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What inspired you to become an OT?

My inspiration to become an OT was started by a pediatric OT in BC. I will always be grateful for her as she took the time to show me the facility that she worked at, and talked to me about what she did everyday. My initial response was “ Wow, this is an amazing way to make a difference in a child’s life!” and I didn’t look back.

How do you keep therapy playful and fun, even when it gets tricky?

To keep therapy fun, I use the child’s interests and physical movement. Adding an extra dimension of movement, touch and a predictable routine can take any activity and turn it into a game.

What education, training, and specialized skills enable you to provide the best support for children and their families?

I use my Occupational Therapy Degree, courses in sensory assessment & strategies, child development, interoception, handwriting development, feeding, and assistive technology depending on the needs of the child. I have over 20 years of working with students of all ages and abilities to create functional treatment goals and plans. I often use cognitive coaching strategies to work with families in choosing goals to target and finding practical ways to work on them in session or at home.

What’s your favourite part of watching a child grow and discover new skills?

My favorite thing is to watch children take pride in achieving goals and building skills.

What would you say to reassure a parent who feels worried about their child’s progress or therapy journey?

Being a parent is hard, being a parent of children with developmental delays is even harder! I would reassure all parents that they know their child best. The therapists working with your child can help develop strategies for you to support their development, troubleshoot challenges, and support you and your parenting journey. It takes a village so be as open as you can and give feedback to what is and is not working for your family.

If you had to be trapped in an animated movie for a week, which one would you pick? And why?

If I had to be trapped in an animated movie I would choose Wild Robot and enjoy being on an island in the Pacific Northwest with all the animals!

What inspired you to become an OT? My inspiration to become an OT was started by a pediatric OT ... Read More

What inspired you to become an SLP?

I was teaching an adult language lab course in Japan. I started working on articulation and I enjoyed watching my students develop confidence in their articulation. I knew this was my area of great interest.

How do you keep therapy playful and fun, even when it gets tricky?

I always consider the emotional regulation of the kids I work with. I look for joy and readiness in their eyes and I am ready to adjust the activity to find that spark.

What education, training, and specialized skills enable you to provide the best support for children and their families?

Practice-based coaching helps me to remember that the learning is not about my agenda. I start with checking in about the family’s goals and I can help them to identify what is meaningful to them. I have worked with children for many years across various types of development and often complex needs.

What’s your favourite part of watching a child grow and discover new skills?

It’s all the fleeting moments, when I see a facial expression of pride, as well as when they develop skills and don’t even realize it. The most joyful moments are when the child finds humour in something unique and laughs about it.

What would you say to reassure a parent who feels worried about their child’s progress or therapy journey?

Tell me more about that, so I can think through this with you.

If you had to be trapped in an animated movie for a week, which one would you pick? And why?

I would like to be trapped in How to Train your Dragon for a week, (during sunny weather and after dragons are invited into the community). I would love to spend time with dragons and fly around the breathtakingly beautiful island of Berk.

What inspired you to become an SLP? I was teaching an adult language lab course in Japan. I sta... Read More

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What inspired you to become an SLP?

Growing up, I had some difficulties with my own speech. As I got older and received speech therapy, I realized how important it was to let everyone’s voice be heard. This inspiration fuels my desire to help others communicate.

How do you keep therapy playful and fun, even when it gets tricky?

I’ve found the best success with child-directed activities and games. It’s often easier than you think to integrate speech and language therapy into activities a child is already interested in!

What education, training, and specialized skills enable you to provide the best support for children and their families?

Among the various educational opportunities I’ve experienced, I’ve found Hanen’s training to be a fantastic support for both children and parents. This training helps identify what stage of language a child is at, and how to scaffold their development to reach the next stage. I’ve also taken many courses in Alternative and Augmentative Communication, which has helped me approach my work with children to include communicating their message in the way that is best suited for them, whether using words, pictures, gestures, or a combination.

What’s your favourite part of watching a child grow and discover new skills?

I love helping a child expand their communication. It’s magical to see a child use their first meaningful gesture, word, or even short phrase.

What would you say to reassure a parent who feels worried about their child’s progress or therapy journey?

Sometimes progress can take more time than we expect so I always encourage parents to approach their child’s progress with patience and understanding. Celebrate the little wins and continue to support them, they will make progress!

If you had to be trapped in an animated movie for a week, which one would you pick? And why?

I would love to be trapped in K-pop Demon Hunters! As a K-pop fan, I would love to be surrounded with that type of music!

What inspired you to become an SLP? Growing up, I had some difficulties with my own speech. As I... Read More

What inspired you to become a Psych?

I’ve always loved helping people. My mother told me stories of how I would go and talk to people and offer comfort even as a three-year-old. My passion is to see people for who they are and for who they could become. Walking with someone on their journey, letting them know that they are not alone, is really where my heart lies. As a psychologist I get to do that every day.

How do you keep therapy playful and fun, even when it gets tricky?

I believe that relationship is the most important part of therapy. Without that connection we cannot move forward. I do my best to meet people where they are at and to form that connection. I have a full of life personality and brining in what makes people happy is a good way to help lighten what can sometimes be a tricky journey. Sometimes bringing in a game, doing a craft, or simply going for a walk are good ways make therapy more fun. I will admit I’ve even been known to do a WiiDance Off or to do crazy baking experiments in the kitchen while working through strategies…lol!

