Author Biographical Info

Ka’Bresha Potts, BSN, RN is an accomplished registered nurse and doctoral candidate at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Cizik School of Nursing, where she is pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree with a specialization as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). She currently serves as a psychiatric nurse at Harris County Psychiatric Center, delivering compassionate, evidence-based care to both pediatric and adult populations in one of the nation’s largest public mental health facilities.

Ka’Bresha is a visionary clinician dedicated to advancing mental health equity, particularly for underserved and high-risk communities. Her DNP Quality Improvement project, Reclaiming Teen Recovery: Tailored Therapeutic Recreation to Boost Engagement, Satisfaction, and Participation, addresses the critical need for adolescent-centered interventions in substance use treatment. By co-designing and implementing customized therapeutic recreation modules, her work has demonstrated measurable improvements in program engagement, participant satisfaction, and overall recovery participation rates.

A transformational leader, Ka’Bresha is guided by the values of integrity, empathy, accountability, and innovation. She has a proven ability to turn complex challenges into opportunities for measurable change through evidence-based practice, structured processes, and collaborative partnerships. Her long-term vision is to establish a mental health clinic dedicated to providing accessible, comprehensive psychiatric care to vulnerable populations, integrating clinical excellence with holistic support services.

In addition to her clinical and academic achievements, Ka’Bresha is committed to mentorship, mental health education, and community outreach. She empowers future healthcare professionals while raising public awareness on mental health issues, ensuring that the most vulnerable voices are heard, valued, and supported.

Date of Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Completion

Summer 8-8-2025

Faculty Advisor

Rebecca Tsusaki PhD, APRN-CNP, WHNP-BC, IBCLC

Abstract

Purpose: This QI project evaluated the impact of four tailored group therapeutic recreation modules on six recovery outcomes: satisfaction, engagement belief, participation likelihood, motivation to seek help, perceived usefulness, and perceived importance, among adolescents at a residential treatment facility in Houston, TX, targeting ≥ 20% improvement in each domain.

Background: Adolescents in short-term, often court-mandated, treatment lack personalized leisure activities that promote emotional expression and resilience. Structured leisure engagement is linked to positive affect and treatment motivation, yet interest-based programs for court-involved youth remain underexplored.

Methodology: Using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles and Self-Determination Theory, weekly 90-minute modules (mindfulness trivia, art Jeopardy, music trivia, kickball) ran over four weeks. Of 29 enrollees, 25 began the intervention; five briefly attended a conflicting activity in Week 2 but returned to finish. Baseline and post-session bipolar Likert surveys measured each domain. Process metrics included attendance logs, mixed-method opt-out tracking, staff focus groups, and safety-incident reports. After funding was rescinded, incentives were personally covered to preserve voluntary participation.

Results: All six domains improved by >20%. Satisfaction rose from 55.2% to 89%, engagement belief from 58.6% to 92%, participation likelihood from 41.4% to 89%, motivation from 41.3% to 76%, perceived importance from 62.1% to 83%, and perceived usefulness averaged 88%.

Implications: Co-designed, autonomy-supportive recreation can substantially boost recovery engagement in mandated settings. Embedding these modules into standard programming, securing dedicated incentive funding, and using suggestion-box feedback will sustain gains. Future work should assess scalability, cost-effectiveness, and durability at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.

Keywords

Therapeutic recreation, adolescent substance use recovery, residential treatment programs, program engagement, patient satisfaction, behavioral health interventions, mental health equity, quality improvement in nursing, adolescent mental health, substance use treatment outcomes

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