Occupational Therapy
During Occupational Therapy sessions we spend time playing, experiencing nature, building relationships, dancing, writing/coloring, and exploring areas of interest in order to facilitate development of age-appropriate skills. Using a variety of assessment tools, we work alongside families to create a plan of care that encompasses the skills and goals that are most important to the client and will facilitate participation in daily life.
Your child may benefit from occupational therapy if:
- You are concerned about your child’s development.
- You feel your child struggles to complete coordinated movements.
- You notice behavior concerns that impact engagement in daily or family life.
- Your child struggles to complete age appropriate self-care skills.
- Your child responds to his sensory environment in a way that hinders his involvement in relationships or activities.
- You have concerns about fine motor or gross motor development.
- You find yourself frustrated with teaching your child new skills.
- Your child has had difficulty learning to write, cut, or complete school readiness skills.
We specialize in treating:
- Fine Motor Skill Development
- Gross Motor Skill Development
- Visual-Motor and Visual-Perceptual Skills
- Sensory Processing and Integration Skills
- Ocular Motor skills
- Self-care skills
- Self-Regulation
- Social skills
Common strategies and programs used during our treatments:
- Nature-Based Treatment Techniques
- The Interoception Program – Kelly Mahler, MS, OTR/L
- DIR/Floortime Model of treatment
- The Zones of Regulation
- Sensational Brain and BrainWorks – Sensory Information
- Handwriting without Tears
- Rapid Prompting Method
- Sensory Integrative Techniques
- Play-Based treatment approaches
- Biomechanical treatment techniques
- Supportive Systems – visuals, PECs, basic sign language
- Art, Music, and Fine Arts Techniques
- Low Toxin Strategies for Living and Eating
- Family Education and Home programming
About
RACHEL GERMANOVICH
With my whole heart, I believe in the importance of living an authentic life – authentic to who we are, what we believe, and what we want to accomplish. I believe this is possible for all people, with all levels of abilities, at all ages. It is for this reason that I was drawn to the field of occupational therapy.
I received a Bachelor of Science degree with a Minor in Business from the University of Illinois, and then received my Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from Midwestern University. I have been a licensed Occupational Therapist in the state of Illinois for 9 years, and have spent 7 of those years working in pediatric occupational therapy in a variety of settings – schools, clinic, home-based, and nature-based. I have received additional training in sensory processing disorders/treatment, DIY/Floortime model, ocular motor disorders and vision therapy, as well as trainings related to specific diagnoses including developmental delays, neurological disorders, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
I advocate for an integrative, team-based treatment approach and strongly encourage family involvement in treatment and home programming. For this reason, I offer treatment in the physical locations in which daily occupation occurs – home, school, community, nature.
Throughout my OT schooling and career I have been blessed to work with incredible families and individuals of all ages that have conquered their goals and engaged fully in their desired occupations.
I believe that while progressing toward a goal is important, engagement in occupation right now is equally as important to our personhood. It is my joy to meet clients where they are at and work together to facilitate an inclusive environment that encourages growth, development, and occupational engagement.
Along with being an occupational therapist, my favorite personal roles include wife, blessed mama to two children and three fur babies, daughter/sister, homemaker, artist, musician, nature-lover, and blossoming gardener. I value an active lifestyle, natural foods, thought-provoking reading, as well as personal and professional development.
I have a passion for watching others engage in daily occupations that allow them to live authentically, at every age. I whole heartedly believe this is possible for everyone. I believe in the healing power of occupation and I believe in each of you.
I look forward to meeting you!
About
KELLI MARTIN
Until I was 10 years old if you had asked me what I was going to do when I grew up I would have told you, “I’m going to be a teacher”. When I turned 10 my mother who had been extremely ill for several months started receiving occupational therapy. I spent many hours watching her therapists and assisting in her sessions. I truly felt OT was the one discipline that was focused on helping my mom relearn the things that a mother would need to do. From that point on I was sure I was going to be a part of the Occupational Therapy profession when I grew up. I later realized OT is a “teaching” profession so one could say I got to still do the dream job of my 5 year old self!
I love that OT focuses so much on the “whole person”. It is impossible in my mind to only treat one specific thing that a person may be dealing with as every part of our body, mind, and soul are connected. OT gives me and others in this profession permission to look at so many different factors that make up the human experience. The other wonderful thing about OT is it is extremely versatile, functional, and practical. We are able to use environments and things that people interact with everyday as they fulfill the occupations that are meaningful to them.
