
As I sit here in my hotel room on the eve of an outreach, I think about my glorious years since then...(key time warp chime music)....I left the mountains in 2010 as a Senior Facilitator so that I could bring play therapy closer to my home, and also so that I could spend more time with my growing family. I left Sheffield, MA with my awesome husband and my one year old daughter in tow and we left to travel the midwest and eventually settle in my parents' home of Albuquerque, NM. It was here, that I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter. I decided to dedicate myself to my little ones while they were babes, because I just loved them so much, so I took a year and a half off working. Although I still very much loved (and still do) to apply play therapy techniques with my own family (you should see us trying to get the picky toddler girls to eat at mealtimes - lol) and even "volunteered" with an awesome 7 year old friend to keep me in "my game" ;)
Finally, after convincing my husband to move back to Minneapolis, MN (one of the loves of my life!) in the summer of 2012, I began working again. We outreached our way up from Albuquerque through the midwest. Then we settled for a month in North Dakota, home of my amazing brother in law, (somewhere on the spectrum) who connected me back to the power of the relationship. This only fueled my mission to truly help as many children with special capabilities (aka autism) that I could. And those that I could not reach myself I would empower and suport their own parents and team to help them.
I brought that enthusiasm with me when we moved back to the city and I now provide autism therapy and treatment in Minneapolis and all over Minnesota. I get to help people on many different levels. I play with my local friends here in the twin cities (St. Paul and Minneapolis together for those not from around here) on a regular or as needed basis, and teach families through observation. I also do 2 or more day outreaches to wherever people want me to (within my schedule). And last but certainly not least, I help friends worldwide over the internet in all stages of their home therapy programs through my "Ask a Playroom Expert" videos and consults. I also love hearing people's stories on a day to day level through facebook and email. I really feel a part of everyone's team, which is my dream come true! I love my job so much!
All of you out there running a home therapy play program for your child with autism, interested in running a home therapy program, or who have already ran your program, I live and breath finding and creating more ways to help you. I think what you are doing is amazing on every level, and I just want to keep helping you and finding more ways to help you even more. One of the amazing parts about working for yourself (not the bookwork or accounting, bleh!), is that you get to choose whatever you want to do. I love talking with you and your team, I love sharing my knowledge with you, I love supporting and inspiring you to think for yourself and go further with how you can help, and give your world to your child. I love spending my time with you even if its through the internet like this. I truly believe we are a community who needs as much support as we can get (well I think all people do, but at least parents of children with autism are ready to admit it ;) And I want to give you as much support as I can. Now in addition to everything I do now I am dreaming more ways to bring you even more support. Keep checking back with me to see if they are in place. And also if you've ever had an idea of ways that would be helpful, let me know, because I love dreaming up new services and many times parents are so helpful to me with creating them!
In the meantime keep me in the loop with your lives. I love it!
Best wishes,
Katrina