OT

I learned a lot about myself as an OT during my first year as an OT-what I’m most interested in, how I feel about different practice settings-but this blog post isn’t about all of that. This post is about what I learned about myself as a person.

I am creative

I realized I could come up with an entire fun activity with very minimal supplies. And I could take the one thing a kid was interested in and turn it into an entire therapy session.

I can think on my feet

There were countless times that I had less than 5 minutes notice that I was seeing a kid I didn’t know. The first few times I wanted to scream but then I realized that I could do it. I could. I could figure out what to do and get through the session.

I am warm and welcoming

There were few things I loved more than walking out to the waiting room, sitting down next to a parent, and them opening up to me.

I am sarcastic and (sometimes) blunt

On more than one occasion, a coworker heard me say something that caused them to double over laughing

I am resilient

There were so many days that I came home and said I was never going back. But the next morning, my alarm went off and I got up and went to work and handled it.

I know how to ask for help

I went to my coworkers when I had OT questions and when I couldn’t handle the stress, I found a therapist for myself.

I am insightful and smart

There were times that I spent one session with a kid (the first time meeting them) and something just seemed to jump out at me. I’d bring it up to the family and they said no one had ever noticed what I had.

But most importantly, I learned how important it is to put myself first. I learned that I am a good therapist but I need to work somewhere that supports my personal and professional needs.

If you’ve made it to part 5, thanks so much for sticking around!! I hope reading about all these entrepreneurs has you feeling inspired too! The final post of the OT Entrepreneurs series is all about books written by OTs!

The Filled Cup

Katie is an occupational therapist with a passion for helping her patients create a high quality life while applying similar concepts to her own life. She’s faced the challenges of burn out as a student and new professional, and she loves talking about general wellness and sharing with other professionals. She views wellness as a cup full of a person’s unique, balanced blend of intentional daily activities to improve health, and, therefore the ability to enjoy life and serve others!

Occupational Therapy Activities for Kids: 100 Fun Games and Exercises to Build Skills

Here’s what Heather Ajzenman has to say about her practice and her new book:

I have my own practice (solo OT) in NH, that is pediatric based called Play and Prosper Therapy, PLLC. I provide family-centered approaches using a coaching model (when possible) and incorporate hippotherapy and DIR Floortime. I also incorporate nature as much as possible into sessions as we have access to 100 acres of fields, woods, and streams. I wrote a book that was published this January called Occupational Therapy Activities for Kids: 100 Fun Games and Exercises to Build Skills. It is about using whatever one has at home to follow through with home programming though honestly with the shift to teletherapy it is a great resource for therapists as well.

Part 4 of the series is all about products and services developed by OTs that can be accessed online! This may include courses and programs, continuing education, and more! This is the longest post of the series but make to read the whole thing and learn about what these incredible OTs are offering!

Joy Energy Time

Erika del Pozo, OTR/L experienced burnout within her first 2 years of her OT career. She set off to create her brand inspired by her own painful experiences with burnout and became obsessed with creating a community where she can uplift healthcare professionals.

Aspire OT

Aspire OT is a CE company that celebrates the distinct value of occupational therapy by offering CEs that are created just for OT practitioners by other OT practitioners. Our company was founded in 2019 by Kimberly Breeden, MS, OTR/L and Niccole Rowe, BA. COTA/L.
Aspire OT focuses on affordable CEs that allow learners to choose learning options that work best for them from online courses to webinars and even in-person trainings. Any Aspire OT course has practical tools that you can take straight to practice right after you are finished!
We have even been fortunate enough to build an Aspire OT partnership program that allows state OT associations to host their courses online through our website. The Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association is currently able to host more than 5 courses through our program which only launched 6 weeks ago!
We have a course that discusses OT’s distinct value in the opioid crisis and have several upcoming webinars on OT’s Role of Treating Pain.
You can find us at http://www.AspireOT.us

AJoelle Consulting, LLC

Alexis Joelle, MS. OTR/L, CEO of AJoelle Consulting, LLC currently utilizes her skills to serve as a consultant to occupational therapy (OT) providers — from student to entrepreneur. She guides practitioners through the process of designing their ideal career as well as navigating the challenges of the industry. Alexis also has a passion for making OT accessible globally to consumers. Her ultimate vision is to help decrease hospitalizations, while maintaining access to occupations, and support quality of life for everyday consumers.
AJoelle Consulting LLC Confidence Academy is comprised of online programs and trainings to support Occupational Therapy practitioners of all levels. These programs include:

