I have always had a passion for making art and creating things. I enjoy painting, drawing, crafts, sculpture, and making jewelry. I like to incorporate art and creativity into my lesson plans and interventions. Art gives children a chance to express themselves and gain confidence. I look forward to incorporating art, crafts, and creativity into my treatment plans as often as possible, as it can be used to facilitate, fine and gross motor skills, coordination, muscle endurance, activity tolerance, emotional regulation, sensory integration, and leisure exploration.
Guitar and music: I am an amateur guitar player and have enjoyed the ways I can incorporate music when working with children. I find that allowing children, and adults, the opportunity to dance and sing can help to alleviate stress, encourage play/leisure, and and allow for creative expression. I also had the experience of playing music for older patients with Alzheimer’s, and was amazed at how positively they reacted when they recognized the songs I played. There is great power in music, and I hope to use it to motivate my future patients.
Labyrinth – for self care and mindfulness , goal oriented and making the space your own when you needed a purpose and building a beautiful thing
I enjoy being creative and making things that are purposeful and important to me. I practice mindfulness and look for creative ways to promote self-care in my life. I decided to build a walking labyrinth in my backyard. I would go on long walks and collected each stone, one by one. After I planned and built the labyrinth, I was able to walk it when I needed to center myself or relax. Both the process and the product were a part of my mindfulness practice. I hope to encourage my clients to create space for self-care in their lives and to use my knowledge of mindfulness to to teach clients to manage stress and improve emotional regulation.
Gardening – I enjoy gardening and caring for plants in my free time. There are an almost infinite ways to incorporate gardening into Occupational Therapy sessions. I did not always have a green thumb, but through practice and developing a watering routine, I have learned to care for house plants and a vegetable garden. Gardening has brought me so much joy over the past several years, and I look forward to using the knowledge I have acquired to teach others and creatively incorporate it into my OT career.