Behavioral Support through Skills Training & Occupational Therapy
Welcome! I'm so glad you're here...
My name is Amy, and I am a pediatric occupational therapist, certified somatic practitioner, and 500-hour yoga teacher with more than 13 years of experience supporting neurotypical and neurodiverse children and families.
At Alliance Counseling Center, I lead and work alongside a team who provide behavioral health and skill building support using sensory integration, somatic practices, mindful movement, and trauma-informed care through experiential learning in natural environments where nature becomes part of the learning process.
Through movement, play, sensory exploration, and connection with the outdoors via an occupational therapy lens, children are supported in building regulation, confidence, resilience, and everyday life skills in ways that feel meaningful, engaging, and safe.
I believe children thrive when they feel connected, understood, and supported exactly as they are. My work is rooted in warmth, compassion, curiosity, and relationship-centered care — helping children and families discover practical tools for greater balance, regulation, and wellbeing in everyday life.
Alliance Counseling Center understands...
Many children and youth need support that goes beyond traditional office-based approaches. Children with ASD, ADHD, sensory differences, and executive functioning challenges frequently learn best through movement, hands-on experiences, relationship, and real-world practice.
While mental health therapy, skills training, and occupational therapy may work alongside one another, they each serve different purposes.Our mental health therapy services utilize ecopsychology and nature-based approaches to support emotional wellness, self-awareness, anxiety, trauma healing, relationships, and nervous system regulation. Therapy focuses on emotional and psychological processing through experiential connection with nature, movement, mindfulness, and relationship-centered care.
Skills training and behavioral support are different. These services focus less on emotional processing and more on helping children build practical, everyday life skills that improve functioning at home, school, and within the community.
These services may support:
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Emotional and sensory regulation
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Executive functioning and organization
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Social skills and communication
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Daily routines and transitions
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Coping skills and frustration tolerance
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Independence and adaptive functioning
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Body awareness, coordination, and nervous system regulation
For many children, process or "talk therapy" may feel overwhelming, abstract, or simply not effective. Experiential skills training and behavioral health support through an occupational therapy lens in a nature-based setting instead focuses on learning through doing — helping children actively practice skills in meaningful, real-life situations, one-on-one or in a group setting with others who can relate.
Our experiential, nature-based environment offers unique opportunities for children to learn through movement, creativity, animals, sensory experiences, and connection with the natural world. These settings can feel more regulating, engaging, and accessible for children who may struggle in conventional clinical environments.
Rather than only talking about coping skills, children have opportunities to practice them in real time — helping skills translate more naturally into everyday life, relationships, school, and community success.
Our goal is to provide neuro-affirming, strengths-based support that helps children build confidence, resilience, independence, and a greater sense of connection to themselves and the world around them.
