Next Step Therapy Inc.

04/14/2026

🎓✨ Ever heard of VenangoREADY? ✨🎓

It’s a local program from the Venango Area Chamber of Commerce that connects educators, students, and employers helping high schoolers build the real-world skills they need to succeed right here in Venango County. 💼

Launched in 2020, VenangoREADY focuses on the skills local employers say matter most, like communication, work ethic, teamwork, problem-solving, and understanding the workplace.

Through partnerships with schools and career training programs, students can earn a VenangoREADY designation showing employers they’re prepared, capable, and ready to step into the workforce.

At the end of the day, it’s all about creating stronger connections and a stronger future for our community. 💛

One of the really cool things they do each year is the VenangoREADY Educator Expo bringing teachers and local businesses together to explore the career paths available right here in our region! 📚➡️🏭 This event helps shine a light on the great things happening right here in our community so educators can share those opportunities and help students see a future for themselves close to home! 💚

Learn more here: https://venangochamber.org/venango-ready/

Big thanks to Komatsu for hosting and to everyone who showed up to make those connections happen!

04/14/2026

Part of the beauty of our community is the support that we lend to one another, especially when it comes to supporting our youth and providing them with learning and enrichment opportunities!

The Venango Museum of Art, Science & Industry is open for the season and you can get free admission to the museum when you check out a pass with your library card with the Oil Region Library Association!

Follow their page to keep up with upcoming exhibits and installments of their series they have featured throughout the year! 🖼

We’re open for the 2026 season.

Stop by and see what’s new this year.

04/13/2026

The deadline to enter is April 27!! Follow the Barrow-Civic Theatre for more updates and local shows and events. 🎭

Celebrate "Disney’s 101 Dalmatians KIDS" with us!

Kids ages 3–12 are invited to join our coloring contest. Get creative and bring your puppy to life however you like! Crayons, markers, colored pencils, glitter… we love it all

Coloring sheets can be picked up and dropped off at:
• Barrow-Civic Theatre (Business Office: Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm)
• Franklin Public Library
• Oil City Library
or can be downloaded for print here - https://barrowtheatre.org/youth-theatre/

Deadline to enter: April 27

🎉 8 winners will be randomly selected to receive tickets to:
• 101 Dalmatians Kids (May 8 & 9)
OR
• The Little Mermaid (July 10–19)

📣 Winners will be announced April 29 and may be featured on our social media!

One entry per child. We can’t wait to see your spots! 🐶🖍️

04/13/2026

We can always learn so much from children. This is a great Monday message!

The 55th anniversary of the Week of the Young Child is here! While supporting and celebrating young children is something we value all year long, this week offers a special opportunity to recognize their importance, along with the teachers, families, and communities who care for them every day. We hope during this week, and every week, you will “think of the children first.”

As we kick off the week with Music Monday, we celebrate how music helps children stay active, build early literacy skills, and connect with others through play and creativity. In honor of the day, we’re sharing a special clip from 1985 featuring Fred Rogers and Yo-Yo Ma, where Ma shares how he began playing the cello, talks about where it was made, and demonstrates how different ways of playing can evoke or relieve certain emotions. https://www.fredrogersinstitute.org/archive/mister-rogers-visits-with-yo-yo-ma

You can learn more about WOYC activities and resources by visiting the NAEYC website here: https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc/plan-your-event

04/12/2026

May 1st at the Oil City YMCA! Free admission Family Night to kick off Mental Health Awareness Month. 💗 Hosted by the Venango County Su***de Prevention Task Force!

🎉💦 Family Swim Night!!! 💦🎉
Looking for a fun, family-friendly way to spend your Friday evening? Come make a splash with us!
📅 Friday, May 1st
⏰ 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
📍 Oil City YMCA Pool

✨ FREE admission
🎶 Music
🎁 Giveaways
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 All ages welcome!

Bring the whole family and enjoy a night of fun, laughter, and community!
Hosted by the Venango County Su***de Prevention Task Force Speak-Up Squad 💚

04/10/2026

See you all tomorrow! 💜 1-4 PM at the Oil City Library.

Join us for a Community Baby/Family Shower at the Oil City Library on Friday, April 10th, 2026, from 1–4 PM! 👶🍼 This free event is open to expecting parents and caregivers of children up to age 2. Come explore valuable resources for families and children, including educational materials and essential supplies. Hosted in the library’s downstairs Meeting Room, the event is organized by Recovery is NWPA and supported by HRSA/HHS.

RSVP to Keirstin Gregory at 814-518-2055 or https://forms.office.com/r/fBuYiKLxwz to reserve your spot.

04/10/2026

Lots of fun things happening at the Oil City and Franklin Public Library the week of 4/19-4/25/2026!!

Follow the ORLA page to keep up to date!

04/08/2026

“One of the greatest advantages of Early Intervention is that services take place in your child’s natural environment — your home or daycare. This allows providers to integrate strategies into daily routines and coach caregivers so progress continues throughout the week.

Benefits of Early Intervention:

-No cost to families
-No physician referral required
-Providers come to you
-Services are provided in your home or daycare
-Early support promotes stronger brain and muscle development
-Caregivers receive coaching and skill‑based strategies to use throughout the week
-Freedom to choose your provider — Choose Next Step Therapy.”

Next Step Therapy provides Early Intervention services across 10 counties, offering support to families during the most important years of a child’s development…

04/04/2026

Becoming yourself more than ever before is what OT is all about!🌸

Happy OT month 🤍

We don’t force perfect lines.
We support meaningful growth. 🌸

04/02/2026

On World Autism Day (and each day), we recognize that every Autistic person is their own kind of amazing.

Some of us love patterns. Some of us love sounds. Some of us love quiet spaces, big ideas, or noticing details others might miss.

Some, like Carl's friend Lotta, see colors when they hear music. And some, like Carl, are sensory seekers who love strong smells.

There isn’t just one way to be Autistic. There are all kinds of kinds.

That’s something we celebrate every day at the Autism Society of America, and it’s something we love about Carl, Lotta, and their friends in Fuzzytown, too.

📺Watch the Emmy Award winning Carl The Collector Show on PBS KIDS
and learn more at: https://pbskids.org/carl

04/02/2026

“Autism Acceptance Month celebrates and honors the experiences and identities of Autistic individuals. It emphasizes understanding, inclusion, and support, moving beyond awareness towards meaningful acceptance.”
-Autism Society of America

Inclusion starts with understanding. Let's continue to create spaces where everyone feels seen, supported, and valued.

04/01/2026

Next Step offers outpatient mental-health counseling in our clinic located on Steffee Boulevard in Seneca!

Our Licensed Professional Counselors provide individual counseling for children and adults as well as family counseling. They are able to address a multitude of needs such as behavioral issues, trauma, depression, anxiety, phobias, and abuse.

Our therapists are highly skilled in working with neurodevelopmental diagnoses (autism, ADHD) as well as age-specific challenges, such as navigating the adolescent years. Commonly used therapeutic modalities by our therapists include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Client Centered Therapy, Play Therapy, Reality Therapy, and Solution Focused Therapy.

Reach out to us at 814-677-1390 or submit an inquiry in the contact section on our website: www.nextsteptherapy.net 💜

The full range of human emotion shows up in classrooms and offices every single day — pride, joy, and confidence right alongside fear, anger, and frustration.

Our job isn’t to make the hard feelings go away. It’s to help children understand that every feeling they have is valid, that no emotion makes them bad or broken, and that what we do with our feelings is where the real work happens.

When we normalize the full spectrum — not just the easy, comfortable emotions — we give children permission to be honest about what they’re carrying. And that honesty is where connection and healing begin.