In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapist who specializes in Reiki & Holistic Healing.  Lisa Kern, MS, OTR/L, CBIS, RYT is a Holistic Therapist, Wellness Coach and Reiki practitioner.  Lisa has a master’s degree in occupational therapy and a bachelor’s in science from American International College.  After working for 10+ years as an occupational therapist specializing in neurological rehab, she chose to follow her passion and true purpose: working as a holistic health and wellness coach empowering others to live their happiest and healthiest life. She is now focused on building a brand to empower others to optimize healing from the inside out - addressing body, mind, and soul.

As a multi-passionate entrepreneur, Lisa also holds certifications as a brain injury specialist, yoga instructor, reiki practitioner, and is co-founder of Work Your M.O.T.O.R., an online home exercise program for stroke survivors. Lisa lives in Western Massachusetts with her husband and two children, Will and Gavin.  In her free time she loves to read, write, spend time with family and go for hikes.  

Show Key Points:

·      Lisa gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      She describes her Uncommon OT work and whom she serves

·      She describes what inspired her to do this work and her path to entrepreneurship

·      She explains her service and how it can benefit others

·      She provides OT practitioners valuable career advice

·      She provides resources and her contact information

RESOURCES:

Website Lisa Kern (healthyholistichappy.com)

Instagram @reiki.body.mind

Books (through my website; I sign and send directly) 

Store 1 — Lisa Kern (healthyholistichappy.com) 

or Amazon

Amazon.com: Mama's Gotta Grow: Inspiring Conscious Growth in Motherhood; Pandemic Pivoting, Adapting to Change, Shifting Lifestyles, and Embracing New Normals

Fear Less: Transforming Fear Into Courage within Relationships, Career, Society, and Self

Work Your MOTOR Work Your M.O.T.O.R. - YouTube

Emmy Vadnais - Holistic OT Community Holistic Occupational Therapy Community (holisticot.org)

Team Rehab Home | Chiropractor in Springfield, MA | Team Rehab and Wellness Center (teamrehabcenter.com)

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot

For Non-Traditional OT Practice Mentorship w/ Patricia:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeC3vI5OnK3mLrCXACEex-5ReO8uUVPo1EUXIi8FKO-FCfoEg/viewform

Happy Listening Friends!

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in Pediatric Nature-Based Entrepreneurship. Laura Park Figueroa, MS, OTR/L is an uncommon OT whose work revolves around her 2 favorite things: Nature & Business! She’s the founder and CEO of Outdoor Kids OT, a nature-based pediatric OT practice, and creator of the ConTiGO Approach- an evidence-based therapy model to empower pediatric therapists of all disciplines to take their work with children outdoors into nature. She is currently working on a PhD, conducting research on nature-based occupational therapy and assists nature based entrepreneurs in her online membership community which can be found at therapyinthegreatoutdoors.com.

For 3 years, she hosted the Mind Your OT Business podcast & recently started a new podcast called: “Therapy in the Great Outdoors” – it’s all about the business & practice of nature-based pediatric therapy of all kinds.

She’s been married for 21 years and has 3 children, ages 19, 17, and 11. She is living the dream in Madison, Wisconsin–where she has a trail into 124 acres of woods right at the end of her driveway.  

Show Key Points:

·      Laura gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      She describes her Uncommon OT work and whom she serves

·      She describes what inspired her to do this work and her path to entrepreneurship

·      She provides OT practitioners with valuable career advice

·      She provides resources and her contact information

RESOURCES:

Website:  therapyinthegreatoutdoors.com

IG: @lauraparkfig

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!  

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot 

For Non-Traditional OT Practice Mentorship w/ Patricia:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeC3vI5OnK3mLrCXACEex-5ReO8uUVPo1EUXIi8FKO-FCfoEg/viewform 

Happy Listening Friends!

