Establishing trust: stepping beyond everything you learned in grad school
When I was an indecisive, whimsical sophomore, circa 2007 at the University of Connecticut, one of the requirements in selecting a career path was that it embodied a counseling component. I didn’t quite aspire to be a mental health counselor, but I undoubtedly wanted to support individuals in some capacity. After shadowing a few SLPs I saw undoubtedly how much counseling was involved across settings.
Transition Planning: What does it mean, when do you start, and who is on your team.
For most children, planning their adult lives starts somewhere in preschool when they begin discussing what careers they hope to pursue in their adulthood. Then somewhere in high school, students seem less sure as they are faced with a decision to transition into the workplace, post-secondary education, or maybe even completely rock their parents world by electing to backpack through a foreign country looking for their missing inspiration.
Why Outpatient Therapy? COVID-19, Hybrid School Days and Beyond
There are just about a million things to consider when discussing back to school. The school schedules are changing minute to minute, meetings are being delayed, childcare options are limited at best and everyone is frantic. You may be looking at your child’s schedule and wondering how their related services are going to look now.
An OT insider perspective on the multipurpose toy for kids
s an occupational therapist, part of the job is to be creative in our activities, to help promote improvement of skills and independence (as well as be fun in doing so). Squigz are one of my favorite toys to use in my sessions.
The Many Hats of an SLP: A Letter to My Graduate School Self
The diversity and variety of demographics that we are able to treat as SLP’s is something I feel so fortunate to be a part of. When I started at a school, I thought that I would lose some of my medical knowledge but this basis of knowledge helped me more than I thought. I was still able to treat a variety of needs at the clinic, but now my knowledge has expanded to helping students navigate their school environment, both socially and academically.
When I ask about any board games they have at home, they tell me about this one specific time they played this fun game with their family, their sibling, or got one on one time with their parent. They tell me who won, where they played, and are able to elaborate on this great memory.
Transition Through Teletherapy
Change is hard. Let’s face it, no one really loves it, especially when it’s abrupt. However, it’s also provided us a great opportunity to adapt. At the start of this pandemic I was encouraged by the following words: crisis is the birthplace of innovation and the nexus for opportunistic growth (Anonymous, 2020). In a world where all normalcy was interrupted, I welcomed the transition into teletherapy.
hile there is a mainstream culture in America and English is the unwritten official language, there is also beauty and respect in admiring the cultural differences of people from all origins.
What? Huh? Can you hear me now? The struggle with hearing loss and wearing masks.
Between the muffled sounds created by the mask, background noise, poor acoustics in these places and not to mention the obscured lack of seeing facial expressions simple tasks were made a significant challenge.
As an SLP we are able to be raw, true, vulnerable and compassionate for clients and their families. Our day to day lives are fulfilling and rewarding for being able to make the kind of impact we are able to make. Our therapy is authentic, individualized and evidence based.
Parenting Tips I Use In My Practice That I Learned From My Mother (and Grandmothers)
Losing my grandmothers was one of the toughest losses I have ever experienced because they were always an unlimited source of love and wisdom in my life. I find myself invoking this wisdom more and more when asked for advice by stressed parents.
What to Expect: An Occupational Therapy Evaluation
Whether you are coming to see an Occupational Therapist for your child for the first time or the fifth time it can be a nerve wracking process, especially if you are not sure what to expect.
What Are The Long Term Effects Of Not Treating Torticollis
Finding out your baby has torticollis can cause a lot of anxiety, however you’ve heard from various sources the torticollis will resolve on its own, but your doctor recommended seeing an occupational therapist.
My COVID 19 Rant: Everything I Needed to Get Through This I Learned at KidSense
Let me start by saying that I actually wrote this 2 weeks ago….only it was in my head…I hope that I can get it all down on paper (ok pixels or whatever) as good as it sounded 2 weeks ago in my head…..I know you feel my pain….the struggle IS real!
10 Ordinary Household Items for Occupational Therapy Activities
So, your children are home from school and their distance-learning school day has come to an end. But as a parent, your day is hardly over…
