Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Lee.
Samantha, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My little brother was my best buddy growing up and he was diagnosed with autism when he was 4 years old. I watched as my parents took him to multiple therapies and services in order to ensure he received the best care possible to help him thrive. I also saw firsthand what a blessing it can be to love a person with a disability while simultaneously experiencing the difficulties that come with it.
I can so vividly remember the struggles he faced and our celebrations as he continued to make progress in multiple areas. I always loved the idea of helping kids like my brother and supporting families like mine. After research and trying to figure out what that could look like as a future career, it seemed that occupational therapy could be the perfect fit!
I earned my Master of Occupational Therapy from Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri in 2015 and started working in pediatrics as soon as possible. I’ve worked in a variety of outpatient clinics and have had amazing opportunities to teach future occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants about working in pediatrics as well.
I’ve pursued continuing education in the areas of sensory integration, feeding, and executive functioning and am certified in Interactive Metronome and Integrated Listening Systems, both the Focus Program and Safe and Sound Program. More recently, I have moved into the sphere of pediatric mental health and have sought training in trauma and attachment in order to be able to provide trauma-informed therapy and am also a newly certified Sleep and Well-being Specialist.
After obtaining education in these multiple areas, I had an increasing desire to provide therapy in a way that would enable me to use all of these skills to truly benefit, not only children but their families as well. It’s often said in pediatrics that “to treat the child, you must treat the whole family,” and I believe that to be true and want to do that in the best way I can, so that’s how Bloom Brightly Therapy was born!
I am now able to offer traditional outpatient pediatric therapy services but with a huge emphasis on parent education and involvement. I’m able to offer sibling sessions if there are concerns regarding sibling dynamics and provide some sessions in the home if there are difficulties generalizing certain skills in their natural environments. I’m also able to offer caregiver coaching, which has been a game-changer in my practice.
Over the course of my career, I have had the honor of working with so many children and their families. I have gotten to walk with sweet mamas as they receive new diagnoses for their children. I have done happy dances with caregivers overbites taken of non-preferred foods and sat with them as we created new plans to help their children thrive in their day-to-day lives.
I have truly become friends with caregivers and look forward to seeing my little friends each week. I love the work I do and it is such an honor and privilege to be let into the dynamics and inner workings of my little client’s lives.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road but has been a fun one for sure, and one that has helped me to grow in so many ways, both personally and professionally. My first experience working in pediatrics was ideal. I had like-minded coworkers and a boss who ensured we were properly equipped and educated to perform our jobs well, so then moving back to St. Louis, and that not always being the case was a struggle for me.
I was at times working alongside people who didn’t always align with my beliefs or values regarding treatment or parent education and had to learn to listen to other perspectives and respectfully offer up my own. I had to make hard decisions regarding if and when to leave positions because they didn’t allow me to serve families in the way I personally thought was best.
This was especially difficult because it always meant leaving children and families with whom I had built strong therapeutic relationships with, which I do not and have never taken lightly. Having the freedom to provide individualized services and comprehensive support, which has the capacity to be modified based on the needs of each client, was a major motivation to start my own practice.
In addition to the work environment, I’ve worked with a number of difficult cases and situations. For example, I remember when I first started working more with children who had a background of trauma and how intimidating it was initially, but it forced me to seek the education, to do the research, and ultimately has made me a better therapist.
This has been the case in other areas as well. I am so thankful for the struggles, for those situations that have forced me to question and grow because they’ve made me the person and therapist I am today.
As you know, we’re big fans of Bloom Brightly Therapy. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
At Bloom Brightly Therapy, my aim is to help children of all abilities bloom where they are planted and bloom brightly. I don’t want children to simply function or survive, but to thrive in their day-to-day lives.
In addition to providing pediatric occupational therapy in the traditional clinic setting, I am also able to provide sibling sessions to address sibling dynamics if they are a concern, provide sessions in the home to ensure carryover of strategies, and caregiver coaching to ensure caregivers are equipped and empowered to support their children to the best of their ability.