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in Sustainability through Caregiver Training. Elizabeth DeBlasi, MS, OTR/L grew up in New York City and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and dance from Adelphi University. She later received her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University and has worked as an OT in school and home settings for over 13 years providing therapy for children with special needs. Through these experiences, Liz worked closely with families and have learned the power of collaboration. Her goal is always to foster independence in the children she works with and to empower parents/caregivers to be active members in their child’s therapeutic process. As an adjunct professor at Long Island University for 7 years, Liz gained invaluable experience in educating about sensory processing, behavioral techniques, and the therapeutic process. Some of Liz’ most profound work has been with a non-profit organization to provide sustainable therapy and design training materials for children with disabilities and their caregivers in developing countries.

Show Key Points:

·      Liz gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      She describes her Uncommon OT work and whom she serves

·      She describes what inspired her to do this work and her path

·      She describes a typical session and the skills she addresses

·      She provides other OTPs valuable career advice

·      She provides resources and contact information  

RESOURCES:

Website: https://sensory-wise.com/

IG: @sensorywise 

Therapists Beyond Borders https://therapistsbeyondborders.org/

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at: https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot

For Non-Traditional OT Practice Mentorship w/ Patricia:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeC3vI5OnK3mLrCXACEex-5ReO8uUVPo1EUXIi8FKO-FCfoEg/viewform

Happy Listening Friends!

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in group coaching. Carlyn Neek, is an OT in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the owner of Balance Works OT. She is passionate about empowering other OTs to rise and live fully in all they do through her ACTivate Vitality online group coaching program for OTs. Carlyn loves to travel with her husband and two teen sons, muck about in the garden or at the pottery wheel and she is most at peace in the mountains.

Show Key Points:

·      Carlyn gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      She describes her Uncommon OT work and whom she serves

·      She describes what inspired her to do this work and her path

·      She describes a typical session and skills she addresses

·      She provides other OTPs valuable career advice

·      She provides resources and contact information

RESOURCES:

Email: Carlyn at [email protected]

Book a FREE Clarity Call with Carlyn www.activatevitality.online/call

Download the FREE Vitality Guide www.activatevitality.online/guide

Connect on Facebook www.facebook.com/carlyn.neek.7

Videos to support visionary OTs on YouTube www.youtube.com/c/CarlynNeek

More details about the ACTivate Vitality Planner www.balanceworks.online/activate-vitality-program-planner

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot

Happy Listening Friends! 

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and the guests’ own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in podcasting and more. Sarah Zera, OTD, OTR/L has been practicing occupational therapy since 2002. She created the Moxie OT Podcast as a place for OTPs, consumers of occupational therapy, and friends of OT to talk about the best evidence in occupational therapy. She seeks to provide evidence-based resources such as research articles, books, and online sources for OT advocates in an effort to increase their moxie. She also specializes in helping people who have had a stroke or brain injury fully participate in their life. She received her B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Michigan University and her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Zera studies how occupational therapists can improve the lives of their clients by helping them get back to the activities they love to do the most. She has helped clients return to shopping, cooking, work, caring for their pets, riding the bus, and more. In her clinical experience, Dr. Zera noted how often clients were discharged from therapy but had not yet returned to the activities they cared about most in life; caring for their children, going to work, playing sports, and all the other activities that bring us purpose and meaning. While working on her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, she studied evidence-based practices that helped her clients return to their most valued and life-affirming activities. She is currently full-time faculty at Midwestern University’s OT program.    

 Show Key Points:

·      Sarah gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      Sarah describes her Uncommon OT work, the settings and population she serves

·      Sarah describes what inspired her to do this work and her path

·      Sarah describes a typical session and skills she addresses

·      Sarah provides other OTPs valuable career advice

·      Sarah provides her resources and contact information  

RESOURCES:

CO-OP Approach website: https://icancoop.org/pages/the-co-op-approach

COPM website: https://www.thecopm.ca/

My website: www.moxieot.com

My article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03080226211008713

My podcast: www.moxieot.com/podcast 

Facebook: MoxieOT, moxieotpodcast

Instagram: @MoxieOT @moxieotpodcast

Twitter: @OtMooxie @moxieot https://www.moxieot.com/about

EBP resources I have created: https://www.moxieot.com/for-professionals   

CEU's coming soon! 

