About
What is Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy is a health profession focused on supporting others to bring fulfillment, meaning and ease to everyday life. Occupational Therapists work with people throughout the lifespan - birth to end of life.
A client-centered pediatric occupational therapist is a professional who focuses on helping children achieve their developmental milestones and improve their ability to perform daily activities. This type of therapist takes a child-centered approach, meaning that they place the child's needs, interests, and goals at the forefront of therapy.
In practice, a client-centered pediatric occupational therapist will work collaboratively with parents and caregivers to develop a personalized treatment plan that targets specific areas of difficulty, such as fine motor skills, sensory processing, or self-care activities.
Overall, a client-centered pediatric occupational therapist is dedicated to helping children build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in their daily lives. They prioritize the child's autonomy, preferences, and abilities to ensure that therapy is a positive and empowering experience for the child and their family.
The Therapist
Wild at Heart Occupational Therapy is solely owned and operated by ME!, Jasmin Richter. I am an Occupational Therapist with 13 years of experience working with children and I live in Humboldt with my husband and two children. I am passionate about connecting with families, supporting children (and their adults!) to live their lives in ways that feel authentic, supportive and as enriched as possible.
You can stop there if you’d like, as that captures the essence of who I am and what I do. OR, you can continue reading more about my journey to occupational therapy and more specific information about my therapeutic values. :)
The History
In 2008 I received my Bachelor Degree in Kinesiology focusing on Adapted Physical Activity from the University of Regina. In 2010, I received my Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba.
For 10 years, I worked in a local school division providing school-based occupational therapy. I transitioned to building and developing my own private practice in 2021 and I haven’t looked back since! I had a deep desire to build a therapy service that provides the level of support children and families truly need. I love working in a hands-on way with children. And, providing therapy interventions to see significant improvements over time is very rewarding to me.
The Values
Life long learning is a foundational skill of being an occupational therapist - finding my professional interests and investing in expanding my knowledge to better serve clients and the profession as a whole. I have spent many hours taking additional training in sensory processing/Sensory Integration assessment and treatment, understanding the building blocks of child development, trauma informed care, and finding a deep understanding of the nervous system. All of these pieces (and more!) significantly impacts the way children and adults engage in meaningful activities day-to-day. I have studied the work of leading occupational therapists and brain-body based approaches to understand how to build skills and create a safe and connected world through the human experience.
My therapy practice is child-led and play-based. I am skilled at learning about children, understanding their interests and including them as part of the therapeutic process. Skills are built within the context of play and families are brought together through a dynamic and collaborative approach. Part of our sessions together will always include the core-value of regulation and co-regulation, as they are key to connection and engagement. My ability to connect with your child will hinge on how safe they feel with me as a play partner.
I have a passion for helping children learn to develop new motor skills in ways that might not be considered “typical”, because for most of my clients, typical isn’t so helpful. It won’t be uncommon to find me tucked away in a corner playing imaginary games, laying on the floor to help your child engage their muscles, to feel safe or to bring humour and comedy into our sessions!
Great therapy doesn’t look or feel like therapy at all.
That is my mission, my goal and how I want my clients to feel after each therapy session.