2021 Sensory Symposium Community Workshop

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November 3 & 4, 2021 | 9:00 AM-12:15 PM MT

$69 Through November 4th

Live Access + 45-day Access to Recordings

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Parenting the Sensory Child and Adolescent

These short, engaging presentations, live Q & A sessions, and expert panels provide parents concrete strategies for supporting their sensory child around:

  • feeding
  • medical issues related to the pandemic
  • managing big emotions
  • emotional and physical changes that come with adolescence
     

Agenda

 

Agenda


Speakers

Carrie Schmitt, OTR/L, OTD
Occupational Therapist


Carrie Schmitt, OTR/L, OTD has 25 years of experience in pediatric occupational therapy practice.  In her work, she is guided by creativity, connection, and curiosity. This insatiable curiosity led Carrie on a 4 year journey studying interoception and its impact on development.  As a wife and mother of four children, Carrie brings not only her years of therapy practice but also lived experience to her work.
 

Jody Thomas, PhD
Clinical Health Psychologist

Dr. Jody Thomas is a clinical health psychologist, a specialist in pediatric medical illness and trauma, and an internationally known expert in pediatric pain. She is the founder and  CEO of the Meg Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering kids and families to prevent and relieve pain. She is the former Clinical Director of the Packard Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Center at Stanford, and former Assistant Professor/current adjunct faculty at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Thomas was recently chosen for the prestigious MayDay Fellowship, which supports pain experts in assuming public leadership roles to help end human suffering from pain through public discourse about research, best practices in care and policy.
 

Judy Delaware, OTR/L, CLC
Pediatric Occupational Therapist and Feeding Specialist, Certified Lactation Counselor
 
Judy Delaware is a Registered and Licensed Occupational Therapist and has been the President of Positive Therapeutic Beginnings, LLC., since 2005. Through Positive Therapeutic Beginnings, Judy specializes in infant feeding, sleep techniques and soothing skills. Judy has been practicing Occupational Therapy for over 39 years and her passion is providing support and care for new parents and babies just coming home from the NICU.
 
Judy’s years of experience in pediatric occupational therapy and feeding helped to create the original Feeding Littles on-demand training programs for parents They offer two programs – one for toddlers and the other for baby-led weaning for infants.
 
Judy is also the Co-Founder of Feeding Littles and the President of Nurturing Babies and Parents Inc.  
 
Judy lives just outside of scenic Boulder, Colorado, and has two adult children and three lightning-fast whippet dogs. When she is not helping children, she enjoys many outdoor activities.


Gina Crites, OTR/L, MFTC
Occupational Therapist & Adult/Adolescent Specialist


I graduated from the OT program at Boston University in 1999 and then twelve years later received a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of New Hampshire. I work in two district capacities at STAR – I am an occupational therapist specializing in adult and adolescent evaluation and treatment of SPD, as well as marriage and family therapist candidate providing counseling to individuals, couples, and families. I love to travel and to spend time with family and friends – notably my four legged friends Emmie, Sherman and Beau.
 

Rachel Balderrama, M.Ed., LPCC
Feeding Program Coordinator, Counselor


Rachel graduated with her Bachelor of Arts from the State University of West Georgia and received her Masters in Education in School Counseling from Georgia State University. Following three years of work as a high school counselor, Rachel served for two years in Burkina Faso as a Peace Corps volunteer, working in the sector of Girls’ Education and Empowerment. Prior to coming to STAR Institute, Rachel worked in community mental health with families of children and teenagers who were in the foster care, adoptive, juvenile or truancy court systems. This multi-faceted work included assessment and therapy, as well as mentoring and training other staff. Rachel has completed the STAR Institute Intensive Mentorship Program Level 1, Research Mentorship, and the Temple Level 1 Certification course. She is trained in DIR/Floortime, and is also a certified therapist in the SOS Approach to Feeding framework. Rachel is the Feeding Program Coordinator and provides feeding therapy. She is also a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate (LPCC) and provides social/emotional assessments, parent coaching and play-based therapies to clients.