I’ve started calling  myself a “grown-up OT.”

That’s because my favorite part of this work isn’t just the littles — it’s the people who care about them. Parents. Providers. The ones in the trenches every day.

Early intervention has been my home for more than a decade. It’s where I’ve sat on living room floors, coached parents through their child’s first steps (literal and figurative), and had a front-row seat to some of the most challenging and meaningful moments in a family’s life.

It’s where I’ve gotten to know some of my favorite people, and learned from amazing clinicians. It’s where I’ve stretched and humbled myself, over and over again.

And while I love so much about EI, I have also become deeply uncomfortable with much of the status quo, such as – 

• Norm-based testing that labels children as “delayed” when really, they are just developing healthfully on their own timeline – while missing others who really need intervention.
• Developmental milestones used as the primary measurement tool for children whose development will never reflect those checklists.
• Mainstream strategies with limited evidence being used too widely and bluntly – and hearing from too many parents and providers they felt like intervention wasn’t helping the child.
• Families burdened with too much responsibility in “parent-mediated” models, without enough support… and children not getting the intervention they need
• Therapists burning out, expected to be experts on everything while getting very little back for themselves.

I believe we can do better.

I wanted something that didn’t exist yet, at least as far as I could find. A space that values nuance instead of one-size-fits-all answers. A space where providers can grow in excellence without having to sacrifice their own well-being. A space where families are honored as an integral part of their child’s success, while also recognizing support must be as individualized as treatment.

So I created Hello Joy OT. 

Not to be another voice telling you what you should do. And not because I have all the answers. I don’t.

I created Hello Joy OT to give us permission to not have all the answers, to hold space for uncertainty, to wonder if there’s a better way, to keep learning and keep evolving. 

But most of all, I created Hello Joy OT to invite joy into all we do. 

Joy is the natural companion to listening, reflection, curiosity, resilience, kindness, integrity and well-being. 

Joy is ok with mistakes, and doubt, and reframes. She understands we are imperfect, and doesn’t require the impossible.

Without joy, we are serving from an empty cup. But with it, we can do amazing things.

I can’t wait to build Hello Joy OT together. Welcome, friend.

-Katie