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!  

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series 

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot 

Happy Listening Friends!

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and the guests’ own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in home & life organization. Sarah Larsen, MOTR/L is the CEO of Balanced Home Organization. She graduated with her master’s degree from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Sarah has been working in traditional and non-traditional OT settings for over 19 years, serving children and adults in a variety of settings. She stepped away from traditional OT practice 2 years ago to grow her home organization business so she could provide more client-centered OT services to her clients in their homes.

Show Key Points:

·      Sarah gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      Sarah describes her Uncommon OT work, the settings and population she serves

·      Sarah describes what drew her to this type of work and her path there

·      Sarah describes a typical session

·      Sarah dispels some myths about the specialty

·      Sarah provides other OTPs valuable career advice

·      Sarah provides her course and contact information

RESOURCES:

Instagram - @balancedhomeorganization_pdx - https://www.instagram.com/balancedhomeorganization_pdx/ Facebook - Balanced Home Organization - https://www.facebook.com/BalancedHomeOrganization/ Website - https://www.balancedhomeorganization.com

Sarah will be launching a home organization course later this spring. Clutter-Free Home: A Step-By-Step Guide to Shift from Feeling Overwhelmed to Organized in 60 Days.  There is a VIP email list for those who want early access to the course, exclusive discounts, and an invitation to the virtual launch party. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6237bfc39b7136a9e313e5c4 

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or, if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!  

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot 

Happy Listening Everyone! 

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests’ own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in nature and adaptive sports. Michael Dezmin, MA, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist in Boston, Massachusetts, and the founder of Your True Self LLC. Mike grew up serving communities via lifeguarding, camp counseling, swim instructing, and other jobs with a child development focus. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Health and Exercise Science, a Minor in Psychology, and a master’s in occupational therapy.  After years of specialization in pediatric Occupational Therapy, Mike seized the opportunity to start a small business focused on empowering children in the aquatic environment.  After experiences with many business models and various leadership techniques, he dreamt of creating a system/organization where one’s personal gifts could flourish. The foundations of the organization were based on developing healthy, loving relationships designed to deeply understand families and help individuals achieve their highest potential. Swimming and Aquatic Occupational Therapy were the initial services offered, but the organization now provides a multitude of options for clients (sports, home OT, winter activities, school OT, and more). Mike designed Your True Self as an organization to foster personal growth for all who work there through healthy relationships, healthy organizational culture (fun, play, adventure), and open-mindedness. Each employee is valued for their unique abilities and embraced for the gifts that they contribute to this world. It is his belief that it is with the strong and supportive relationships within the organization that employees go out into the community to foster healthy relationships with their clients and families. 

Show Key Points:

·      Mike tells us about his background and interests

·      Mike describes what drew him to this type of work and his path

·      Mike describes his Uncommon OT work, the settings, and population he serves

·      Mike describes his approach and typical areas of focus in treatment

·      Mike discusses money matters

·      Mike dispels some myths about the specialty

·      Mike provides other OTPs valuable advice

·      Mike provides his contact information for collaborations 

RESOURCES:

Website: https://www.yourtrueselfot.com/

Instagram: @yourtrueselfot

Email: [email protected]

If anyone in the Boston area is interested in working with us, we are very slowly hiring (OTs, PTs, SLPs, Swim instructors, OT Students, Admin people)! You can reach out through [email protected]

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas! If you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot 

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!  

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot 

Happy Listening Everyone!

