05

Jun

Transition to Independence

Category

A Time of Transition .

It’s amazing to realize that we celebrated Bright Futures’ fifth birthday this month! Five incredible years of working with our many wonderful clients, becoming a part of their transition toward fulfilling careers, broader social lives, and increased independence. As a fringe benefit, I have loved sharing in parents’ sense of joy and new freedom as their sons and daughters become more capable and busy with their own activities and friends.

Each success deepens my conviction that having just-right challenges and personally meaningful roles and activities in life is fundamental to being well and happy. When we help people whose activities are too few, too rigid, or too simple to meet their level of ability, everything in their lives improves.

This is why I absolutely love Bright Futures: it works, and it’s 100% natural.

Now my life, and therefore Bright Future’s life, is in a time of transition. During our Christmas celebration with our older daughter and her husband in Chicago, we received a mysterious gift: a red box containing a pair of tiny knit booties. After some confusion, I finally understood—those booties are to be worn by a little someone! I am going to be a Nana! Ken will be Grandpa! Our whole world suddenly changed, and we were (and continue to be) giddy with anticipation and joy. Only one wrinkle: we have missed our girls a lot since they flew the nest, and we do not like the idea of being holidays-only grandparents. We needed a plan.

So, bottom line: We are moving ourselves and Bright Futures to the Chicago area at the end of June. In many ways, this is a painful and difficult process. We have lived in St. Louis since 1995, and I have built connections with a wonderful array of clients, families, students and professional colleagues throughout these years. I treasure each of them, and it’s very hard to say good-bye.

On a brighter side, after five years I know that my kind of authentic occupational therapy is effective in helping many young (and not-so-young) adults who have struggled with achieving careers, healthy leisure, independent living, and social activities to transform their lives and discover their true potential. I am certain that there are many people in the Chicago area who need my kind of services, so I am going to re-open Bright Futures there, once I get settled. (I’d love to connect with people who would like to know about my practice, so please pass this on to anyone who you think might be interested!)

In addition to my Bright Futures practice, I am currently developing continuing education and consultation to other occupational therapists who want to know how to develop their own practices. This company is called Authentic Occupational Therapy, LLC. It is my dearest hope that some OT colleagues will pattern off of Bright Futures. (I’d especially love to help an OT in St. Louis to do this!) However, I am excited to talk over all innovative practice concepts.

If you’re an OT and you’d like to talk about your ideas or sign up for a webinar, please check out my website at <authenticot.com>

In closing, thanks to all of Bright Futures’ friends, supporters, and fans near and far. Your faith in my quest to provide unique, effective OT to young adults in transition has been needed and so appreciated. I hope you’ll stay tuned as I make my own big transitional steps into life and work in the Windy City!