Aspire!

Occupational Therapy &

Coaching Ltd.

Our Services

Occupational Therapy

We support children to self-advocate for what they know they need at home, school and community environments. The individual’s experience of the world is valid. They could be impacted by a disability that is identified such as autism, adhd, anxiety, brain injury, fetal alcohol syndrome, among a few.

Parent Coaching

Professional coaching paired with occupational therapy consultation is available for teens, siblings or parents interested in receiving in-person, zoom or phone call support for themselves, their parenting and/or to support their child, indirectly, more of a “behind the scenes” approach.

Consultation & Education

Consultation and education support is available in a variety of occupational therapy topic areas upon the request of a family member, distance learning or public school personnel or others. This service can be in person or virtual.

Mentorship for OT's

Mentorship is available for pediatric occupational therapists. These relationships involve 1 monthly virtual meeting to consult about a specific topic area or client, with parent permission. Videos of sessions are recommended for review, also of course with parent permission.

Neurodivergent Coaching

Neuroaffirming coaching and consulting for working professionals, business owners and individuals.

Soul-giving, unshaming, meet you where you are kind of coaching. Trauma-informed, highly experienced and most importantly, lived experience. Thrive and prosper however that looks for you.

Pathological Demand Avoidance

PDA. You may have heard of it. Pathological demand avoidance. Or otherwise known out in the world as ‘persistent drive for autonomy’ or ‘pervasive desire for autonomy’. It is considered a type of autism, driven by high levels of anxiety. There is an internal expression and an external expression. It is characterized by an overwhelming need to avoid or resist demands, whether an internal demand or one presented by someone else. It is very different than the well-known versions of autism. The recognition of PDA is growing around the world. As it is not in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), many psychologists in Canada do not mention it in their assessments. What is assessed and mis-diagnosed can be misleading to families and children as oppositional defiant disorder, adhd and anxiety and send families and schools to resources that are not addressing the disability that PDA actually is. We at Aspire are very PDA friendly and see the desire for autonomy as an inherent strength, often from a young age. The approach for supporting children with PDA is viewed here as a healthy parenting approach for all of our children!

Interoception

Interoception, initially identified by Occupational Therapist, Kelly Mahler is a sense that provides information about the internal condition of our body—how our body is feeling on the inside, allowing us to experience many body sensations such as a growling stomach, dry mouth, tense muscles or racing heart. Awareness of these body sensations enables us to experience essential emotions such as hunger, fullness, thirst, pain, body temperature, need for the bathroom, sexual arousal, relaxation, anxiety, sadness, frustration and safety.

"Occupational Therapy is a necessity for many people with all different types of disabilities. For some, it can be difficult to find a therapist they connect with. Or perhaps they haven't found a therapist that is willing to take feedback and adapt therapy programs and strategies. Alison has worked with me on and off for the past 10 years and there is no one else I would rather have in my corner when advocating for equipment and helping me meet my goals in therapy Alison is friendly, approachable, reliable and most importantly, always open to feedback and suggestions to make therapy the most beneficial for every client. When you work with Alison not only do you get a therapist, but you also get a friend."

Tagen Marshall