Question
Why don’t you have aides or assistants
doing most of the therapy with a therapist supervising like
many other clinics?
Response of Cheryl Ecker, MA, OTR/L, BCP( Director
of Therapy Services)
If done well, therapy is science and art put together.
It is the science of really knowing why (neurologically, psychologically,
physiologically, socially etc.) you are doing what you are
doing every second of the session. It is the art getting the
child to be an active participant in the session by being
creative, empathetic, using self as a therapeutic tool, and
engaging in goal directed, playful activities. At Therapy
In Action, although we feel that aides and assistants are
extremely helpful and skillful in many capacities, we feel
that for now, we must have an experienced registered and licensed
therapist in order to meet our quality standards for the art
and science of excellent therapy.
Question
What gives you the right to say that you have expertise
in sensory integration?
Response of Sue Knox ,PhD., OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA
(Director of Research and Education)
Sadly, a lot of therapists take a short course (or even less)
in sensory integration and then naively claim to be experts.
Sensory integration is an extremely complex theory and technique
and can not be learned by just attending a short course. It
takes practice, mentorship, self-discipline and self-study.
Personally, not only have I practiced in sensory integration
for over 35 years, but I completed a 4 month course in sensory
integration (years ago) and worked as a research assistant
for the founder of sensory integration, Jean Ayers, PhD, OTR.
Also, I helped to develop the Sensory Integration and Praxis
Tests (SIPT), and I teach courses on Sensory Integration Theory
and the SIPT around the world. At Therapy In Action, we have
seven therapists who are certified in SIPT administration
and interpretation and even more who have attended intense
courses (2 months of full time study or more) or internships
focused on sensory integration. More importantly, at Therapy
In Action, we have a strong mentoring program, which I help
guide. We keep up to date on the latest in research and even
participate in research projects in order to be on the cutting
edge of providing quality services, whether in sensory integration
or another technique/theory base used in occupational therapy.
Question
Why are you dragging your feet with hiring someone
and getting my child off the waiting list?
Response of Patty Kirby (Director of Administration)
I talk with parents all the time about scheduling.
It is frustrating for us and for the parents when there is
a need and it can’t be fulfilled immediately or at exactly
the right time to fit into everyone’s busy schedules.
As a parent of two children with special needs, I am so empathetic
for how difficult it is to wait for something that is so incredibly
important to your child. However, I also have learned from
my teammates at Therapy In Action how vital it is to have
a therapist with the top skills. If we are going to provide
therapy, then we are going to provide excellent therapy and
that takes excellent employees with the proper mentoring.
We can not feel good about making the world a better place
if we are just providing an “assembly line” quality
of therapy.
Question
Why is it so difficult to get my insurance company
to reimburse for services?
Response of Chris Ecker (Director of Business Operations)
We are one of the very few therapy centers of our
kind that bill insurance companies directly. The insurance
companies scrutinize documentation very cautiously and change
their expectations of documentation without warning. We are
cautious to provide accurate and truthful billing (For example,
we do not bill an insurance company, school district or regional
center for a session that was not attended.) We are also very
careful about what is documented in our therapy notes and
reports. Unfortunately though, as cautious as we are, we can
not know the “new rules” until the insurance companies
tell us what the “new rules” are, which many times
is after we have submitted a claim.
Question: Why did you start this clinic in the first place?
Response of Mary Jane Zehnphennig (Owner and Executive Director):
I started this business so that I could provide independent
assessments and services to children without having to subscribe
to the politics of a large organization. Although it is frustrating
dealing with the bureaucracies of some of the larger agencies
such as school districts and insurance companies for our contracts,
we still are able to make independent decisions based on professional
judgments and high standards. I take pride in our growth in
the last 20 years from 2 therapists to over 15 excellent therapists,
from 4 mats to 2 beautiful and safe gyms with padded surfaces,
crash pillows, and a wide range of therapeutic equipment,
and from a smaller scope of practice to excellence in a wide
range of programs, including sensory integration, neuorodevelopmental
treatment, play skills and occupational science, social skills
and specialized feeding assessment and treatment. It is such
a great blessing to have a great group of directors &
therapists, and the wonderful families that we serve.
