Pediatric Occupational Therapy: Why it's great + How it falls short

Hi there! I'm Danielle. I help defeated parents find validation, support + proven techniques to parent their strong-willed kids with composure, connection, confidence + cooperation through a 4 month group coaching program based on the Wholehearted Framework I’ve developed over years of working with families 1:1.

As a parent, you have more resources than ever before. It’s incredible that we have the ability to connect across states and oceans, we have access to the latest research at our fingertips, and we can have AI generated summaries of our questions at a moment’s notice. However, as we know with most good things- too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. How do you sort through it all?

When you know you need help, where do you start?

On the Failing Motherhood podcast in April, we're discussing each parenting resource:

EPISODE 1: April 15th, 2025

v. Parenting Content

v. Self-Paced Parenting Course or Book

v. In-person Parenting Class

EPISODE 2: April 22, 2025

v. Occupational Therapy

v. PCIT

v. Child Therapist / Psychologist

EPISODE 3: April 29th, 2025

v. Marriage Counseling or Personal Therapy

v. One-off or 1:1 Parenting Coaching

v. Virtual Parenting Class

For each, we break down the time/place and family that that resource is BEST for, compare/contrast the unique Pros and Cons of utilizing that support vs. another, and ultimately for some, the way they fall short.

v. Pediatric Occupational Therapy -

Defined as- (from aota.org) Occupational therapy interventions use everyday life activities (occupations) to promote health, well-being and your ability to participate in the important activities in your life. They are skilled health care professionals who use research and scientific evidence to ensure their interventions are effective. It typically includes an evaluation, an intervention plan, and an outcomes evaluation.

BEST FOR:

• People of all ages needing support with a life transition, on the back of a new diagnosis, or recovering from an injury or illness

• Kids struggling primarily with sensory needs and challenges, specific support for picky eating, fine or large motor skills, and/or developmental delays

• Offering services primarily for the child with some supplemental parenting support

• Depending on the plan, families can use insurance

For parents who need MORE realize...

• Local provider accessibility and availability can be challenging to get in.  Waitlists can be long and making time within your busy schedule can tax weekdays. 

• It requires a commute to & from the appointments.

• Neurodivergent kids have a hard time transferring learned skills from one environment or circumstance to another, which means progress made in sessions doesn't come home with them automatically.

• It is one slice of the pie, often supplementing more work/support to be done in other areas.

• It gives parents similar tools and insight included in and nicely complimentary to a coaching program, yet a handful of parents who are themselves occupational therapists have worked with me because again, they needed MORE.

• It is commonly used for support with emotion regulation. However, emotional literacy (recognizing and naming emotions) is only the first step. In order to prevent and eliminate meltdowns/outbursts, we often need to dig even deeper:

  • WHY are they so angry? Can we prevent it entirely as well as teach them how to feel and express their emotions? Both things can be true. If we play whack-a-mole with their symptoms, they are going to keep feeling the shame spiral….

  • If a parent’s approach doesn’t change at home as a result of the interventions, the outcomes will be short-lived.

Read more about these resources: click the links below-

Considering Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) instead?

Or seeing a child Psychologist?

I work with families experiencing same symptoms you’d go to those professionals for -

• high highs and low lows emotionally
• struggles to self-regulate,
• coping mechanisms for big emotions
• lack of impulse control
• defiance, acting out- aggression, overall lack of cooperation
• most importantly- your experience of parenting - feeling exhausted, defeated, resentful, disengaging, losing hope

What about a group coaching program?

Group coaching programs combine a committed, safe environment, the fostering of relationships with like-minded people who get it, and the vulnerability they bring forth to create TRANSFORMATIONS. Think business masterminds, support groups for sobriety, fitness challenges- you achieve much more together than you ever would on your own!

WHO IT'S BEST FOR:

✅ Accelerated progress for the parent who needs MORE than random content, books or a course

✅ They know they need INDIVIDUALIZED support, not generalized info.

✅ Their time is PRECIOUS + you need to learn on-the-go.

✅ Their partner is an ENGAGED parent + wants to get their questions answered too; the majority of stress in the relationship is related to parenting.

✅ They crave connection + community, wanting to be KNOWN + HEARD.

✅ They value working with a mentor who's BEEN THERE, DONE THAT.

✅ They are willing to put the work in when it's actually proven to WORK!

✅ They seek to surround themselves with uplifting + powerful conversations with other COMMITTED, cycle-breaking parents

My program, Wholeheartedly CALM, specifically is BEST FOR…

• Worrying Warrior parents, "It is what it is" parents, and "Just tell me what to do" parents (described in detail in my free masterclass- CALM + CONFIDENT)

• The majority of behavior challenges happen at home.  The child has high highs & low lows, strong opinions, and struggle with regulation.  Their parents want to learn to work WITH the way they’re wired.

• A parent is neurodivergent (EX: diagnosed ADHD or gifted as a child) and they wonder if their child will be too (but they're too young to tell or it's all developmentally appropriate right now) OR their child has been diagnosed with ADHD or is on the spectrum

• The majority of stress in their marriage is related to parenting

• They want to transform their relationship with their strong-willed child into the teen years & beyond
• They want to go from dreading pickup to feeling like besties, from 10 meltdowns a week down to 2, strengthen their personal confidence, family’s resilience, and their marriage along the way. 

PROS OF THE PROGRAM:

• No wait-list - apply, schedule call - enroll with immediate access or within next few weeks depending on schedule.

• No commute

• No direct child involvement

• No pressure to medicate or label

• Stress management first

• Comprehensive & Immersive

• Digest and DO it, not just think about it

• Teaches specific strategies for your exact goals, struggles, and strongest-willed child

• Is designed to maximize your time + effort through digestible, repeatable micro-modules

• Equips your partner alongside you the whole way - RARE & critical

• Stress management first, then skills to manage behaviors & strengthen mindset, unlocking connection you always wanted all along

• Able to customize and adapt journey by accessing needed bonuses at anytime, asking most pertinent questions first

• Includes only critical game-changers, not a bunch of backstories, theories or generalized info

• Back-to-back weeks create momentum and accountability, making it more likely you complete it and can ride on the curtails of other’s momentum and hope on the hard days or weeks

• Crowd sources invaluable insight, validation, and support from a tight-knit small group

• Provides unlimited individualized solutions and community like no other

It's the last resource you'll ever need.

NEXT STEP:

Watch the FREE masterclass with your partner-

Calm + Confident - Master the Kind and Firm approach your strong-willed child needs without crushing their spirit or walking on eggshells at parentingwholeheartedly.com then APPLY.