We were lucky to catch up with Erin Stanford, MA, OTR/L recently and have shared our conversation below.
Erin, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Creativity doesn’t come easily for me. By nature, I’m a creature of habit and routine. These provide me with stability and a sense of comfort… Plus, routines and habits are often established when something is working well, so why change up a good thing, right? On the flip side, too much routine or habit can create stagnation, limit learning, and result in me feeling like I’m in a rut, or on the proverbial “hamster wheel.” It’s important to be aware of when it’s time for me to push out of my comfort zone a bit.
As a pediatric OT, I’m driven by a desire to provide dynamic and fun therapy sessions for my clients as they work on, and through, their personal challenges. Many of the kids I work with become reliant on routine, which is so important for the same reasons (and more) that it’s important to me… but flexibility and creative exploration within those safe routines allow for new learning and growth opportunities. We need to see and do new things to make new brain and body connections.
While my creativity is fueled by my desire to provide clients with novel and fun therapeutic activities, the fire is ignited during opportunities for continuing education. I love going to Occupational Therapy conferences and learning from mentors and colleagues. It just takes one small take-away to reinvigorate and inspire me to do more, challenge myself, or try something new. Since the beginning of COVID, there’s also been a huge influx of therapy providers and people within the disability and neurodivergent communities sharing content online. They share treatment strategies, research, perspectives on the lived experience, and so many more inspiring ideas and discussion points. It’s exciting to have such vast learning opportunities available so readily.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Throughout my life I’ve had a passion for working with kids. I have been working with the special needs community for over 20 years, and have been a practicing Occupational Therapist since 2011. I started working as an OT at a private pediatric clinic where I worked individually with children and their caregivers, as well as in intensive group programs alongside other therapy providers. I absolutely love collaborating with practitioners in other disciplines and learning how to incorporate their strategies within my sessions. Providing a holistic approach, and helping with carryover of strategies is critical in supporting client progress. My clients have ranged from infants to teenagers, with a wide variety of medical diagnoses and developmental differences.
While pediatric OTs will typically work on everything from fine and gross motor skills to sensory processing, self-care, regulation, and so much more, my favorite areas of practice are in sensory processing and feeding therapy. As a trained practitioner, I’m able to recognize that my own sensory processing differences and feeding history have lead me to want to learn more about these particular areas, and support children who present in some of the ways that feel familiar.
In 2023, I started my own private practice, Aha Kids OT. As I mentioned previously, I’m a creature of habit and am most comfortable in routines and familiar settings. Branching off on my own was extremely daunting and not an easy decision… but I was also able to recognize that it was time for me to explore another side of myself as an occupational therapist. Providing a playful space and building the trust of my clients and their families are the cornerstones of my practice. I strive to individualize treatment and meet the unique needs of each family. As a parent to 2 young boys of my own, I understand the importance of developing practical tips and strategies, and place an emphasis on caregiver education and support. My goals are to help each child capitalize on their strengths, develop tools to address their challenges, and teach their caregivers how to best support them on their journey… It’s all about finding those “AHA!” moments.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The 3 words (however you classify them) that first come to mind are: readiness; confidence; and experience. Timing is everything and can change the course of your life. Since I’m someone who really prefers familiarity and being in a comfort zone, it took many stars aligning to push me to make the jump to private practice. Having my own practice was never something to which I aspired. I was very happy practicing what I studied and was trained to do, while avoiding all the aspects of doing it independently that completely freaked me out… but there were so many things all coming together pointing me in that direction and readying me to face the challenges and excitements that lay ahead.
This fostered in me a confidence I don’t typically acknowledge. Part of why I prefer familiarity is due to fear of the unknown and facing challenges outside my areas of knowledge. However, all the things shaping that period of my life built in me an excitement, and were helping to cultivate my confidence to face the challenges of starting a business. I’m an educated woman with a family and incredible support system. I’ve worked hard, faced overwhelming experiences, and have generally been successful in accomplishing my goals. There most definitely would be a large learning curve for this next chapter, but I kept reminding myself that I can do far more than what I think I can.
This is where my life experiences, both personally and professionally, gave me the extra boost I needed to say “yes” to the opportunity of leaving the familiar for something so out of my comfort zone. I know and trust my capabilities as a pediatric OT. I knew I could do the hands-on work once the company was up and running. This allowed me to focus more energy on learning the daunting “business” stuff initially. Having worked for an employer allowed me to hone my craft, grow as a clinician, and build my professional confidence, while the company did all that behind-the-scenes administrative work that intimidated me. Now, it was my turn to take on those aspects, and I felt ready, confident, and experienced enough to do so.
The best advice I could give is to pay your dues, be patient, and pay attention when the stars begin to align for you. Listen to, and learn from, those more experienced than you. With all that comes knowledge, growth, a stronger foundation, and confidence to know when you’re ready to take on more and grow your life as you desire.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
The last 12 months have brought numerous opportunities for me to learn to believe in my own capabilities and grow my confidence. These opportunities have been very different in nature, occurring in both my personal and professional worlds. With each accomplishment, big or small, I felt more and more empowered, more and more capable, more and more in control. “I can do hard things” has become something of a mantra I share with my clients and my own children.
Contact Info:
- Website: AhaKidsOT.com
- Instagram: ahakids_ot
Image Credits
Sam Lembeck (headshot), Logo designs (if used) by Noel Woolfolk
