PossibilOT

PossibilOT Occupational Therapy for children and families to be able to participate in every day life. OT puts

PossibilOT is an Occupational Therapy service that provides consultation and treatment for families who are living with children who have special needs. PossibilOT offers a family-friendly space where the Therapist facilitates play while children and families learn skills to help them function better. PossibilOT seeks to put skills in the hands of those who need them.

Whaa? 2 posts in one day? Yes, I missed posting Thursday because of this: For the last 3 years I have had the privilege ...
11/14/2025

Whaa? 2 posts in one day? Yes, I missed posting Thursday because of this:

For the last 3 years I have had the privilege to be a part of the 's 's Professionals Society Career Carousel and speaking to undergraduates about possible after . Being someone who has been practicing for almost twenty years, I'm young enough to remember how I started and old enough to have learned from my time as an OT (and a mom).

There were two Speech Language Pathologists ( ), a Respiratory Therapist ( ), two from , a super cool medical illustrator, a Pharmacist and me. Such a privilege to be able to speak to the of allied health pros, to , to and to attract more awesome people to the profession!

We all talked about the we took to our profession, the requirements (undergrad/grad school/advanced diplomas), unpaid , marks, essays and interviews, as well as the day to day of practice. We talked about our , work life balance and . We spoke to finding something you can really sink your teeth into mentally (academically?) as well as put your heart into, AND how varied our paths were to get to where we are.

What a wonderful event to have to help students decide what they want to do in the world and . :) Thanks so much for having me!

I've spent this week writing about the lenses through which I look at my . is the next big topic. A LOT more has ma...
11/14/2025

I've spent this week writing about the lenses through which I look at my .

is the next big topic. A LOT more has made its way into mainstream media over the last 10 years and I have gobbled it up. With my love for , and it has made a lot of sense to me, and almost everyone I work with is showing the effects of trauma.

One definition is: "Any disturbing experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings intense enough to have a long-lasting negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behavior, and other aspects of functioning." (apa.org)

Trauma isn't just from incidents or just from or just from . It can also be from , and loss/ .

What does it mean to be ? At a basic level, you have knowledge about mental illness and the , of theory, of and how those things present differently in and . It's knowledge of how abuse typically present and knowing that people tend to experience high levels of trauma. It's knowing about why breath work works, and knowing how trauma heightens our sensory reactions and lowers our thresholds for sensory input. A trauma-informed knows of modalities to deal with the effects of trauma, and knows how to translate that information to clients and to children.

Learning that your own body is doing the most natural thing - responding appropriately to something horrible - and that you're not weird, wrong or stupid for reacting that way can be incredibly freeing. I hope that I translate that to my clients.

I endeavor to help you find safety within your body and mind, even after trauma. I hope that I can bring some peace and hope.

At school, your tend to learn about " " which is a way to get kids to be less ego-centric, learn and , and live in ...
11/13/2025

At school, your tend to learn about " " which is a way to get kids to be less ego-centric, learn and , and live in , knowing that your affect the people around you.

When I talk about , I don't tend to think about *adding* to a bucket, but making sure the dang bucket doesn't !

Many, if not all the kids I work with have water spilling everywhere, drowning some, splashing others, and getting themselves soaking wet.

What I'm talking about here is folks: we all have it. Some of us have and feel we can take on the world, and get our to do list done. Some days are and we have absolutely nothing left to give to others, let alone ourselves.

As , we have the skills, vocabulary and usually the skills to let others know what our capacity is (not that we always do that, or know how to). That being said, there was a time 5 years ago when all adults, everywhere, suddenly had zero capacity because a global took over and we had zero answers, zero resources, and had to isolate. We quickly learned what capacity was, and whose turn it was to cry or .

What it taught me is that in my I need to adults to observe their kids' and their own capacity, be able to talk about capacity in a concrete way (make it more tangible), and how to grow capacity. All the while giving and to the kids AND the parents.

As an adult it is our responsibility to teach our kids how express capacity, and I can help you with that.