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in vision therapy. Normanie McKenzie Ricks, MS, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist who has a passion for helping individuals with neurological and vision deficits, particularly those with learning-related vision problems. She is a graduate of The University of Alabama at Birmingham and UCLA. As a proud veteran and Officer in the United States Navy, she provided Occupational Therapy Intervention to service members and their families and addressed neurological issues so that they could return to full duty and fulfilled lives. She is a member of the Lions Club which serves and advocates for the blind and visually impaired through its local and global initiatives She also travels internationally and provides instruction for educators at their schools for the blind and developmentally disabled. Normanie's personal passion for the field hits really close to home. As a third-grader her very own daughter began to have difficulty with reading comprehension, reporting daily headaches, and struggling with standardized assessments. After vision therapy, she now reads above grade level and scored at the ninth-grade level on her writing assessments as a fifth-grader. She continues to excel in her academic endeavors.

Show Key Points:

·      Normanie gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      Normanie describes her Uncommon OT work, the settings and the population she serves

·      Normanie describes what drew her to this type of work and her path there

·      Normanie describes typical areas of focus in treatment

·      Normanie dispels some myths about the specialty

·      Normanie provides other OTPs with valuable advice

·      Normanie provides her book and contact information

RESOURCES:

Website:  www.achievevisioncenter.com

facebook: @achievevisioncenter

instagram: @achievevisioncenter

Amazon link for book:  https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Therapy-Manual-Parent-Teachers/dp/1098376544/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1W4R0BIZBR9PG&keywords=normanie+mckenzie&qid=1647287509&sprefix=normanie+mckenzie%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1

Another way to buy the book: https://store.bookbaby.com/book/visiontherapymanual

Dr. Mitchell Scheiman, OD, PhD is a nationally known optometric educator, lecturer, author and private practitioner. He is the author of “Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits: A Guide for Occupational  Therapists”, and Low Vision Rehabilitation: A Guide for Occupational Therapists” published by Slack Incorporated. Dr. Scheiman has a long and close relationship with occupational therapists. He works closely with occupational and physical therapists in his practice co-managing patients and has lectured to therapists on numerous occasions. He has specialized in vision therapy for the past 45 years. Dr. Scheiman is currently Dean of Research at Salus University. He has written three books for optometrists covering the topics of binocular vision and vision therapy, pediatric optometry, and learning-related vision problems and he has published over 225 articles in the professional literature. He is a Diplomate in Binocular Vision and Perception and a Fellow in the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

Penny Stack, OTD, OTR/L, CLT is the founder of Dyslexia Center of Tulsa and host of the Educate to Advocate podcast. She is the parent of a child with dyslexia who also has demonstrated improved reading capabilities thanks to Dyslexia Center of Tulsa. In the quest to research the best possible services for her own child, she brought the Dyslexia Center of Tulsa to the Tulsa area.  

Sports Vision account on IG: @mrmentalmuscle A.K.A Nick Davenport. Nick is the owner of Mind Body 1 where he works on cognitive conditioning and hand-eye coordination for athletes.

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot 

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot 

Happy Listening Everyone!

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in oncology. Vanessa Monique Yanez, MSOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist with a specialization in oncology. She is a cancer survivor and an advocate for rehabilitative services across the continuum of cancer care, from prevention to survivorship. She holds a faculty position at the University of St. Augustine and runs a private practice in San Antonio, TX. Vanessa is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from Texas Woman’s University. She strongly believes that occupational therapy coalesces compassion, research, and a client-centered approach in a unique way that can help cancer survivors not only function but fully participate in a life they deserve. Her clinical and research interests include hematological cancers, stem cell transplants, psychosocial supportive care, sexual functioning, and theory-driven practice in cancer care.

