Since its founding in 1853, Sheppard Pratt has been committed to both treating individuals with health conditions and training the professionals who care for them. From helping establish the field of occupational therapy (OT) to guiding today’s psychiatry residents, education has always been a key part of Sheppard Pratt’s work, and it continues to shape the way care is delivered today and in the future.
This commitment to learning is not an afterthought—it is a foundation. Sheppard Pratt has long understood that transforming mental healthcare begins by training those who deliver it. The organization’s investment in education—whether for future nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, or psychiatrists—is about more than developing a workforce. It’s about cultivating a culture of healing, empathy, and innovation.
The Birthplace of a Profession
One of Sheppard Pratt’s more remarkable distinctions is being the birthplace of occupational therapy. In the early 1900s, Dr. William Rush Dunton Jr., a psychiatrist, recognized that healing the mind required more than institutionalization. He introduced the concept of “moral treatment,” encouraging patients to engage in purposeful activity—quilting, weaving, gardening—long before the idea of holistic care was mainstream.
As Vaune Kopeck, OTR/L, a veteran occupational therapist with nearly 30 years at Sheppard Pratt, says, “If someone can’t do the things that matter most to them—being a parent, an artist, a student—their quality of life suffers. Our job is to help them find ways to reconnect with those occupations.” That philosophy, rooted in dignity and empowerment, remains the core of occupational therapy today across the country.
At Sheppard Pratt, occupational therapy students are not simply observers—they are active learners immersed in real-world care. The system offers distinct educational tracks: a traditional hospital-based model, led by Kopeck, and an immersive model used in the community services programs, spearheaded by Tamerill Faison, OTD, MS, OTR/L.
“We expect students to show up curious and ready to stretch themselves,” says Faison. “It’s about more than skill-building. It’s about helping them understand who they are as clinicians.” Sheppard Pratt’s model doesn’t just teach clinical tools; it fosters emotional insight, adaptability, and confidence. Students are given real responsibility, paired with reflective supervision to help them process emotional responses and refine their clinical judgment.
Faison has seen firsthand the profound shift that happens when students are welcomed into a supportive yet demanding environment, saying, “Some students come in afraid of working in behavioral health. They leave with so much more than they came. They’re stronger, more empathetic, more grounded.” Many return to Sheppard Pratt as full-time clinicians, continuing the cycle of growth and mentorship.
Nursing That Heals Beyond the Task
That same patient-centered approach to education can be seen across Sheppard Pratt nursing. Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Paula Bostwick, RN, MSN, CENP, who joined the organization in 2024, is passionate about preparing nurses for the unique demands and rewards of behavioral health.
Bostwick says, “Behavioral health nursing takes us back to our roots. It’s not just about checking vitals or managing meds. It’s about building relationships. That’s how healing starts.”
Sheppard Pratt supports nurses through every stage of their professional development. Whether it’s providing tuition reimbursement for employees pursuing a nursing degree, partnering with Stevenson University for bachelor’s and master’s programs, supporting first-year nurses through a nursing residency program, or covering the cost of national certifications, the goal is the same: Strengthen the workforce, and patients benefit.
Nurses are on the front lines of healing, often forming the closest relationships with patients. “You can’t help someone unless they trust you. That trust is built moment by moment—through listening, presence, and compassion,” says Bostwick.
The History of Education at Sheppard Pratt
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Windy Brae, our school for nurses
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Early occupational therapy at Sheppard Pratt
A School With Roots and Reach
The heart of Sheppard Pratt’s educational story may be best told by Tom Hess, MEd, MBA, chief of staff. A beloved historian and former school administrator, Hess has spent more than 50 years witnessing the evolution of Sheppard Pratt’s educational programs from the inside.
In the 1960s, Sheppard Pratt opened a school to serve adolescents receiving psychiatric care—children often excluded from traditional schools. “It started with just a few teachers and a principal, but it grew fast, because the need was enormous,” Hess says.
When public schools struggled to serve children with emotional and behavioral challenges, Sheppard Pratt stepped in, opening a day school for elementary students. Soon after, inpatient and short-term residential programs followed. These schools didn’t just offer education—they offered hope.
Hess remembers those early years vividly: “We were young. We were figuring it out as we went. But the organization believed in us and in the kids.” Many staff members, like Hess himself, started as assistants before becoming teachers, administrators, even attorneys and healthcare executives. Sheppard Pratt wasn’t just educating students—it was building future leaders, which is evidenced by the many employees whose careers at Sheppard Pratt span decades.
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Sheppard Pratt expanded its educational mission alongside the growing community needs. From student-teacher partnerships with Towson University, to hosting public school trainings, to pioneering early intervention for substance use and emotional disturbance, the health system embraced the full spectrum of care.
“We didn’t just work in classrooms. We went to PTAs, trained teachers, and spoke at community events. Education was always about more than what happened on campus,” Hess says.
A Future Built on Education
Today, Sheppard Pratt’s educational mission is more crucial than ever. With increasing mental health needs around Maryland and across the country and continued workforce shortages, the organization is doubling down on training programs that prepare the next generation of mental health caregivers.
The psychiatry residency and fellowship programs remain among the most competitive in the nation. Nursing and OT students are immersed in real-world care with hands-on mentorship. Access to certifications and tuition support ensure career growth remains accessible. And a spirit of curiosity—sparked more than a century ago by leaders like Dunton and carried forward by visionaries like Kopeck, Bostwick, Faison, and Hess—infuses every part of the system.
That vision requires sustained investment. It means forging strong university partnerships, advocating for robust training standards, and continuing to tell the story: that education is care. And at Sheppard Pratt, that truth has always been clear.
Hess concludes by saying, “We were never just treating patients. We were always teaching. Always learning. Always trying to do better for the next person who walks through our doors.”