More and more women and families are seeking help at Council Bluffs' MICAH House trying to get back on their feet. There are several programs to choose from, including a relatively new therapy field that is making good grounds there, according to one College of Saint Mary graduate student. This is the first occupational therapist MICAH House has had at their shelter, and while it is just one tool in the toolbox, they have already seen the benefits.As an occupational therapy grad student, Megan Corey covers it all, including how to climb stairs when it is hard for you. Here, she is working with a MICAH House resident on endurance. "She works for a cleaning service and part of her job includes going up and down flights of stairs often. So that's something that's really meaningful to her is to be able to get back to that," said Corey.Whether it is building up motor skills or working through social anxiety, the goal of OT is to break down your own barriers to success in life. "Anything that you would do kind of throughout your day that somebody could be struggling with is something that we can work on as occupational therapists," said Corey. "It's not about something super specific that can feel stressful like I'm getting a job interview and I need to get this job. Perhaps it's just something simple that you look at in a different way," said Jenny Campbell, the MICAH House spokesperson. Many people experiencing homelessness suffer from trauma, anxiety and depression. Even climbing stairs can be daunting, especially if you just had surgery. Having someone to work with to tackle challenges with you and push you on can go a long way in restoring an individual's confidence in themselves. Corey has only been here nine weeks and she has already seen a lot of progress. "Overall, I would say I feel successful in what I'm doing because I have people that want to participate in OT with me and I get excited about it and we met some goals already," said Corey. All this could help lead the dozens living at MICAH House to better paths in life where they could maintain their own housing, families and careers. MICAH House says they are continually working with the College of Saint Mary to bring in more occupational therapists for future help.