one of the earliest pain management programs in the U.S. to include stress management as a major component. After watching people with serious conditions improve substantially, Spangler wondered why we would not expect non-injured brains to also experience enhanced neural growth and circuit development. Her work has built on evidence that the brain has remarkable capacity for dramatic change, and we humans are able to withstand great challenges, to complete hard work that leads to meaning and purpose, to rebound from difficulties, and to thrive. The large portion of Spangler's career has been devoted to workplace population health management and developing strategies for prevention, early detection, and management of chronic and costly health conditions. She has focused particularly on mental health through her many years of work with the Mid America Coalition on Health Care and the American Psychiatric Foundation's Partnership for Workplace Mental Health, where she has developed resources, case examples, and joint presentations with employers to promote innovative and effective approaches to supporting mental health. Mental health conditions are highly prevalent, costly in human and financial terms, and significantly affect organizational thriving. Early detection and ...