A seasonal online based mentor program for Occupational Therapy students, providers and entrepreneurs, to support their personal and professional confidence in practice. Currently, the program is off season; updates on release sent via email upon sign up at creatingconfidenceinOTs.club

When Alexis failed the board exam on the first try, she found herself blocked in head space to properly prepare for the exam the first time. Then she found difficultly to prep for the second test taking attempt. That is why when she discovered what she needed to get her mindset right for the second try, she had to share the wisdom and concepts that helped her with other OT practitioners that were facing those same mental blocks as well. This is where she created an OT board mindset prep video series for new graduates, which can be found at: https://ccot.samcart.com/products/prework-OT-board/ ) 

Working in acute care can feel fast paced and force you to think quick on your feet while still wondering how to serve clients well. Those short encounters with clients can have you finding yourself missing some of the puzzle pieces to holistic practice. In Alexis’s case, she found this to be a problem when serving clients who hit their head with unknown concussion symptoms. These clients would discharge home or to a facility just to come back to hospital with significant barriers in their day to day routine. That is why she developed an assessment and client/caregiver education protocol, derived from an OT lens, to serve this vulnerable population right from their first admission to the hospital.The OT Method to Assessing Concussion in Acute Care can be found at https://alexis-joelle.teachable.com/p/assessing-concussion-in-acute-care

WHERE TO FIND ALEXIS: You can find Alexis hanging out mostly on Instagram at 8alexisjoelle

Resume Reviews by Becky B OT

I’m an occupational therapist working in pediatrics-clinics, schools, and early interventions. When it came time for me to apply to jobs, I found that there was a lot of information online related to resumes but not much for OTs. I decided to start my own resume review service to help other OTs and students craft a resume that shows why they’re the one for the job.

Resume reviews are available for $15 and this includes reviews of your resume, cover letter, and reference page with detailed feedback!

Patches of OT

Here’s what Allie has to say about her blog, Patches of OT:

Patches of OT came about because I was trying to find some helpful tips from fellow grad school students. I also could not find a blog that I could connect with or one about Occupational Therapy. Therefore, I thought, why not start one myself?!

I wanted to create a blog that helps student who are going through school, whether that is with stress management, budgeting, a day in the life as a grad student, or just life! I hope readers gain relief from my comedic personality and can relate to the life of an in-debt woman trying to save the baby boomers of America.

I aspire to be like Robin Williams from Patch Adams. Hence, Patches of OT. If you have not seen the movie, it is a must. His compassionate and hardworking mentality is what I aspire to be like.

Coming soon is Patches of OT podcast featuring OT students and practitioners describing their patch or niche in OT. The podcast will be a comedy/educational based podcast

COTA Life

Hi! My name is Regina Allen and I am a blessed mother of 16+ years, a wife of 21+ years, a pediatric COTA/L of 22+ years, a crafter, an OT blog contributor, an activity generator and a resource creator.  I enjoy working with children, sharing ideas, and creating resources and activities that help children and the adults that support them! If you are looking for fun resources for the kiddos you work with check out my COTA Life TPT Store, COTA Life blog and my COTA Life Instagram page.

Next Level & Therapy Business Builder

Bio: Kara Welke OTD, OTR/L CLT graduated from the University of South Dakota Occupational Therapy program in 2000. After graduating she worked at St. Lukes Hospital in Sioux City, IA where she worked in Acute Care, in the Burn Unit, and the Total Joint Unit. She ventured away from traditional occupational therapy for a few years and started an Early Head Start program at the University of South Dakota and was the director of the EHS program. Throughout this time, she continued to work PRN for St. Lukes Hospital. Kara and her family moved to Grand Forks, ND in the fall of 2004. Kara started working for Altru Health System in the Outreach Therapy Department. Throughout the time working there, she started an OT department in an outpatient clinic as well as several outreach sites in various assistive livings and memory care facilities; she also worked in various skilled nursing facilities. Kara started teaching at Northland Community and Technical College in EGF, MN in the fall of 2012. She taught a full course-load and was the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator. Throughout the time teaching, Kara maintained working PRN in a SNF/TCU. In the fall of 2015, Kara added the role of OTD student. She graduated with her Doctorate degree in December 2017. During her time as an OTD student, Kara created an Active Engagement in Life program in a local SNF. Her capstone project was published in OT Practice in February 2018. In order to provide client centered, occupation based, and evidence-based practice, Kara started her own business, Home Therapy Solutions, LLC to help older adults age in place. She has independent contractors to help her in her business: PT, ST, and other OTs. She provides Medicare Part B services in the home as well as contracts with a local HHA company. Kara is passionate about occupational therapy and about teaching students to be the best occupational therapy professionals as possible. Due to the lack of resources for helping occupational therapy professionals start their own businesses, Kara created the Next Level Occupational Therapy Facebook group. This group has grown with a mission to help Occupational Therapy Professionals start their own business or to LEVEL UP in their current Practice. This Facebook group has grown into a business which includes a membership group: Next Level Occupational Therapy Visionaries, as well as has a program to help other therapists build and start their own businesses. This program is called Therapy Business Builder.

