Heather’s Approach

Foundational Elements of

Heart to Brain OT

Attachment and Connection

I'm committed to empowering you and your child with a heart-centered approach that nurtures bonding. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel too busy, distracted and overwhelmed to practice mindfulness. Together, we’ll explore ways to step back from daily distractions and establish simple practices that help you create intentional, joyful moments with your little one. I’ll guide you by introducing mindfulness tools promoting attachment, connection, and co-regulation of the nervous system.

Sensory Experiences and Gentle Movement

I use hands-on sensory experiences and gentle movement to engage your child's entire brain-body system, promoting neural growth and adaptation. My therapy sessions are fun, nurturing, and always pain-free—no uncomfortable stretching or redundant exercises, just joyful, play-based activities that your child will love. I’m certified in the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), which uses sound to help calm your and your children’s nervous systems and co-regulate and support a calm environment. This gentle technique helps release restrictions in the body's connective tissue, enhancing overall function and well-being.

Innovative Methods

I participate in ongoing education using cutting-edge methods that support my clients at every stage of development. I’m a student of the Feldenkrais Method and Anat Baniel NeuroMovement. These movement-based approaches use slow, mindful exercises to improve body awareness, reduce pain, enhance flexibility, and promote overall well-being by tapping into the brain's innate capacity for learning. I incorporate Primitive Reflex Integration to address foundational movement patterns, supporting higher-level skills and emotional regulation. Craniosacral Fascial Release is another component of my practice. This gentle technique helps release restrictions in the body's connective tissue, enhancing overall function and well-being.

Heather feels strongly that combining the power of neuroplasticity with the tenderness of secure connections, safe sounds & touch, mindful movement, a sense of play & imagination, and multi-sensory exploration can greatly improve:

Overall functional abilities

Balanced and efficient ways of moving

Feeding, digestion, and sleep patterns

Gross and fine motor skills for play & learning

Parent-child connection and environments that promote co-regulation

Learning through play and movement

Reducing or eliminating pain

Performance in school, sports, and their favorite activities

Emotional regulation, thinking skills, friendships, and social bonds