Hi' I am Susan
I am the founder, owner, and primary therapist at SMART Pediatric Therapy. In August of 2016, I completed my Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational Therapy with an elective track in Pediatrics from Rocky Mountain University. Prior to that, I graduated from San Jose State University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy. My academic achievements include induction into Phi Kappa Phi, being awarded Dean’s Scholar, graduating with departmental honors, and graduating summa cum laude. My work is with a pediatric client base and I have experience working in the school setting, in the clinic setting, in early intervention (0 to 3 years), and in home health. I specialize in the treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), which is prevalent in the pediatric population needing occupational therapy. I have devoted many hours of post-graduate work attending conferences, completing continuing education course work, and studying to be knowledgeable in applying a sensory integrative approach to occupational therapy. I also attended an advanced mentorship/training program at the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (Sensory Treatment And Research) in Colorado, a non-profit treatment and research facility.
Susan
Personal Interests
I love hanging out with my family, hiking in the mountains, fishing, sand volleyball, and softball.
What I Believe (quote that best describes me)
”Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.” (Colossians 3:23)
What I Like Most About Working with Patients
I love seeing children improve and watching their confidence, communication, and socialization skills grow. I value providing children with an environment rich in equipment so that I can select the tools suitable for (and appealing to) the individual child. I help children learn to regulate themselves, and give them that “just right” challenge to keep them moving forward and making new neural connections in the brain. I enjoy working with parents, educating them about sensory processing disorder, and giving them strategies that improve the family’s way of life.
Why I Chose to Become an Occupational Therapist
I believe I have a skill set and intuition that enables me to evaluate and treat children in a unique way that can lead to extraordinary and unanticipated gains.
What Patients Like Most About Me and My Organization
Parents are grateful that I am able to understand their child when so many others do not. Sensory processing disorder is a “hidden disability” that is often unfamiliar, misunderstood, and misdiagnosed. Parents tend to be amazed at how their child can function better with the proper type and intensity of controlled sensory input.