Show Key Points:

·      Vanessa gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      Vanessa describes her Uncommon OT work, the setting, and population she serves

·      Vanessa describes what drew her to this type of work and her path there

·      Vanessa describes typical goals sessions

·      Vanessa dispels some myths about the profession

·      Vanessa provides other OTPs valuable advice

·      Vanessa provides her contact information  

RESOURCES:

a) Assessment tools at FACIT.org https://www.facit.org/facit-measures-searchable-library

b) Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue Scale (FACIT-F) https://www.facit.org/measures/FACIT-Fatigue

c) Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog): https://www.facit.org/measures/FACT-Cog

d) Psychosocial article by Sleight & Duker (2016):

 https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/70/4/7004360030p1/6182/Toward-a-Broader-Role-for-Occupational-Therapy-in?redirectedFrom=fulltext

e) Systematic Review of OT and Adult Cancer Rehab (Part I) by Hunter et al. (2017): 

https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/71/2/7102100030p1/6304/Systematic-Review-of-Occupational-Therapy-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext

f) Systematic Review of OT and Adult Cancer Rehab (Part II) by Hunter et al. (2017): 

https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/71/2/7102100040p1/6287/Systematic-Review-of-Occupational-Therapy-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext

g) Occupational Therapy Group Intervention in Oncology: A Scoping Review  by Udovicich (2020)

https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/74/4/7404205010p1/8439/Occupational-Therapy-Group-Interventions-in?redirectedFrom=fulltext

h) NCCN Guidelines: https://www.nccn.org 

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!  

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series 

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot 

Happy Listening Everyone! 

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon. 

In this episode, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in perinatal mental health. You will hear from the personal and professional experiences of La'Shandra "Elle" Holmes-Russell, MSOT, OTR/L, CEIM, CYT. Elle is a board-certified and licensed Occupational Therapist practicing in the state of Virginia. She received her Masters of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from Shenandoah University and her Certificate in Early Intervention from Georgetown University in 2019.  She is the owner of Occupational Transitions, LLC, a mobile clinic practice providing the following services in person and virtual via Zoom: occupation-based maternal mental health, lactation/breastfeeding education and counseling, postnatal yoga classes, infant massage classes, and early childhood developmental screenings/early intention therapy. 

Elle is passionate about partnering with families in order to collaboratively identify therapeutic interventions that support and strengthen familial bonds and relationships, in order to maximize the mental health and well-being of the mother for optimal childhood developmental outcomes, by taking a holistic approach in supporting the mother to and through the transition of motherhood/parenthood, including the up to one year postpartum period.

For it is Elle's held belief that “relationship is the organizing factor in which all development (physical, social, and emotional) occurs”...and that every family deserves an "exceptionally bright beginning". A belief that continues to guide her professional development and aspirations toward becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and Certified Perinatal Mental Health through PSI.

Show Key Points:

·      Elle gives us a glimpse of her background and interests

·      Elle describes her Uncommon OT work, the setting and population she serves

·      Elle describes what drew her to this type of work and her path there

·      Elle describes typical sessions

·      Elle dispels some myths about the profession

·      Elle provides other OTPs advice

·      Elle provides her contact information

RESOURCES:

Occupational Transitions, LLC (Lactation and Breastfeeding Care Management, Infant Massage, Postnatal Yoga, Early Intervention/Developmental Screening for Birth-3)

Local to DC and Northern VA; Virtual and In person appointments

occupationaltransitions.com

The Mindful Melanated Mother Visual Support Group (Support Group for Mothers who identify as black). 

Interest meeting link https://form.jotform.com/212716108775155

Therapy for Black Girls (Directory for women of color to locate a therapist within their are of living)

https://therapyforblackgirls.com

Postpartum Support International (Various Postpartum Support Groups for ALL women and birthing persons)

https://www.postpartum.net

As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at [email protected] or DM via Instagram @transitionsot

THANK YOU for LISTENING, FOLLOWING, DOWNLOADING, RATING, REVIEWING & SHARING “The Uncommon OT Series” Podcast with all your OTP friends and colleagues!  

Full Episodes and Q & A only available at:

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/the-uncommon-ot-series 

Sign Up NOW for the Transitions OT Email List to Receive the FREE

Updated List of Uncommon OT Practice Settings

https://www.wholistic-transitions.com/transitionsot

Happy Listening Everyone! 

Big OT Love!

All views are mine and guests’ own.

Be a Patron to support The Uncommon OT Series Podcast project via Patreon.