Whole Therapies

05/24/2018

A study sheds new light on the connection between the gut and the brain, untangling the complex interplay that allows the byproducts of microorganisms living in the gut to influence the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

11/22/2017

Did you know Whole Therapies has direct billing with Blue Cross? Take the opportunity to use up all your OT coverage before the end of the calendar year! Helping you with the job of being has never been so easy!

10/19/2017

Prepping for a presentation for Winnipeg School Division tomorrow morning. The topic is Mindfulness and Sensory Integration. My favourite! Is anyone else as excited as I am about this stuff?! Whole Therapies has been very busy doing LOTS of offsite clinical work and educational presentations on a variety of topics related to wellness and holistic health in health promotion mostly related to the same topic of tomorrow's presentation. Interested in learning more? Contact us and inquire!

09/23/2017

One of the most effective tools for young children is play-dough. Though readily available in stores, it's also very easy and cheap to make at home and lasts well when sealed in an airtight container. Mix in dye for a colour wheel lesson or add sprinkles or essential oil for an added sense. Play-dough is an effective tool for sensory regulation in many kids. It is also good for fine motor skill development as it encourages a variety of hand skills and also strengthens. Some activities that are fun to do with play-dough include: making spaghetti (long skinny strings) and cutting it up with a plastic knife or scissors; making cookies using a rolling pin, cookie cutters and a lifter; hiding marbles or pennies or small objects inside the dough and counting, sorting or patterning what is found; building a happy face or different figures to work on perceptual skills; shaping letters or numbers if learning early writing continues to be a challenge and so much more! What do you like to do with play-dough? Happy Saturday everyone.
Basic stove top recipe: in a medium cook pot add 1 cup white flour, 1/2 cup table salt, 2 Tbsp cream of tartar, 1 Tbsp oil, 1 cup water. Heat on medium heat stirring constantly for 3-5 min until dough begins to dry, thicken and clump. Remove from heat. Scrape out contents and knead for 5 min. Add colour or sparkles or scent as desired.

09/12/2017

And we are open! Whole Therapies Children's Therapy department is fully stocked and ready to serve you. Whether you're child is on a waiting list for publicly funded services, doesn't meet the requirements for publicly funded services or you are in need of a little extra support, Whole Therapies is here for you. September can be a stressful time for caregivers and children alike. Contact us today and inquire how we can help. Use promo code SEPTEMBER and receive 25% off your Initial Consultation.

08/30/2017

Lunch time is a fun time to work on all sorts of things in addition to filling those hungry tummies! Encouraging kids to spread their own dips on crackers and build their own happy faces is only one simple idea that can go a long way! Having kids participate in food making or assembly is one of the surest ways picky eaters can slowly expand their pallet and allow new foods and tastes to enter their world. In addition to this, this activity can sneak in a bit of work on self help skills, fine motor, patterning, categorizing, colour and shape recognition, perception and orientation just to name a few! We always try to build therapy into the most common daily activities as the task of surviving parenthood at times is daunting enough. Time is precious and it's great when goals can be met on many levels at once while also supporting family routine, culture and values. What are your favourite mealtime therapeutic activities?

08/14/2017

A simple obstacle course using only chalk, a ball and a bucket for motor planning, balance and coordination. Can be made easier or harder depending on age! Could have added more rules, crawling, rolling etc. but we get the idea here! Kids really don't need a lot to have fun. And having fun is key to making activities meaningful and often successful for everyone. Tessa here helped me draw out the course. Kids can then also trace the course with additional chalk, colour it in etc. Then they clean it up using wet sponges, crawling on hands and knees for additional sensorimotor feedback or use paint brushes dripped in water to brush the chalk away, or for heavy work add a big push broom and do some sweeping! ❤️ .0years

07/25/2017

Whole Therapies is now accepting donations of gently used toys for low-income families! If you know of toys that children have outgrown or are no longer using and are looking for a meaningful way to pass them on then contact us today. We will be happy to take them off your hands. A simple guideline of toys that are most valuable in childhood development is as follows:
Books
Mr Potato Head
Puzzles
Beads and Lacing cards
Drawing supplies
Arts and Crafts Supplies
Duplos and Legos
Blocks
Tracing and Stencils
Tower or any creative building toys
Shape Sorters
Hammer sets
Creative play costumes and kits (like a Doctor kit)
Cookie cutters, marbles, and other small objects
Balls of all sizes
Velcro matching toys
Any memory, matching games
Board Games
Farm Animals

This is a very simple list, but hopefully gives an idea! However, any toy is a welcome toy and will be of major benefit to another child.

If you have any questions, please contact us! We will routinely post this offering in order to spread the word, but lets start something today!

07/09/2017

Wave - Winnipeg's Health & Wellness Magazine

07/09/2017

Elephant Journal has published an article I recently wrote! If you'd like to ponder the ways of the mind a wee bit, go ahead and click on the link. Feedback and shares is always appreciated! I hope to share more writing in the future, this is a start.
https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/07/our-thoughts-alter-how-we-see-ourselves-but-they-dont-have-to/

If I were to ask you to pause and take a moment to notice what is going on in your head right now, how likely would your answer be "my mind is quiet, calm, and

07/05/2017

See? There is always opportunity for growth in any crack! Any break, rupture, or loss creates space for change and ultimately new growth. It often takes time, compassion and the end result is not always certain or clear. But allowing awareness to support the process and letting things unfold mindfully will often create a pathway that becomes the "right" one to follow. How do we know if we are on the "right" path? Focusing on one breath at a time, one step at a time and noticing if this sits well with you, even if it's a bit uncomfortable, will inevitably provide the intuitive feedback needed in order to build trust with yourself and what you're working through. This will ultimately allow the whole process to unfold organically. Notice even in the picture, the path of the plants is not perfectly straight; little dips and curves, pauses, as well as tending to the process no matter what is part of it. And, isn't it beautiful regardless?