Jodi Clemens

TherapyScoop's newest featured therapist is Jodi Clemens, OTR/L . Jodi is an Occupational Therapist and so much more!!! After opening a multi-disciplinary practice in Oklahoma, Jodi boarded a plane and took NYC's therapy world by storm! She is a perennial student, who is always learning new techniques to supplement and better her practice. Jodi's multitude of skills and trainings make her a rare Occupational Therapist and an angel to any child she treats.

We sat down and chatted with Jodi.

1. As a certified Occupational Therapist, you bring a lot more to the table when you are treating your clients. Describe the additional trainings you have undergone to complement your practice.
   
   I am passionate about learning and find continuing education vitalizing and necessary to maintain a holistic OT practice. For the past 11 years, my primary areas of focus have been in Craniosacral Therapy(CST), Lymph Drainage Therapy(LDT), Sensory Integration(SI), and the Floortime ™ /DIR ® model. I began with my Certification in Sensory Integration for administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration Praxis Test(SIPT), which prompted me to gain advanced training in an adjunctive treatment called Therapeutic Listening. This treatment is a sound-based intervention that I combine with sensory integration activities and bodywork. I find it to be effective for treating problems related with attention, sensory modulation, postural control, and speech/language.
   
   Over time, my practice evolved into a specialization in bodywork when I completed the Clinical Application of pediatric CST/SER (SomatoEmotional Release), the Brain Curriculum and CST for Obstetrics. My most recent study was a wonderfully eye opening series of courses in Dr. Greenspan's Floortime ™ /DIR ® model. This is a “D”-developmental framework focusing on the “I”-individual sensory-motor differences of the child with “R”-relationship based learning and problem solving. DIR now serves as an umbrella for all of my interventions as an occupational therapist.
   
   
   
2. Tell us about your organization back home and why you chose to move to NYC.
   
   I have a corporation in Oklahoma called Therafunction, Inc. and we provide pediatric occupational, physical, and speech therapy services in school, home, and facility settings. People often wonder how I can operate a company from NY. I admit that the only way I have been able to manage it is with the help of my dedicated mother by my side. All my therapists rely on her to keep them straight with their paperwork, including me. So yes, my mom makes Therafunction function. It works out well because she enjoys managing the logistics of the practice and I enjoy being free to focus on the therapy. Moving to NYC was the next logical step for me to advance my clinical skills in a therapy friendly state. I love the fact that parents, schools and doctors are all aware of the benefits of therapy and actively seek treatments like Sensory Integration and CST. I do miss the big skies of Oklahoma, but find the pace of NYC to be exactly what I need for growth.
   
   
   
3. Can you briefly describe CranioSacral Therapy?
   
   CST is a hands-on, whole body treatment involving gentle touch applied by trained, sensitive hands. CST promotes a state of deep relaxation that encourages the flow of cerebrospinal fluid and releases restrictions in membranes that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Osteopathic physician, John E. Upledger, founded CST through his studies at Michigan State University as a clinical researcher and Professor of Biomechanics in the 1970s. By connecting with the body's natural healing process, CST promotes immune system functioning to relieve pain and distress associated with anything from migraines to chronic fatigue and central nervous system disorders. My experience using CST has been with patients experiencing colic, autism, learning disabilities, emotional difficulties, stress related problems, Torticolis, Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome(TMJ) and chronic back or neck pain. I work on people of all ages, from babies to adults and have even provided relief to dogs, cats, and horses.
   
   
   
4. What benefits do you see in a child receiving this form of treatment? Are they typically receiving regular OT services as well? Do you find the children who need CranioSacral Therapy are also the children who benefit from SI treatment?
   
   CST is the best gift you could give a newborn baby to immediately resolve any birth related issues resulting from body positioning, forced retrieval or caesarean delivery. In children, I have found the combination of SI, DIR, and CST to be a powerful triad for emotional relatedness, body awareness, reduced distress, improved coping skills and sensory regulation. Many children who are tactile defensive will accept this form of gentle touch therapy and will feel confident and secure in the world around them. Children who are very controlling and rigid thinkers are often sensory kids that are trying to protect themselves from their surroundings.
   
   It is my goal as an OT, no matter what modality I am using, to promote emotional security and help the child feel comfortable in his/her own body through hands-on or child directed play. Many of the families that I work with are following a biomedical approach to treatment for issues such as deficits in communication, attention problems, lack of engagement with peers, sensory motor issues, skin conditions such as eczema, abnormal bowel functioning and allergies. CST and Lymph Drainage are also good tools for monitoring body response to biomedical treatments. CST and LDT help with gastrointestinal issues to improve the immune system for detoxification of high levels of metals, parasites or yeast in the body. The child receiving true integrative medicine will have the best progress, therefore it is important to work closely with the child's family, physicians, nutritionists, homeopaths, and therapists.
   
   
   
5. Any courses you would recommend for the starting OT? Will you be taking any more courses or receiving any other certifications in the near future?
   
   Occupational therapy is a profession with many windows, so upon graduation I found it important to continuously open myself up to different specialties and areas of interest. For the new graduate, I recommend working with a variety of clients in order to discover your personal strengths and interests. Once you are clear on the area of OT that brings you the most joy, then you must follow your heart and your personal belief system as you select a course of study that will allow you to specialize. Whatever area of practice you choose, the most important thing about continuing education is that you invest in reputable courses with experienced professionals. I highly recommend the University of Southern California-WPS for SIPT certification, Upledger Institute for CST, Dr. Bruno Chikley for Lymphatic Drainage, ICDL(Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders) for the DIR®/Floortime Model and Vital Links for training in Therapeutic Listening.
   
   I plan to continue my studies with the Upledger Institute, specifically with the Brain Curriculum and the next Obstetrics class. After attending the ICDL-DIR®/Floortime ™ summer institute, I am now on the track for DIR certification. This will be an ongoing process involving supportive mentorship by ICDL faculty.
   
   Here are the websites for my coursework: www.upledger.com , www.iahp.com , www.icdl.com , www.wpspublish.com , www.vitallinks.net , www.sinetwork.org
   
   
   
6. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
   
   I know that I will continue in the field of pediatrics because I adore children and play is the heart of my work. My ultimate goal is to continue to work with the entire family and to build upon the family integrated approach. Parental involvement is so important to the process of healing for a child. I highly recommend that parents receive a CST treatment as well. The past three years, I have expanded my practice to working on expecting mothers and I plan to grow this area of my practice more because of the value of preventive medicine and the wonderful results of promoting a healthy birth. I see myself continuing to practice as an OT with a Sensory Integration and Floortime framework with my practice as a CranioSacral Therapist integrated in everything I do more and more. Training other therapists and parents is very important to me and I know that my future will definitely be dedicated to providing more formal workshops. I find great joy in the healing process and know the journey is for a lifetime. Through continued devotion to the power of the mind and self discovery, I trust that I will be exactly where I am supposed to be in 10 years.

THANK YOU JODI!!!!

Best of luck to you!