Personal Story: I am a South Dakota farm girl who believes in hard work, dedication, and determination and that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. I am married and have 3 children. My husband is a clinical psychologist, and my children are active in sports and other extracurricular activities. I had no idea what Occupational Therapy was until my mother called me one night during my freshman year of college. I ended up setting up an appointment to job shadow and found out that was the career path for me. I ended up getting my undergraduate degree in Social Work and completed my internship at Adult Services and Aging in Yankton, SD. Throughout college, I also worked in a nursing home in the activities department and in the kitchen. I have always loved working with older adults. I have also always loved the leadership role. I started the pre-OT club on campus at the University of South Dakota and was the president of the Social Work club during my undergraduate years. I was a graduate student during OT school which allowed me to run a pediatric clinic on campus and teach intro to occupational therapy to undergraduate students.

Vision: My vision for our Therapy Business Builder program is to help as many occupational therapy professionals as possible start their own business and be successful with it while focusing on providing client centered, occupation-based services. My vision for my personal business is to help older adults age in place and age with purpose. My vision with the Next Level Facebook group is to inspire as occupational therapy professionals to LEVEL UP in their current career and to get them to dream bigger and think outside of the box.

Kids OT Hub

Hi! My name is Lisa Chan and I am a school-based Occupational Therapist from Ontario, Canada. I have been working as a pediatric OT for over 4 years, and have worked closely with kids with fine motor and gross motor challenges, sensory processing issues and kids on the autism spectrum. Over the past few months I started a page called Kids OT Hub with the intention to share as much tips and tricks for parents, teachers, OTs and OTA/PTAs that can help their kids. I was recently contacted by a few parents who were asking for resources to help improve their child’s fine motor and printing skills. Now that schools are out, and kids are home without OT services, I felt this was a huge need in the community. So I created a number of resources that are FUN and EASY for parents to do with their kids, which include:
1)Pencil Control

1)Pencil Control workbook -Great for kids at the beginning stages of printing and are working on controling the movement of their pencils and forming pre-printing shapes.
2)Multi-sensory Capital Letters Workbook – A multi-activity workbook that uses different sensory ideas to support learning letter formations and printing.
3)My Letter Sizing Workbook – Teaches a straight-forward and simple strategy called Sky, Land and Water letters to help kids size their letters neatly on the lines.
4)Visual-home Schedule & Self-Regulation Tool – A visual tool to help build a routine at home and manage melt-downs/emotional regulation issues.

You can find links to my products @kids_ot_hub 🙂

SPED Note-Jason Gonzales

I developed Spednote pretty much for the same reason as DTD to save time. Since DTD was developed I was asked by several therapists about daily notes. I didn’t want to do a note program because there are so many out there but I figured out a way to make it faster. The basic idea is that our student’s don’t make progress that fast, sometimes it can be weeks, months, or even years, but we need to track every session regardless. Spednote will automatically do that for the therapist. It will carry over the note from the previous week unless changed due to progress, regression, absents, etc. This software will save the therapist time from logging in and filling out their note when nothing has changed in regards the progress on goals. Even though it only takes 3-5 minutes to do a note, when you have a caseload of 40-70 that’s a lot of time saved in a week. Spednote is free until August 2020. New trials will be free for two months.

