It is with the deepest sadness and heavy hearts that we share the unexpected passing of our beloved founder, host, and guiding light, Michele Parkins.

Michele was the heart of A Sensory Emotional Lens, Great Kids Place, and a guiding light to so many families, therapists, and professionals. Her legacy of compassion, connection, and play will continue through the voices she inspired and the mission she passionately led.

Jenna Hammond, Program Manager, and Laura Baldwin, Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist™ at Great Kids Place, host today’s heartfelt and reflective episode. Laura walks us through the complex and deeply personal journey of grief—how it shows up, how it affects children and adults, and how we can support one another through it, all through the Sensory Emotional Lens that Michele helped us see the world through.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How grief impacts children, families, and professionals

• Why the stages of grief aren't linear or universal

• How grief is expressed through behavior, play, and sensory-emotional rhythms

• Practical tools and language for supporting both kids and adults through loss

• How different developmental stages influence a child’s experience of grief

• The connection between grief and love—and how honoring grief is part of healing

A Legacy of Play: Honoring Michele Parkins

In Michele’s memory, we invite you to take a moment today to pause and play. Whether it’s 15 minutes of laughter, a sensory activity, or imaginative play, let’s honor her belief in the healing power of connection, creativity, and joy.

For more resources on how to talk to your children about the death of a loved one, visit: 

https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/how-talk-your-children-about-death-loved-one

About

Laura Baldwin, MA, LPC, RPT™, NCC, ADHD-CCSP

Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist™ , Great Kids Place

Laura is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Registered Play Therapist™, and a Social-Emotional Development Coach at Great Kids Place. She is a steadfast advocate for developmentally appropriate interventions that improve the physical, psychological, social, and emotional well-being of another person. Laura holds a master’s degree in Clinical and School Counseling. With Great Kids Place’s Sensory-Emotional Engagement Model™ as her foundation, she demonstrates advanced knowledge in the areas of pediatric mental health, child development, neurodivergent populations (ADHD, Autism, gifted, highly sensitive, etc.), sensory processing differences, visual-spatial capacities, parent coaching, family support, attachment theories, developmental and behavioral assessments, social skills, DIR® Floortime™, and Crisis Prevention and Safety Care Interventions.

Michele Parkins MS, OTR/L IMH-E®

Founder & Director, Great Kids Place 

Founder, Sensory Emotional Engagement Model™

Michele is an Occupational Therapist endorsed as an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. She specializes in working with children and families with Sensory Processing and Integration Disorders and challenges in social-emotional development. She is also a parent of two sensory kids. Michele is passionate about working with families and other therapists and continues to do so as a clinician and educator. She educates therapists from all over the country and world and continues to provide consultation to schools on treatment for sensory processing disorder. Michele has co-authored a chapter in the 3rd edition of Sensory Integration: Theory and Practice, the textbook for sensory evaluation and treatment, alongside world-renowned pioneers in the field, and is currently writing a parenting book and children’s books.  She hopes to help everyone - children and adults- understand their Sensory Emotional Personality™ style and ways to find strength and joy within them.