Hi, I'm Riane

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Hi, I'm Riane!

I am a Raleigh-based occupational therapist who specializes in working with children and families in their natural environment. 

My clinical approach is rooted in the understanding that children want to succeed, connect with others, and to be accepted.

As a parent I know this is what I want for my daughters. As a  researcher, I know that personalized quality care is correlated with patient success. As a therapist, I know building trusting, meaningful, and authentic relationships produce the best outcomes. Therefore, I strive to develop an authentic relational foundation with each client to meet their goals and support their therapeutic journey.

 In my spare time I enjoy exploring parks, gardening, and building sandcastles on the coast. I am a mother to two young daughters , and a wife to my college sweetheart.

It has always been my life’s passion to empower children and see them flourish.  I attended the University of Delaware for my undergraduate studies, majoring in Psychology with a focus on Medical Humanities.  I rounded out my education as a varsity athlete on the Blue Hen’s softball team. After college, I spent 10 years conducting patient-outcomes research in Washington D.C and with the UNC Department of Neurosurgery in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. While at UNC, my work to reduce hospital readmission rates won the UNC Center for Innovation’s Bright Idea challenge, a hospital-wide competition dedicated to improving patient care and quality improvement.

After witnessing the positive impact Occupational Therapy had on neurosurgical patients’ quality of life, and with a burgeoning interest in child development as a new mother, I returned to academia to earn my Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy Degree from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. I served on the executive board for the Student Occupational Therapy Association and had the unique privilege to lecture at the eighth annual “Teach-in” Lecture Series, entitled Power, Privilege and Difficult Dialogues.  My second child was later born during my final year of graduate school, so life was indeed a balancing act!

I completed my clinical Fieldwork rotations in Pediatrics, allowing me to develop a deep understanding of the pediatric population and the family unit. It was during my rotations that I developed special interests in feeding, vision, sensory processing, and behavior management.

Riane 

What is occupational therapy?

In its simplest form, Occupational Therapy (OT) helps you participate in activities that ‘occupy’ your daily life. Everyone has tasks that they are required to do, want to do, or would like to do. We have roles that we must fulfill. Sometimes, this is hard. My job is to assess why it’s hard and to make it easier. I do this holistically, using current research and evidence to tailor interventions specifically for you and your family. I observe your environment,  your routine, your social context, and the activities themselves to identify existing barriers that limit performance. I work with you to develop the motor, cognitive, and emotional skills you need to meaningfully engage in all of life’s moments.

VISION STATEMENT

My vision for every child, immeasurable “I did it” moments.

My vision for every parent: to reply, “I knew you could.”

PROFESSIONAL GOALS

I am committed to lifelong learning, and aspire to remain curious.

OTs help with breast feeding? Yes! Breastfeeding and the ability for the child to maintain a latch is within the scope of OT practice. This co-occupation intertwines the mental, physical, and emotional needs of both the mother and child. When challenges in breastfeeding are present, it can be enormously frustrating and result in self-blame. It is common for parents to feel alone, not realizing that a vast majority of mothers share the same feelings.  Remember, just because it is “natural” does not mean it is easy!

In addition to maternal recovery, many tasks and emotional fluctuations are affiliated with this new role. I am passionate about understanding how ergonomics, body mechanics, pelvic floor trauma, and mental health interplay to impact co-occupations such as intimacy and daily parenthood routines.

MFR has countless benefits for clients of all ages and abilities. This powerful modality can increase mobility, reduce acute or chronic pain, and facilitate task participation by skillful fascia manipulation.

Children and parents alike benefit from social peer groups. Groups offer a supportive space that validates, encourages, and challenges each client. Inclusive based practice allows typically developing children and those with developmental challenges to learn from one another and develop meaningful relationships. 

involvement

Professional membership

certifications

What is DIRFloortime?

“Floortime (also known as DIRFloortime) is an intervention that is used to promote an individual’s development through a respectful, playful, joyful, and engaging process. It uses the power of relationships and human connections to promote the development of the capacities for self-regulation, engagement, communication, shared social problem solving, and creative, organized, and reflective thinking and reasoning. It is based on the DIR® model that was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan and his colleagues. It is used around the world by teachers, occupational therapists, speech therapists, mental health professionals, parents, and many others that care for individuals with developmental challenges or other related needs. It is an evidence-based approach to promoting human development that is used with children, young adults, and even adults…especially those on the autism spectrum.”

source: Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning (ICDL )

What is Kinesio Taping?

A non-invasive technique that involves taping the body’s musculature system to support overall function. Evidence supports its ability to ease pain, promote healing, reduce inflammation, and support movement.

Click to learn more .

Program focuses on quality improvement, efficiency, and elimination of variation within business/healthcare systems.

Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers, American Heart Association.

"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.​"

Helen Keller