Double Time Docs

I am a pediatric occupational therapist with 19 years in the school setting. I graduated from Ohio State University in 2001 and have lived in NYC, Chicago, Maui, Oahu, San Diego, Oakland, Boston, and now reside in Central New Jersey. I currently live with my wife, daughter, son, and small chihuahua. I do about 300 evaluations a year and carry a small caseload for 5 different companies as an independent contractor. Double Time Docs was developed in order to solve a problem that most OT, PT, and SLP’s come across regardless of what country, state, or school district they work in. Evaluations take a lot of time to write (on average 2.5 hours) on top of the testing procedure (observations, records review, consultation, and formal/informal testing). The therapist can use Double Time Docs to write their reports in a fraction of the time just by answering a series of multiple-choice and fill in the blanks questions. It’s the perfect product for OT students and therapists new to the school setting. The template covers all the areas needed to be covered in an individualized narrative report.
All therapists can sign up for a free trial with no CC needed. You can view the sample report on the website. Several school districts pay for their therapist to use the software and we offer Team Accounts. I would highly recommend you sign up for the free trial and test it out.

Nature OTs

Bronwyn Paynter. I help occupational therapists incorporate nature into their work for the wellbeing of both people and the planet. I am passionate about climate change, ecologically sustainable occupation, permaculture, localisation and community building, equitable access to nature, and Forest and Nature Therapy. I am located in Adelaide, South Australia (but exist on-line everywhere!). My personal deliberate connection with nature in the last few years has transformed my personal wellbeing, the way I spend my time (occupation 😉) and my passion for occupational therapy. I provide an on-line group coaching program to support OTs to explore the evidence for nature in health, wellbeing and occupation. Working in, with and for nature is firmly placed within our scope of practice as OTs, nature is the optimal environment for human function and more important than ever in a global infectious disease pandemic. My NatureOT facebook group has over 700 nature loving OTs globally and I’m found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/NatureOTs/ and https://www.facebook.com/flourishnaturebasedot/

Michelle Mintz

Michelle Mintz, OTR/L is a pediatric OT with 25 years experience. She has a private practice in West Bloomfield, MI.(www.michellemintz.com) She loves using her experience to educate parents about the latest science and how it can be used to improve the lives of children and families.

She  started seeing the impact screens were having on the children in her practice, her own children and the over 60 neurotypical children she tested last year for a new OT test coming out this summer. She felt that OT’s already educate on lifestyle such as exercise and sleep and now OT’s have to stay current with what is impacting our children currently which is excessive screen use. Screens impact the health of our children on all levels- physical, emotional and mental. It is imperative that parents understand the impact and learn what children actually need to grow and learn which includes lots of sensory input and play, as well as, face to face communication and connection.  She has developed two products:1) The first one is a webinar for parents which goes over the research, what children need to grow and learn and leaves the parents with a 12 step solution to a happy, healthy child in the digital age. Parents can find this webinar at reconnecting.digitaldevastationsolutions.com. With the onset of the COVID 19 virus Michelle knows that children and parents are on screens more then ever for school and work. This program is easily adaptable for this crisis so you will learn how to balance the excessive screen time.2) The second product is for Occupational Therapists. It is a done for you education and marketing system to use to grow your practice. The OT will get a Powerpoint and script, all the parent handouts and a screening tool to bring new clients into the office. To learn more about this check out www.digitaldevastationsolutions.com

With this project, Michelle also has collaborated with a colleague, Stacey Beyer, OTR/L on a course for parents called“Calm Parent, Calmer Child Experience”. Being a parent is a stressful job. And being a parent during this Pandemic is even more stressful. Our children feel our stress. The science of Co-regulation, tells us that we are emotionally organizing with the people around us to feel safe. Co-regulation starts in infancy and children learn to be independent with self-regulation as they grow. Self-regulation is the ability to calm oneself, control emotions and problem solve. 

During this five week learning experience, parents will feel what it is like to be calm in their own body and mind. This is not about more parenting advice and things you should do for your child. It is a transformational program to becoming a more calm, confident and connected parent from the inside out. And when you are calm, this will translate into more connected relationships with your children, family and friends.

Learn more at our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/calmparentcalmerchild/

OT 4 Lyfe Podcast

Sarah is the host and creator of OT 4 Lyfe, a podcast and website dedicated to sharing her passion for the field of occupational therapy with other practitioners and anyone interested in the field. Through this platform, Sarah hopes to inspire other OT practitioners, bring awareness to interesting topics within the field, and connect professionals for the advancement of occupational therapy as a whole. Sarah is also the founder and clinical director of a private practice that specializes in providing home based early intervention services located in Los Angeles, California.

