I love a good book, an afternoon nap, and caffeine--in the early morning and late in the afternoon. Given a choice, I’d go straight from flip flops in warm weather to Uggs in cold weather.
During our summers my family loves to travel and camp in our old Airstream that we refurbished. So far, our big trips have been to Maine and out west to Yellowstone National Park. They are both such beautiful places that I have pictures from both trips hanging around the clinic. We also went to Tennessee’s Smokey Mountains and saw the Synchronous Fireflies, a species that flashes synchronously during their 2-week mating period. It was the quietest experience I’ve had with so many people in the woods. It was a captivating sight!
I started my OT career in Milwaukee WI at Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Hospital where I became a specialist in coma recovery, traumatic brain injury and CVA/stroke recovery. There I was given my foundation in NDT (neurodevelopmental treatment), along with cognitive and visual perceptual therapies. It was a wonderful in-depth education that I learned from the many OTs and PTs at that facility and I am grateful for it.
Following that, I did some traveling therapy. This was a chance not only to travel, but to meet other therapists. I signed up with an agency and off I went! I was assigned various 3-month placements and had a great time. During one of these placements I saw the ocean for the first time and I loved it. Now I go back to the ocean any chance I get!
I eventually made my way back to Milwaukee once again. I worked in the traumatic brain injury program at St Luke’s Hospital. There I found myself being a mentor for the younger therapists. Again, a wonderful staff and a valuable experience for me.
A few years later I returned to the Fox Valley and took a position at the Menasha Joint School District. The excellent therapists in my new department helped me to become a school therapist for the first time. I learned about pediatrics! I love pediatrics. My background in traumatic brain injury had given me an exceptional foundation for working with children with developmental delays, cerebral palsy, autism and cognitive delays. The great value of this position was being able to see my students for several years and learn which therapy interventions made a difference to a child’s school performance and which others did not.
I have over 25 years of experience as an occupational therapist. I established my business, Moving Parts Therapy LLC in November 2017 with a goal to bring an easily accessible community based option for OT service. We put in a custom-built swing set along with other equipment. We have room to grow at this location as the needs of the community grow. My family has been invaluable in getting the clinic set up. My thanks in particular to my husband, my son and my parents.
So that’s my story and I’m excited to begin this chapter!
