How Do We Help Families Live Fully?
Family Unity
"We have greatly appreciated having Rachel as my son's OT. Not only has she educated us, she also has a keen sense for my son's needs and a great connection with him. Having OT that is specific to his needs has made an incredible difference for him and our whole family. Through therapeutic listening and a brushing protocol, we have watched many of my son's sensitivities decrease. Times where he would be aggressive or upset because of loud noises, he is able to continue without noticing them, or join the activity. He wants to snuggle more. These are just a few examples of changes that have not only helped my son, but brought us closer as a whole family. Through the therapy, we have seen a new sense of unity in our family, something we have been praying for specifically since this summer. It is exciting to watch these changes, and it encourages us to keep learning more about what can best help him flourish as he grows."
Now He Enjoys Writing
"Rachel began working with my son when he was 13 years old, and she worked with him for about 2 years. He had a history of OT needs from the time he was in pre-school, which seemed to resolve, but then needed to be periodically revisited. Rachel was wonderful consulting and working with the speech therapist, various doctors, teachers and myself on goals/concerns, which is so important when building a team and helping a child progress. When my son began therapy, he would avoid handwriting at any cost! He hated it! Our goal was to get him comfortable enough that he could write a paragraph, fill out a form and write a note or take a few notes. To this day, I still can't believe that he can now do this! Every time I hand him a birthday card and ask him to write a note and sign it, I prepare myself for the battle, which in the past, would inevitably occur. It is still a shock to me when he cheerfully says, "Ok!" and takes the card from me to to write on. Rachel used her expertise in OT, as well as her experience with vision therapy/ocular motor skills, to move his progress forward in a remarkable way. Within a relatively short time, we saw tremendous growth in his handwriting as well as his visual processing. My son and I are so thankful for her!"
We Learned How to Support Him as a family
“We met Rachel while struggling from a lack of support and services through the IU. When we found Live Fully Therapy, we were matched with an OT and an SLP who performed all the necessary IU and healthcare assessments and gave us a baseline assessment of our son's needs. From there we built a therapy plan with parent involvement in our home. This allowed us to gain useful skills that we could reinforce daily. They communicated with each other, our ABA therapists, and our medical providers. They were flexible with schedules, readily engaged with our other children, and even continued therapy virtually during the closures. Rachel is knowledgeable with the IU, IEP, and other legal processes, and she taught us how to ask the right questions so that we can be our son’s best advocates. Our son is talking, writing, socially engaging, and has significantly decreased sensory processing difficulties because of the skilled care provided by Live Fully Therapy!”
Feeling Comfortable with Clothing and Self-Expression
"Rachel has helped my daughter tremendously. My daughter was struggling with day to day tasks and with expressing her feelings. She was very sensitive to clothing and shoes, and she was having a difficult time with transitions. The hardest part was that she struggled to express how she felt in those difficult moments. I began to feel that she may be dealing with sensory processing difficulties. Rachel assessed my daughter and put together a plan that included a therapeutic brushing technique. The work has been very gradual and child-focused with weekly check-ins for adjustments. Now my daughter feels much better about getting dressed, and she is so happy to pick outfits that she loves and feels comfortable wearing! She is able to quickly get ready to go, or transition to a new activity. The best part is that she can express how she feels when she is overwhelmed or frustrated. That calm and open communication has created so much peace! I am excited to see where this OT journey takes us, and I am so grateful we found Rachel!”
Motor Skills Improved
"Rachel started seeing my son a couple of years back. When we started with her, his handwriting was illegible, and his pencil grip was weak. He could not write small within the lines. By the end of the first year, his writing improved tremendously! Now his writing is legible and small. It's a constant struggle molding and shaping his fine motor skills, and Rachel helps him every week she sees him. Thank you Rachel for all your help."
Feeding Progress
"Our family would like to thank you for the amazing work you have done with our son in such a short period of time. The progress he has made with feeding has been phenomenal, and although we know he tries very hard, he wouldn't be anywhere near where he is now without your expertise. Rachel, you have played a part in changing our son's life, and ours, for the better and it will never be forgotten. Thank you always!"
Collaborative Expert
"There are times as a teacher and a parent when you know that a child needs more than you can give because it is beyond your expertise. Those are the times when you need to seek a professional who is skilled in identifying the real issues and planning a course of action. Over the last several years, Rachel Shoener has been my go-to Occupational Therapist. She has guided children in achieving marked gains in their abilities and has been a support to countless families. Rachel is a person of strong integrity and possesses a wisdom that comes with being a teachable sort. If she does not know the answers, she will seek them. Her tenacity combines with her gentle spirit to make for an excellent interventionalist. I would choose Rachel for my team any day!"
Marie Allen, Director
Indian Valley Nursery School and Kindergarten