What education, training, and specialized skills enable you to provide the best support for children and their families?

Born and raised in Alberta, I’ve learned that nothing is ever as it seems. We can experience spring, summer, fall, and winter all in one day! Alberta has definitely taught me to be flexible and to look for the individual strengths in people. I’ve dedicated my life to learning about developmental disabilities. I use a SCERTS model mixed with CBT and play based interventions. I like to be flexible, using a client centered approach, because I’ve found that even though two people can go through the “same” situation the way they process it is unique to them. I work towards establishing emotional regulation tools that work for the family. With saying that, I am a Registered Psychologist with over 12 years’ experience in the mental health field. I am skilled in interventions, assessments, and counselling and have dedicated my life to learning about developmental disabilities. I approach my time with children and their families using a patient, flexible and strength-based perspective. Life has taught me to celebrate all victories, particularly the “little” ones. Starting a new journey is never easy. Especially when we know that change can be hard. However, when someone is walking with you it can make everything a little brighter.

What’s your favourite part of watching a child grow and discover new skills?

I love the excitement that comes with developing a new skill. The anticipation before they can perform the new skill and the joy that comes after. Children radiate emotions like no one else and those emotions can be so empowering.

What would you say to reassure a parent who feels worried about their child’s progress or therapy journey?

Every child is unique, and every child has their own journey to go on. Even though two children could go through the same “experience” it will never truly be the same. When we see our children where they are at and meet them there, we can accompany them on their journey. In today’s world there is so much pressure to do things now and to grow up now but that is not who we are meant to be. If anyone has ever seen a flower garden then they know that even though we can plant the flowers all at the same time most of them grow and flourish at different times, but with a gardeners help they all grow, and they all become beautiful. It is natural for parents to worry about their children and many parents have questions that they do not know the answer to. If a parent is worried about their child’s progress, then we will look at the child, discover where they are at, and come up with next steps together. It is impossible to know how anyone will be in the future, but I do know that if we take the time to really know our children, to highlight their strengths, and to learn strategies to support them through their challenges, then they will grow into amazing adults.

If you had to be trapped in an animated movie for a week, which one would you pick? And why?

I have always loved the movie “Beauty and the Beast”. I’ve always felt connected to Belle and I love her story. I love how she is unafraid to look past what the villagers see, to look past what she knows is safe, and to adventure beyond that. I love the mystery of the castle and the magic of the castles artifacts that become her friends. I love how she can see beyond what is on the outside and into the heart of everyone in the castle. I also love reading and she has a huge library! I think being in her world would be amazing. I actually own multiple versions of her story both in movie and written form!

What inspired you to become a Psych? I’ve always loved helping people. My mother told me stories... Read More

What inspired you to become a Psych?

I have always wanted to understand human differences and went on to pursue psychology as one way of being able to take a deeper dive into what makes us both the same, and different from, eachother. I have a great appreciation for human differences and have been drawn to working with children, families and individuals who are neurodiverse. I enjoy having a job where I am challenged to keep learning new things and have the privilege of working with so many interesting people!

How do you keep therapy playful and fun, even when it gets tricky?

I like to keep therapy fun by approaching treatment with a down to earth curiosity about others, and like to enlist children and families to become curious about themselves too. The best way is to try new activities or approaches and test things out. I like to incorporate humor, games, activities, and play into the learning goals for each child.

What education, training, and specialized skills enable you to provide the best support for children and their families?

I have had the privilege of working with neurodiverse children and families for over 15 years and have trained in many different approaches to supporting learning and growth in children. I completed my Doctoral training in Clinical Psychology from Concordia University, in Montreal and a pre-Doctoral internship in the area of developmental disabilities through the Kingston Internship Consortium (Kingston, Ontario). Since moving to Edmonton, I have specialized my practice in the areas of diagnosis and follow-up support for neurodevelopmental and intellectual differences, such as autism, ADHD, learning disorders and cognitive delay.

What’s your favourite part of watching a child grow and discover new skills?

When a child learns how to do something for the first time there is a lightbulb moment when they recognize their own success. I also really enjoy watching children develop in their special interests and begin to share these talents with others.

What would you say to reassure a parent who feels worried about their child’s progress or therapy journey?

Although most parents worry in some capacity about their children, I meet a lot of parents whose early concerns about their child were not taken seriously. I always approach these conversations with the understanding that parents know their child best, and most parents would not be reaching out for help if everything was alright and their days were going smoothly. We would begin with thorough history taking, formal or informal assessment, and putting together an evidence-based plan to support the child and family goals.

If you had to be trapped in an animated movie for a week, which one would you pick? And why?

My favourite movie recommendation for parents and kids is ‘Inside Out’ because it does such a great job of showing memories and the emotions attached to them in a visual and concrete way. In thinking about being trapped in the Inside Out movie, I just hope that I would get to choose which emotion characters I would get to spend my time with.

What inspired you to become a Psych? I have always wanted to understand human differences and we... Read More