I graduated from Parkland College with an Associate in Applied Science and hold NBCOT certification and Illinois licensure as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. I am certified as a CPR/First Aid trainer and also as an instructor of QBS Safety Care. I have worked in a variety of settings including home health, outpatient services, long term care, inpatient rehab, and an alternative school setting. For the past 20 years I have worked for a non-profit community agency supporting children and adults with developmental disabilities. I have extensive training and experience in using a team approach, person centered planning, sensory techniques, adaptive equipment, functional skill building, dementia care, and behavior management.
What I find most rewarding in my work is getting to see people make gains towards independence. I also love watching people discover what they truly want and learn how to speak up for themselves. I am a believer in teaching self advocacy for all people and I am passionate about ensuring the rights of people with disabilities are not unnecessarily restricted.
When I am not working I am just a local girl that enjoys reading, community theater, singing, taking walks, bike riding, visiting antique shops and traveling, especially to places with an ocean view!
I look forward to meeting you and working with you 1:1 or in a group session!
About
ALISON HANLON, OTR/L
When I was young, I always wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Life may not have ended up like I had planned, but I’d say being an Occupational Therapist was a pretty cool choice too! My interest in OT started when I was in high school. I volunteered 5 hours a week for 4 years in the special education program at school – that is over 3,600 hours! I assisted with in-classroom activities, after school programs, and an integrated physical education class. I enjoyed this so much that I started up a Best Buddies program at my high school and worked for the Special Recreation Association in my county. My favorite activities to lead were crafts, even if they got a little messy!
I completed my undergraduate and graduate school through a direct admission program at Saint Louis University. I graduated with my Bachelors of Occupational Science in 2019 and my Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2020. I completed my fieldwork in adult acute care, pediatric acute care, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). My first job was at DePaul Hospital in St. Louis where I worked for 6 months prior to moving to Mahomet to be closer to family. From there I worked at Carle in acute care through the Covid-19 pandemic. Currently, I work full time at DSC in Champaign as an Early Intervention OT Provider full time and as a contracted OT at Learn. Play. Live. Occupational Therapy. When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with family, including my two frisky felines Remy & Pheebs.
I have experience working with daycares to identify and treat various behavior concerns. I also have experience treating gross motor, fine motor, visual-motor, feeding, and sensory processing disorders. My passion lies with children ages birth-3 and I have a special place in my heart for infant massage and bottle feeding interventions, with training on identifying and treating infant feeding stressors from their first bottle in the NICU and onward. I enjoy doing treatments outside and hope to add in a nature-based social skills group in the future.
About
HANNAH HENSS
Since I was little, I have always had a passion for making connections. I discovered occupational therapy after my grandmother broke her hip and received rehabilitative services to help her regain the ability to complete daily activities of daily living. She was living with my family at the time and I was able to see firsthand the impact that the therapy staff made not just on her life but our family’s as well. I am passionate about building lifelong relationships and helping others which is what I have the opportunity to do as an occupational therapist!
I attended undergraduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign initially studying animal sciences. After 2 years of being in the program I realized how much I missed human connection despite loving working with animals. I switched careers paths to study Kinesiology and eventually choose occupational therapy because of the creative opportunities it allowed for. I went on to pursue a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy from IUPUI in Indianapolis. In my school-based fieldwork experience, I quickly learned how much I loved work with pediatrics and play-based therapeutic interventions! It was so incredible to see children making progress and having fun while they were doing it. What I love the most about occupational therapy is that you develop goals to work towards together with your patients and then find the most meaningful ways to achieve them!
After graduation, my husband and I moved to Washington State for a year where I worked as a travel therapist for a school district near Seattle. We were looking for an adventure and definitely made the most of our time on the west coast, hiking whenever we had a chance on the weekends! We moved back home to Champaign, IL after deciding we wanted to start a family. Since then, I have worked as a school-based therapist and with older adults in assisted and independent living homes. I strive to be a creative therapist incorporating fun, client-driven treatments into my sessions to improve fine and visual motor, coordination, sensory regulation, and many more life impacting skills that are important to clients and their families.
Outside of work, I love spending time with my husband and daughter outdoors. We love hiking, playing sports, crafting, board games, and playing with our dog (Rollo) and cat (Jovie). I look forward to getting to know you and working together!
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