From CHHS coursework to a career: Bailey Weiss becomes Circle the City’s first occupational therapist
Bailey Weiss graduated from NAU’s Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program at the Phoenix Bioscience Core in May 2025. Just months later, she became Circle the City’s first occupational therapist (OT). Based in Phoenix, Circle the City is a nonprofit organization that provides healthcare services to individuals experiencing homelessness across Maricopa County. Weiss’ journey with Circle the City , however, began while she was still a student at NAU’s College of Health and Human Services.
Weiss initially partnered with the organization through her occupational therapy coursework, specifically her capstone project. Occupational therapy is about helping people do the things they want to do and need to do in their everyday lives. That can look different for everyone, particularly those experiencing homelessness. At Circle the City, she led group discussions focused on essential life skills, including hygiene, nutrition, internet safety and social connection. Through this experience, she connected with Circle the City physical therapist, Sharon Pellman, and developed a deeper understanding of the organization and the population it serves.
“Circle the City’s mission spoke to me. Connecting with the patients impacted me in a way I had never felt,” Weiss said. “I was excited to bring a new scope of care to the patients at Circle the City, working on real-life skills and rehabilitation before they transition back into the community.”
The experience also demonstrated how occupational therapy could broaden the care available to Circle the City patients. Dr. William Ellert, chief medical officer of Circle the City, said occupational therapy can be especially valuable in helping patients with activities of daily living (ADLs).
“For people hoping to escape homelessness, addressing the more complex tasks required for living independently, such as managing finances, cooking and housekeeping, become critical for successfully transitioning from an unhoused to a housed status,” Ellert said.
Stepping into Circle the City’s first OT position meant Weiss had to build the role from the ground up as a newly licensed practitioner. She credits NAU professor, Dr. Gretchen Bachman, for mentoring her throughout the process and helping secure tools and equipment for OT evaluations and treatment sessions.
“Creating a brand-new OT role was challenging for me as a freshly licensed practitioner, but I knew that I was capable,” Weiss said. “Circle the City believed in me and the benefit of OT for their patients and took a shot on me, so I knew I couldn’t let them down.”
Since joining Circle the City, Weiss’ work has addressed gaps in activities of daily living that can contribute to homelessness or make it more difficult for patients to transition into stable living environments. Her work ranges from hand injury treatment and ADL retraining to medication management, appointment organization, community navigation and building overall functional independence.
For Weiss, OT is also about helping patients return to activities that bring meaning and joy to their lives.
One patient Weiss worked with had lost his pets and housing after experiencing a medical emergency and could no longer play guitar because of fine motor difficulties. Weiss helped him improve his hand strength and coordination before finding an adaptive guitar pick holder that allowed him to play again.
“During one of our sessions, I pulled out the pick holder and a guitar and got to watch him play,” Weiss said. “He said it had been about three years since he was able to hold a pick and play. For me, that is what OT is all about.”
Weiss also credits her NAU education with preparing her to work with the complex medical and emotional needs of Circle the City’s patients. Her clinical experiences introduced her to trauma-informed care and treating patients with a wide range of conditions.
“NAU emphasized that no two patients are the same, and that could not be truer in the real world,” Weiss said. “NAU helped prepare me to think on my feet and work alongside the patient to provide patient-centered care.”
The connection between NAU and Circle the City extends beyond Weiss’ experience. Circle the City has provided NAU students with learning opportunities in homeless medicine, addiction medicine and wound care, while students and graduates have gone on to serve the organization’s patients as therapists and physician assistants.
What began as an opportunity during Weiss’ time at NAU has grown into a career serving a population and field she is passionate about.
“I wasn’t always the top of my class and had tough times adjusting to my clinical rotations, but regardless I advocated for OT in a setting that I felt passionate about,” Weiss said. “Now I have had the chance to work my dream job, to educate providers and patients on the role of OT in a medical respite setting, and to make a difference in many patients’ lives.”
Her advice to current NAU students is simple: “Take a chance, you never know what will happen!”
Learn more about Circle the City and their programs here.
Contributed by Marketing undergraduate student, Sarah Monsegur