If only life and people were as simple as the first picture. Seat a goal, work towards a goal, reevaluate, adjust goal, ...
11/11/2025

If only life and people were as simple as the first picture. Seat a goal, work towards a goal, reevaluate, adjust goal, discharge client.

Humans are not simple, and Occupational Therapy doesn't always follow a clear, well defined care path, especially when working with children.

Because OTs evaluate someone as a whole person (not just a diagnosis or a body joint) how we assess and treat people is more complex (looking much more like the second picture). That doesn't mean that we don't have a defined way of doing things, but that we take a much more *responsive* way of relating to others and caring for them.

That is why my entry-point into working with my kiddos is to get them regulated, and then working on growing skills. Regulation happens differently in different people, *because we're all different*. What works for one person may not work for another. Trial and error tends to be the way we start off, following our gut and following what the child is seeking and/or avoiding.

This is more complicated by lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, emotional state and previous interactions that have occurred during the day. It is also complicated by level of communication, what developmental level they are at, and what parents' understand about their child, a diagnosis and what the expectations are.

So yes, sometimes my process *looks* haphazard, but I promise that with gaining you child's trust and ensuring they feel safe, that we are working towards the things you came to OT for.

My philosophy is simple: creating a sense of through play helps everyone learn. Children's primary (what occupies th...
11/11/2025

My philosophy is simple: creating a sense of through play helps everyone learn.

Children's primary (what occupies their time) is and they EVERYTHING through play. You will find me on the floor with your child, rolling around, lying on my tummy, , and generally being . I help kids feel safe by reflecting back to them what they're already doing (mirroring), copying their tone of voice, vocalizations and play mannerisms and smiling with them. This helps create safety that is felt.

Conversely, when a child is , I get quiet, turn off the lights, and sit nearby. I their emotions and verbalize what they might be feeling "Oh you're so mad!" or "Oh, so sad. So sad" and wait until tears pass and breathing slows down. I do this so that a child knows that *every* is - again, felt safety even with big, negative emotions. For some kids, this is the first time their meltdowns *are* accepted.

This goes along with the only rules I enforce in my clinic:

1) Everyone needs to try and
2) Everyone needs to stay safe.

That means them and me (and anyone else with us) feels safe. This helps kids to on their actions affecting others (having theory of mind), helps them step outside their and grows tolerance.

No growth can occur without feeling , so safe is the expected minimum for me.

and PossibilOT - how did this collaboration happen?During the pandemic, my husband began attending Kung Fu as a way to...
11/08/2025

and PossibilOT - how did this collaboration happen?

During the pandemic, my husband began attending Kung Fu as a way to keep in shape and deal with stress. After that my girls began attending and soon found good friends, community, acceptance and GREW so much in their confidence, leadership abilities, responsibility and skill.

Then came Shiais (tournaments), trophies and medals, gradings and advancing belts and lots of sweaty people! 😉 Then came KFFC's search for their own space where they could dream and grow. Hubby became part of the Sr. Laoshis (instructors) and a part of the conversations about what they needed.

When that happened, I started thinking about the fact that *I* have been also dreaming of growth and investing more in equipment and wanting to strike out on a path of my own.

This led to lots of conversations, making sure no conflicts of interest were occurring (hubby recusing himself from appropriate conversations) and discussing how PossibilOT and KFFC could partner. This led to our brand new space on 41 Ardelt and an awesome working relationship with two beautiful people (Morgan and Alan) and the Board of Directors at KFFC. Here's to many, many more years in our new space!