You can find more information about OT 4 Lyfe at https://ot4lyfe.com/ and also follow along on instagram @ot.4.lyfe.

Today I’m going to tell you all the story of my dog, Ella. And you’re probably already thinking, “what do this have to do with OT?” But hang with me. 

Back when I was in high school, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post someone had shared of a dog in need of a new home. Ella’s family worked long hours and didn’t have the time to dedicate to her. My family already had a dog (Buddy) but Ella was the same breed, past the puppy stage, and just so cute. 

So I did what anyone who desperately wants a dog would do. I crept into my parents’s room and begged my mom to call the phone number. And eventually I wore her down and she did! So Ella’s owner brought her to meet us and we loved her. 

So here’s how OT is connected. Ella’s previous owner ran the activities department at one of the nursing homes nearby. After meeting her, I signed up to volunteer there. So every Saturday morning, I went and did bowling with the residents and would show Ella’s previous owner pictures of her and we would catch up on all things Ella. 

Through these Saturday mornings of bowling, I realized how much I liked working with the geriatric population. And how much I loved helping them participate in a fun activity. I had so much fun at bowling and saw how much it meant to them just to have people come visit. They didn’t care that we were bowling in the TV room or that they might have missed every single pin. They were just having fun, and so was I!

So that’s the story of how 1 Facebook post led me to my dog, the best volunteer experience I ever had, and a love for working in geriatrics.

My family had 8 great years with Ella before she crossed the rainbow bridge. And while I didn’t end up taking my first OT job in geriatrics, that population still holds a soft spot in my heart.

Now for part 3 of the OT Entrepreneurs series! This post will highlight products that OTs have created!

Woo Tape

Meghan Fox is an OT who created Woo Tape! Here’s what she has to say about her product:

WooTape is a handwriting accommodation that quickly provides necessary visual boundaries on any activity or surface. It comes in 3 sizes with varying levels of visual cues. This adaptive tape provides tactile feedback, is writable/erasable (works best with pencil!), and is repositionable or removable from most surfaces. You can get more information in this blog post http://www.wootherapy.com/what-is-wootape or purchase WooTape at http://www.wootherapy.com/wootape. Several other blogs about activities that support child development can be found there too.

Purpose Therapy Box

Purpose Therapy Box is a subscription box company that originally started when the owners, Holly and Ali, were completing their OTA level II clinicals in nursing homes. They noticed that many residents were suffering from loneliness, isolation, and social withdrawal. They decided that a gift box service that families could utilize to stay connected to their elderly loved ones may elevate some of the suffering they had seen. Purpose officially launched their gift box line in June of 2018. Families can subscribe to a quarterly subscription box or purchase one-time boxes, upload photos and messages to personalize the boxes, and all of the products serve a functional PURPOSE! Boxes ship anywhere in the United States. 

As Purpose has continued to expand over the years, the Sponsor a Senior program was added. The Sponsor programs mission is to reach seniors who do not receive visitors and/or do not have family. Anyone can sponsor a senior and the boxes are hand delivered to nursing homes to the residents in need! 

Purpose now proudly offers a subscription service and custom apparel line to Occupational Therapy Practitioners and Students! The boxes are loaded with OT apparel, accessories and merchandise, treatment ideas, documentation tips, and much more! 

The boxes are highlighting other OT entrepreneurs and rehab business owners, busting burnout, and reminding practitioners and students why they chose this amazing profession in the first place! 

The apparel line is a great way to advocate for the profession in a fun and unique way! 

Better Grip

Here’s what Jason Gonzales has to say about his product, the Better Grip:

I am an occupational therapist with 18 years of experience working in pediatrics.  I have worked in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, California, and Hawaii and in over 15 school districts.  

With decreased focus on handwriting and overall fine motor development paired with  the increase of academics, fine motor concerns are one of the most common referrals for occupational therapy.  Teachers, parents, psychologists, therapists, and caregivers often ask for strategies and recommendations in regards to a child’s pencil grasp. An inefficient and/or immature pencil grasp can impact the legibility and function of a student’s written work and their endurance.  When a student has difficulty writing it can affect their self confidence and overall ability to learn.    

The Better Grip can help parents, teachers, and therapist address this need by positioning the students hand in a functional grasp pattern called the tripod grasp.  It can open web space between the thumb and finger which can reduce the amount of pressure needed to hold onto the pencil and may translate into decreased hand fatigue.