Journeys Occupational Therapy, LLC

11/18/2024

Just an FYI-our website is temporarily down as we switch providers. Stay tuned...

11/06/2024

Road trip to Cleveland, Ohio today to teach an UI Somato-Emotional Release class. Will get to see some friends this weekend, as well!

07/20/2023

The InTouch series are free informational sessions offered by the Upledger Institute via Zoom on a variety of topics. Sharing this here for your information, in case you or someone you know might be interested! Call us with any questions on how craniosacral therapy can help you or a loved one.

We are so excited for our next FREE VIRTUAL InTouch Presentation!

Join Fred Stahlman, PT, CST-D, on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 @ 7pm EST - How Upledger CranioSacral Therapy benefits Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clients

Fred Stahlman, PT, CST-D will discuss the light touch of CranioSacral Therapy (CST) in balancing the Autonomic Nervous System to reduce adverse mechanical issues in your clients. Fred explains how combining CST with SomatoEmotional Release techniques unlocks emotional traumas held in the bodies of those clients suffering with PTSD.

Register in advance for this meeting: http://ow.ly/8gip50OsppN or Upledger.com Free online program tab

NOTE: In order to successfully register you will need your email address registered with a zoom account. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

05/26/2023

Dr. dan Siegel's work is highly recommended...

Free Conference - Mindful Parenting and Emotional Wellness - November 10-14

05/26/2023

This quote sums up everything I've ever tried to say about "behavior" and does it so perfectly succinctly in four sentences.

What's the best-case scenario? That instead of wanting to get revenge on children for the ways they act that inconvenience, bother, or annoy us, we start to soften. We start to see them empathetically. We start to genuinely feel our hearts change as we want to help them. Children who have been struggling, who have been hurting, who have been overlooked, who may not have any other adult in their life who's "on their team" start to feel seen and heard.

What's the worst-case scenario? That a child who isn't actually in any kind of distress manages to pull one over on us? That we miss an opportunity to get revenge on a kid for being annoying? I can't even think of one here that makes sense.

I think what we are *actually* afraid of is that the worst-case scenario is that our best isn't good enough. That our empathy doesn't solve everything for a child whose life is scary and stressful in too many ways...and that the child behaving like they're in stress becomes an adult behaving like they're in stress, and something scary in life could happen because of that.

It could. That happens every day. So we mistakenly think that maybe we can fix it by "getting back at" the child earlier in life...before our whole broken society, our whole broken world, can "get back at" an adult who does something wrong.

But that's not how it works. We don't have to preemptively break kids so that the world won't break them later on. On the contrary, when we tell ourselves a truer story about what the child is doing (they're stressed, they're hurting, they need help), then it becomes the story we tell the child about what they're doing (you're stressed, you're hurting, you need help). And when the child grows up, it becomes the story they tell themselves: I'm stressed, I'm hurting, I need help.

Not "I'm bad"

Not "I'm lazy"

Not "I'm a piece of crap"

Not "things are going wrong, yeah, I deserve that"
..but I'm stressed, I'm hurting, I need help.

And then they know, too, that there are people who can help. Because we helped when they needed it before.

(The quote in this meme was taken, with permission, from Greg Santucci, Occupational Therapist's original post here: https://www.facebook.com/gregsantucciOT/posts/pfbid0YEQGqFESGPrE29njC9ZSFZy9cmbCysrWxdoCBcJL14fPHSBEVbYfcC4UijP1VkbMl )

[Image description: A soft purple background with a white square in the middle with a quote on it that reads, "So how do we know if a 'bad' behavior is a response to stress? Just assume that it is. If we do, it puts us in helping mindset. If we don't, it's a revenge mindset." The quote is by Greg Santucci, occupational therapist, whose page is linked above in this post. End description.]

03/30/2023

Natalie is not teaching this on April 1st, but you can find a class in nearby Madison if you are interested.

Join us! Saturday, April 1st for International ShareCare Day.

One of the goals of The Upledger Institute International is to teach people that they play the most active role in their own health. ShareCare workshops were designed by Dr. John E. Upledger specifically for persons with no prior knowledge of anatomy or physiology. Dr. Upledger is the osteopathic physician who led the research team to establish the scientific basis for a craniosacral system. He has shown how the system could be used to evaluate and treat misunderstood malfunctions involving the brain, spinal cord, and a myriad of other health problems such as chronic pain, lowered vitality, recurring infections, etc

More information: https://www.upledgerclinic.com/resources/sharecare.php

01/11/2023

Enjoy this free talk by Rob Fournier regarding craniosacral therapy and pediatrics.