I came home to my family as a wee 6 pound pupper, and soon took over the house! I am a water dog, sometimes dress up dol...
11/06/2025

I came home to my family as a wee 6 pound pupper, and soon took over the house! I am a water dog, sometimes dress up doll, sometimes chocolate dipped mud dog, pampered pooch who likes to lie on beds and couches and laps.
My little humans love taking 0.5 pictures of my snoot, so there's lots of those, and I'm pretty much involved in everything my humans do. I'm Mama's girl, and according to the girls, the 3rd sister in the family. The kids say that Mama has more pics of me than of them LOL. I'm Rosie.
Mama talks a lot about me at work because the kids love seeing pictures of me. It helps them feel comfortable when they come to OT. I home some day I can come to work with mama. ❤🐾

Who are these kids? Um, that's me and hubby Dave, this cute guy I met over 25 years ago. ;) It's still going, with these...
11/05/2025

Who are these kids? Um, that's me and hubby Dave, this cute guy I met over 25 years ago. ;)

It's still going, with these two beautiful daughters I've been blessed with, now in high school.

This is what I spend the rest of my time doing - being a wife, mom, driving-teacher ( !), chauffer, negotiator, partner, cheerleader, chef, costume-maker, laundry shuffler, chore-enforcer, all while hoping I do a good job, because the rubber is hitting the road in these teen years, I tell ya. Not to mention that my eldest is reminding me there's only one more grade of high school after this ( ) and then potentially launching her into the rest of the world. Mama ain't ready!!!!

Why PossibilOT? I wanted playful and fun. I wanted growth and strength. I wanted colour and vibrancy. I wanted there to ...
11/04/2025

Why PossibilOT?

I wanted playful and fun. I wanted growth and strength. I wanted colour and vibrancy. I wanted there to be a sense of everyone being welcome, and no one being turned away.
I wanted people who felt stuck, rejected, excluded, impossible, to see that they are not an impossibility. I wanted people to know that who they are is not weird, not awful, not 'out there', that they are not "an other".

I want people to know that there is adaptation. Accommodation. Adjustment. Inclusion. Love. Acceptance. Growth, strength, resilience, care, concern and advocacy.

I want people to know that all individuals, with and without diagnoses or any kind of label are worthy of respect, dignity and safety. Period.

I want people to know that with OT - there is possibility.

PossibilOT

It's been a while, so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Jennifer, founder of PossibilOT. I've been an Occupational The...
11/03/2025

It's been a while, so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Jennifer, founder of PossibilOT. I've been an Occupational Therapist for the last 19 years (whoa 20 next year!) and have lived in Waterloo Region since starting University here in 2002 (Go Warriors!!).

How did I end up in OT?
Biology, anatomy, physics didn't make sense for me in high school until I started applying it to the human body. Until it took things out of the theoretical and into the practical, real-life situations that affected real people. I started in a general science degree at Western, realized I really didn't want that, and started applying to other programs, ultimately ending up at the University of Waterloo studying Kinesiology. I loved it - math and science sure, but also psychology, sociology, child development and physiology.

Growing up, I thought for sure I wanted to be a Physiotherapist, but after being rejected a couple of years in a row, I looked at OT and fell.in.love. Not only that, but I was accepted, started the Master's degree and my marks jumped 10% higher in OT compared to undergrad. I was *that* invested.

I did placements in hospital in general medical / surgical, in outpatient mental health, in Veteran's Affairs community work, and then in Pediatrics at a children's treatment centre. I fell in love with working with kids, applied for a job in School Health Support Services and have never looked back.

Since then I have honed my skills working in schools, in the community, with other health professionals, ultimately landing in private practice to directly serve families and children creating PossibilOT!

https://mailchi.mp/f2793175cc6a/parking-info-please-readPlease read! Please use the 2nd driveway to enter into the parki...
11/02/2025

https://mailchi.mp/f2793175cc6a/parking-info-please-read
Please read!

Please use the 2nd driveway to enter into the parking lot for 41 Ardelt. The first one will be blocked off for repaving of the front area.

Follow the red path to where it says "Let's Dance" which is where KFFC and PossibilOT are now.

Thanks so much for your attention to this!

Address

550 Parkside Drive/B13
Waterloo, ON
N2L5V4

Opening Hours

Monday 4pm - 8pm
Tuesday 1pm - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 2pm
Saturday 9:30am - 2pm

Website

https://possibilotcanada.janeapp.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when PossibilOT posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category