Many kids have underlying developmental issues that impact their ability to function smoothly and fluidly in the world. Many parents don’t have the tools to teach a child who is neurologically different than them. Parents can feel overwhelmed, lost, and unsure of where to start. I help parents to navigate this landscape. I collaborate with a child’s caregivers, doctors, and teachers to weave the tools for success into all aspects of a child’s life.
Meet Brooke
What you can expect with OT from me:
Help in navigating
Empowerment for parents
The most successful treatment happens when parents are involved. I want parents to be empowered and able to connect with their child. It is important to me to help parents understand that they don’t have to create a separation between what happens in a clinic or office setting and their own home. Parents can do so much at home in their own setting; they can make major transformations and feel good about it. I am there to coach, guide, and support parents in their journey with their child.
A 360 view of the whole child
I look at the whole child, including their environment, culture, family, school, routines, and play. I focus on the child’s specific, individual differences, and I work with caregivers to find a plan that works within their daily routines. I aim to meet everyone’s needs.
Collaboration with other professionals as a team
I believe that collaboration with the right team members can put everything into motion. I work with pediatricians, developmental pediatricians, and psychiatrists, all of whom are MDs. I also work with developmental specialists, such as speech therapists, physical therapists, educators, psychologists and social workers, mental health therapists, and behavioral therapists.
Together, we bring the tools and techniques to address challenges. We work from where the child is today, and help them to grow wherever is possible. We accept the child as a whole, complete, ever-growing person, just like all of us.
Training and Certification
Advanced training in:
- Floortime DIR/FCD Model CL 1 and CL2
- Sensory Processing Disorders Evaluation from the STAR center- Level 1
- Partakes in ongoing mentoring with STAR therapists
- Sequential Oral Sensory feeding approach (SOS)
- Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)
- Integrated Listening Systems (iLs)
- Certification in Sensory Integration and Praxis Test Certification (SIPT)
- Yoga for the Special Child
- 400- hour yoga teacher certification in TriYoga
A Lifetime Dedicated to Pediatric OT
My mother worked in the field of special education, and from the ages of 5 to 18. I would go to work with her and watch with amazement at how she taught skills to kids. She would let me help when it was appropriate, and I was always fascinated with the practice. I remember a time when an OT came to the classroom to provide therapy and I thought to myself, “this is where all of the fun stuff is going on!” In 1996, I received my bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy, and my first job out of college was at the same school where my mom taught.
I met my husband, who is in the military. As you can imagine, this led me into a life of moving to new places every few years. The benefit of this is that it helps me continue to learn and grow.
Our first stop was in San Diego, where I worked at San Diego Children’s Hospital. This is where I honed my skills as an OT, as I was able to learn from some of the best in the field. In 2001, we moved to Maryland, and I worked with a woman who provided OT therapy at home rather than in an office. It was here that I realized the power of in-home therapy; this consistent environment empowers not only the kids but the whole family. This is also where I became SIPT certified.
In 2001, I became a mom with the birth of my daughter, and again when my son was born in 2005. This opened up a whole new world of learning for me.
It opened my eyes to the realities of parenting a child with individual differences and the value of providing the “just right” challenge for my own kids in my own home.
2005 brought us to post-Katrina New Orleans, where I worked in the public school system and learned about the impact of trauma on kids; I learned about how it impacts the nervous system and how it can create challenges for the growth and development of a child. I now bring a rich, trauma-informed approach to my OT practices.
We moved to Virginia in 2010, and I actively sought out work in a population where I could focus on self-regulation for kids and the role stress has on self-regulation. I discovered critical tools and techniques that make a dramatic impact.
In 2011, we moved back to San Diego, where I worked for the KIDSTART program at Rady Children’s Hospital. This program allowed me to bring the culmination of trauma-informed treatment, sensory integration programming, and parent coaching to children and families with the highest levels of need.
In 2018, we moved to Guam, which provided me with an immersive experience of the impact of culture and extended family on the OT process. It was a game-changer for my outlook on OT and the use of simple techniques and tools that can empower parents to be agents of positive change for their kids.