I am also able to provide sleep coaching services for children who experience difficulties with sleep. Bloom Brightly Therapy aims to treat children and their families in a way that empowers and supports everyone involved for the sake of the child.
At Bloom Brightly Therapy, I am:
Sensory Integrative: The information we take in through our senses determines our view and understanding of the world and our environment, whether it’s safe, hot, cold, loud, quiet, etc. However, once that information is taken in through the senses, our brain must interpret the information and produce a response. If our brain is unable to properly interpret the information coming in, we are then unable to produce a functional response.
Children’s brains may interpret things as dangerous that aren’t (such as loud noises), or some may be under-responsive to the input. This inability to process the world around them can impact coordination, strength, balance, emotional control, social skills, coping skills, and many other areas. It specifically has the ability to impact mental health.
When you use all of your energy and brainpower to simply live and tolerate your environment, it leaves very little for much else. By teaching the brain to process input more effectively, we can free up some of that energy and power for better things, like playing and learning.
Child and Family-Centered: My goal is to ensure that each child has the tools they need in order to thrive in their day-to-day. To do this, I consider the whole child, who they are and not just what they can or cannot do. I also consider their roles and their natural environments to determine factors that could be helping or hindering their success. I follow this with education for caregivers, teachers, and anyone else in a position to support the child.
One-two sessions a week must be followed by strategies and techniques implemented in the home, school, and other natural environments in order to be the most effective, so supporting the family is imperative. This will look different for everyone but the treatment of the child must always extend to the family. I want to help each child succeed and send them home with empowered and equipped caregivers.
Attachment-Focused: Attachment is that sense of closeness and dependence we feel in our relationships and it is essential for children to experience a secure attachment with their parents/caregivers. What many don’t realize is that, while it is first established in-utero, then further in infancy, the need for attachment is ongoing, and establishing attachment is a continuous process.
Incorporating activities that encourage attachment and connection has significantly improved outcomes for the children and families I have served.
Trauma-Informed: The way a therapist approaches a child with a background of trauma HAS to look different than the “typical” approach. Sorting through various sensory triggers in addition to trauma triggers while navigating treatment is a delicate process that requires a high level of rapport with the child, skill, and patience for everyone involved. These children are MORE than their trauma.
As is true with all of us, our lives, the things that happen to us and around us, help shape how we view the world and the people in it. With trauma-informed therapy, we hope to make that view one of safety and trust.
Holistic: A child is more than a diagnosis, although diagnoses are nothing to be ashamed of. I don’t want to fix children because they are not broken. I simply want to help families who need extra assistance working through the aspects of life that are more difficult due to certain diagnoses or various concerns, discover how to best thrive within the life they’ve been given.
To do this, we have to see the child for who they are and determine underlying causes for the difficulties they’re experiencing, rather than just treating symptoms. In addition to seeing the child, we have to hear them. Some children tell us what’s going on with words, but ALL children communicate with behavior, so deciphering behavior can help us to better understand the child and, in turn, truly be able to help.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
As a mother of two young children myself, I understand the weight of entrusting your child with another person. I understand the difficulty of coming to the conclusion that your child may need help outside of you, which is why I fully encourage caregiver involvement throughout the therapy experience.
I am an occupational therapist trained in sensory integration, feeding, attachment, trauma, child development, sleep, and more, but the caregiver is the expert when it comes to their child, so it’s imperative to work with families as a team.
Seeking therapy services for your child can be daunting and it can be difficult to know if a certain therapist will be a good fit for your family and values, which is why I offer free 15-minute consultations to ensure everyone feels confident moving forward with the process.
Contact Info:
- Email: samantha@bloombrightlytherapy.com
- Website: www.bloombrightlytherapy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloombrightlytherapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bloombrightlytherapy
Image Credits
Hillarydphoto
