Services

For those seeking trauma care, we offer a free getting-to-know-you session. We understand and respect that it is important to feel like we're safe people with whom you can explore your concerns. 

For a long time, trauma has not been recognized within medical systems as a condition for which we would provide care. It has taken many years of research around different types of trauma to identify how complex its impact can be on a person's health, often over the course of their life. Traumatic events in a person's history can influence their experience of pain, mood and behaviors, eating and sleeping, relationships with others and with ourselves, the ability to feel attached to their bodies, the ability to tolerate different sensations and environments, and more. 

Several methods have been researched to assist people in managing or resolving the impacts of trauma. What has been learned is that talking alone is often helpful but not enough. Interestingly, somatic (body) experiences, such as trauma-informed yoga and trauma-informed weight-lifting, and theatrical role play have proven quite helpful in lessening trauma symptoms and maintaining improvement over time and in different settings. The experiences of these approaches alone has been proven as helpful. Adding the reflection component, often through talking, can enhance the overall benefit. 

Occupational therapy itself has been proven an effective method to help a person with many psychological concerns. In fact, it originated as a psychiatric intervention in the early 1900s when it was observed that people's mental health improved considerably when engaged in purposeful and meaningful occupations (activities). Occupations that engage you creatively often appeal to people as they reduce the stress that tends to be felt when a person 'must' do something while also engaging complex problem-solving, big and small muscular movements, sensory stimulation, and more. 

Bebe Offers:

• Prolonged Exposure Therapy

• Trauma-informed yoga therapy
  Bebe is a Trauma Center's Trauma Sensitive Yoga Facilitator

• Trauma-informed weight-lifting therapy
  Bebe is trained by Trauma Center's Trauma-Informed Weightlifting Program (We often use items you can find at home as our weights so you can consider how you might do this at home.)

• Trauma-informed OT that engages you in small planting, crafting, art, writing, and similar (per what we have available or what you bring). In this context, we use the experience of the activity as a means to support you as you explore and discuss your trauma-related concerns. We have set up our clinic to be something of a creative activity playground in which you can decide what activity (or activities) you wish to explore. 

• When possible, we offer special opportunities to be in nature for nature therapy versions of some of these services.

• Theatrical role play therapy via a table-top fantasy role playing game (We are in the process of developing this group-based program. Stay tuned to the calendar.)

Individual and Group sessions using yoga, weight-lifting, and creative occupations are offered based on the needs of our clients. Theatrical role play is a group-based intervention but elements of it can be incorporated into individual sessions. Bebe does require that an individual assessment is completed prior to inclusion in groups to ensure that a group is the right fit for your needs.

There are many types of neurological conditions. Bebe has supported people who have had a stroke, also called a cerebral vascular accident (CVA) or, if small, a transient ischemic attack (TIA). You might also have heard of strokes being redefined as a type of an acute brain injury (ABI). Bebe has also supported people with a variety of chronic neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, cerebellar ataxia, and Parkinson's disease. Another type of neurological concern is cognitive decline from conditions like Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Depending on the level of decline, Bebe may be working more with the client or more with the client's caregiver. Both, however, should be involved providing the client freely agrees to this or the caregiver has the legal right to make medical decisions on behalf of the client. 

Bebe Offers: 

A variety of interventions may be appropriate. Care is based upon your primary concerns. Examples include:

• If you are having increased falls, Bebe may consider safety and accessibility modifications to lessen your risk of falling. She may also suggest fall risk reduction exercises that you can do in online, in a community-based exercise program, or similar. 

• If you are having difficulty with recovering the use of an arm or hand after a stroke, she may offer neuromotor re-education, sensory, and coordination exercises. If appropriate, she may instruct you on orthotic options to help reduce the risk for contraction. 

• If you are having trouble with holding a utensil or cup steady, then she may offer ideas of modified versions that you can use instead. 

For cognitive decline, Bebe may consider aids to support memory, call and repeat style exercises, technological methods to support caregivers in checking in on the client, caregiver training regarding expectations, helpful equipment and how to use it, methods to engage the client in occupations, how to manage falls, how to maneuver clients in bed or on/off seats, and similar. 

• Group sessions using approaches similar to those descried in the Trauma section are offered. Bebe does require that an individual assessment be completed prior to inclusion into a group to ensure that they are the right fit for your needs. See the Cariboo Brain Injury Association link below, too. 

• Group sessions for caregiver skill and knowledge training are also available without the need for an individual assessment of the caregiver. See the Cariboo Brain Injury Association link below, too. 

One OT skill that many people know about is helping people to change how they approach a task or instruct them on tools or devices that can help them do that task in a way that reduces their risk of falls or other injuries and keeps them occupationally engaged. Even when there is no safety risk, remaining occupationally engaged helps a person reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health symptoms and improves overall physical health, thinking skills, and socialization options. 

In our profession, we refer to the devices that can help you as technology (tech). Low tech might be something you can make yourself, like a dressing stick. High tech can include systems like Alexa that can be used to command things in your home via your phone or voice commands. There are all kinds of devices out there including the commonly known walkers and wheelchairs, grab bars and elevated toilet seats, even all-terrain walkers and adaptive sport-styled wheelchairs. 

The Medical Services Plan and most secondary insurances do not pay for smaller adaptive aides, like sock aids, nor do the tend to pay for more advanced tech, like the all-terrain walkers or smart home technology. Usually they will pay for, or contribute to, standard walkers, wheelchairs, power chairs, scooters, lift devices, and similar. 

Bebe Offers:

• Assessment of your concerns and recommendations for options that meet your budgetary needs. 

  • Bebe and Sevi have worked in home health care in rural communities and with people who have limited funds. It can be possible to use what you have to make what you need depending upon what your concern is. We don't know every trick, but we do know several. 

• Sevi's role: As you may have seen in our bios, Sevi is a combination of engineer with robotics training and registered nurse in the US. He is not a professional rehab assistant, however his role is not that of a rehab assistant. He is Bebe's tech guru. He assists Bebe with tech research when she encounters assessment concerns without a known recommendation. He can communicate with sales reps from medical supply companies to coordinate equipment acquisition, delivery, and set-up. If it is ok with you, he may observe your assessment with Bebe so that he can better understand her directions for your care. At all times, his work on your behalf is done per Bebe's direction and supervision.