Don’t miss our first In Touch FREE Virtual presentation of 2023 - CranioSacral Therapy (CST) for Pediatrics - Connecting With Your Own Inner Child on January 24, 2023, 7pm Eastern Time (approx. 1 hour).

Register here: http://ow.ly/xXkE50LEBCz or go to Upledger.com Online Learning Programs in the yellow bar on the home page.

Learn how CranioSacral Therapy (CST) can help pediatrics and connect with your inner child. This is a great introduction to the CST Pediatric Curriculum.

11/19/2022

We see the most significant changes occur during play. During play we frequently observe children opening up and able to talk about difficult feelings or topics they would otherwise avoid. Here's to working some play time into your holiday season plans, as best you can, no matter what your age!

11/17/2022

Helpful perspective when responding to flexible/inflexible thinking, regarding details and big picture thinking. Let us know your thoughts! https://researchautism.org/use-inflexibility-to-teach-flexibility/

Young people with autism often have differences in their flexibility skills. Sometimes these are called “problems with flexibility” or “cognitive and behavioral rigidity.” Certainly these differences can get in the way of many day-to-day situations such as social interactions, transitioning ...

10/16/2022

The only places we lived where our kids couldn't play barefoot outside were Louisiana and Mississippi where there were fire ants. Even standing too long in one spot in sandals was a little risky with fire ants. Use your judgement!

Many children, will naturally remove their shoes to play, climb and be outside. Dear Parent, it's okay.

It's okay to remove the shoes.

Nature Play - take a step back and observe your child at play

10/02/2022

If you play video games, or have children who play video games, please read this article by a video game developer. Being informed helps us make decisions for ourselves and our families. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/02/opinion/video-game-addiction.html

Parents aren’t doing enough to protect their kids from gaming addiction.

09/29/2022

I have observed how really down to earth authentic observations of positive efforts and skills can completely change negative behaviors over time.

My daughter was starting to hate herself because all day long she was told — by me, her teachers, her friends — that she was constantly messing up. Doing it wrong. Misbehaving. Here are the five ways we used humor and praise to save my daughter. And me.

09/11/2022

Each individual is so unique in how their Autism expressed. Avoiding assumptions and remaining teachable is a helpful approach to connecting.

Our experiences on the spectrum have been largely overlooked, misdiagnosed, and even ignored. We're told, "You're too social to be autistic," or "Everyone feels that way sometimes." Masking to fit in and a strong intuitive nature can easily hide the ways life is harder for some neurodivergent kids.

But what we usually can't hide are our strong opinions. can be difficult if your child is:

➡️ super passionate about a topic.
➡️ extremely literal.
➡️ remembers every word you said and challenges you on it. 🤭

🌈 3 Things to Know:

✨Emotionally, they may lack the expected exuberance of neurotypical children. For many, their emotional responses are deeply felt but rarely seen in public - unless they become overwhelmed or fired up about something - and then they can explode with emotion.

✨You can argue with them, but they'll only dig in their heels because truth, justice, choice, and autonomy mean more than anything.

✨The BEST way to connect is through (no blame, shame, judgment, guilt) and by ALWAYS putting the relationship first.

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📘 Visit me 🔗 store.teach-through-love.com for more conscious communication tools for talking to your kids.

09/03/2022

Daniel Siegel's work has been helpful for some.of the families we support. If it resonates, check into this free conference.

Free Conference - Mindful Parenting and Mental Wellness - October 14-18, 2021

07/20/2022

Last year, Jann Fujimoto, M.S., CCC-SLP put together this blog post featuring Journeys OT. Jann has been tireless in her efforts to build a professional community of independent practitioners. In this blog post, Jann asked me to provide some basic information about Occupational Therapy and the types of services we provide at Journeys OT. Enjoy! https://speechworksllc.com/journeys/

Read more about Journeys Occupational Therapy Interview and speech therapy in WI

05/11/2022

Have tears in my eyes as I watch this. Feeling grateful she is expressing what we need to hear! There are so many ways to communicate, and all need to be honored.

“I’m just going to burst into tears,” her mother, Virginia Breen said. “I think because it was such a long journey for us you know there were times which felt a bit hopeless…

05/07/2022

Happy Mother's Day to all who care for others. Have a beautiful day and a smile...

😅

05/07/2022

It is worth reading every slide to learn interaction skills that I have found beneficial over the years. So grateful others are putting them together for us in beautiful images and clear language.