Mane Stream is excited to be working with two Level I Occupational Therapy Assistant students from Raritan Valley Community College this fall. During the next few months, Kerese and Robin will be observing a total of 45 hours of OT/PT/SLP therapy sessions. Please make sure to introduce yourself if you see them!
Get to know more about Kerese!
I am a current student at the Raritan Valley Community College where I am pursuing an Associate’s Degree as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. When not at school or studying I am also currently employed as a Preschool Teacher and a mentor to individuals with disabilities. Helping others to reach their ultimate potential is a driving force for me as over the years I have seen so many students get left behind because of a lack of resources. Thus, I felt the need to change my career path to be on the other side providing these resources and assistance to improve the quality of life for others.
In addition, I think becoming an OTA is very rewarding and I love the idea that I am with the client throughout the process to achieve a positive outcome. I am super excited to be here at Mane Stream doing my Level I clinical and learning about Hippotherapy as it relates to Occupational Therapy. In addition, I am looking forward to applying concepts that I have learned so far and connecting them to each therapy session. I am a visual learner so it is very interesting to observe the connection between each diagnosis and the treatment plans. I am grateful for the staff here at Mane Stream as they made me feel like a part of the team and I am so happy to see what unfolds the next few months for my Fieldwork experience.
Get to know more about Robin!
My background is in music, I attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and toured throughout a 15 year period in several places including Europe, Asia, Scandinavia and the Middle East in various bands as a 4 and 5 string bassist.
My interest in OT came from my father having several medical issues and observing the OT's that worked with him in hospitals, subacute and acute facilities. My other inspiration came from my best friend whom I met at Berklee, who is an amazing jazz drummer. He had an accident while at school and luckily because we were in Boston with excellent medical facilities, they figured out that all the years of his brittle bones and medical issues were caused by Osteogenesis Imperfecta. Watching the therapy he had to go through was inspiring and the OT's were always the most focused on his personal goals, his creativity as a musician, and overall well-being. My goal is to be able to make a difference in people's lives as they did.
Hippotherapy is one of the most amazing treatment tools that I have witnessed, and I will forever be an advocate. I hope to learn the foundational activities and interventions that it provides. The communication between the client, therapist, horse, and volunteers is paramount and I hope to learn the various ways they interact to reach client goals; the excitement from the children to start their sessions is infectious. I used to ride years ago, and this has inspired me to "get back in the saddle" and make it a part of my life again.
