Pediatric occupational therapy · Port Townsend, WA
Support that starts with your child, not a checklist.
Occupational therapy helps children take part in the things that make up their days — playing, eating, dressing, connecting, managing big feelings. I work in your home and out in the community — or remotely by video — where real life actually happens.
No diagnosis needed. No set packages. Start with a conversation.
What occupational therapy actually is.
- Licensed occupational therapist, Washington
- Master's in OT, University of Washington
- 10+ years in pediatrics
- In-home, community & remote sessions
A child's "occupations" are simply the things they do all day — eating, sleeping, dressing, playing, learning, being with other people. Pediatric occupational therapy helps when some of those things have become hard, by working out what's getting in the way and changing either the skill, the activity, or the environment around it.
It isn't about jobs, and it isn't only for children with a diagnosis. Much of the time it looks like play, because for a young child play is the work.
“Is this even an OT thing?”
It's the question I get most. Occupational therapy looks at how a child and their environment fit together — and where that fit could be easier. If any of these sound familiar, it's worth a conversation.
Mealtimes have become a battle.
Very limited foods, distress at the table, or a child who can't seem to sit through a meal. We look at the sensory side, the seating, the routine, and the pressure — and make eating feel possible again.
Getting dressed, bathed, or out the door takes everything you have.
We break down where the routine is actually breaking, adjust what we can, and build the specific skills underneath it — rather than pushing harder on a routine that isn't working.
Big feelings arrive faster than either of you can manage.
We work out what's setting things off and what your child is trying to communicate, then build tools and adjust the environment so those moments come less often and land more softly.
Sounds, textures, clothing, or movement seem to affect your child more than most.
Sensory processing shapes a huge amount of daily life. We figure out your child's particular sensory picture and what genuinely helps them feel regulated.
You're not sure how to play together, or how to help them play with others.
For babies and toddlers especially, play is where everything else grows from. We build foundational play and communication, and — as they get older — the social skills that let them join in.
Small hands are struggling with everyday tools.
Fine motor development affects everything from spoons to crayons to buttons. We work on it inside real activities, not drills.
Three things that shape everything I do.
Behavior is communication.
What's often called behavior is a response — to something in the environment, or something internal. My focus is understanding what set it off and what need it was trying to meet.
Play is the work.
Therapy centers on the activity your child actually wants support with, done in real time so we can see what's helping and what isn't. For young children, that looks a lot like play.
We're partners.
This is relationship-based. I work in partnership with your child and your family, and welcome everyone in as it fits. Feedback is always welcome.
Two ways to work together.
Both are private pay, with no package to commit to. Prices are what they say they are.
Individual occupational therapy
One-hour sessions in your home, out in the community, or remotely by video, built around the everyday activities your child is working toward.
Parent & family consulting
Individualized support for you, whether or not your child is taking part in OT sessions themselves — strategies, coping-skill development, and practical ways to grow participation in daily activities.
Is this a fit for your family?
The honest version, so you can work it out before you spend anything.
This is probably a fit if
- Your child is between Birth and 12 — I'm most specialized in birth to three, and I'll sometimes take an older child up to 18, so ask
- You're in Port Townsend or East Jefferson County — or further out on the Olympic Peninsula and open to remote sessions
- Something in daily life has become hard, with or without a diagnosis
- You want to be part of sessions rather than wait in a lobby
- You're waiting on an assessment, a diagnosis, or an early-intervention place and don't want to lose that time
- You can work with private pay, or want to talk through whether it's viable
You may be better served elsewhere if
- You need therapy billed directly to insurance — a clinic that takes your plan will cost you less
- Your child needs specialized clinic equipment as the core of their therapy
- You're looking for speech or physical therapy — those are different professions, and I'm glad to point you toward local options
- You need a formal diagnostic evaluation; that's a different process, usually through your pediatrician
If any of these are you, say so when you get in touch. I'd rather send you to the right place than take you on.
How starting actually works.
No paperwork before you've spoken to me, and nothing you can't back out of.
You call or email
You tell me what's going on. I tell you honestly whether I think OT would help and whether I'm the right person. No cost, no obligation, and no form to fill in first.
We book a first session
In your home, or over video, at a time that fits your family's day. I'll send a short intake form beforehand.
The first session
Mostly understanding: what you need, what your child's day looks like, and setting goals together.
We decide the rhythm together
Weekly, every other week, or as needed. There's no package, and you can stop whenever it stops being useful.
About Julia
I'm an occupational therapist based in Port Townsend. I've spent over six years in pediatric OT, most of it in early-support work with babies and toddlers and their families, using a parent coaching model.
Before my master's in occupational therapy at the University of Washington, I spent another six years in behavioral medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital, as a mental health counselor and pediatric behavioral specialist on the inpatient unit. That work still shapes how I understand children, families, and behavior today.
Credentials: OTR/L · Licensed occupational therapist, Washington State · University of Washington
The questions that come up first.
Does my child need a diagnosis or a referral?
Do you take insurance?
What ages do you work with?
Birth to twelve. Much of my background is with babies and toddlers, birth to three, and that's where I'm most specialized. I also work with older children on play, social skills, fine motor development and daily routines.
If your child is older than twelve, ask anyway — I take teenagers up to 18 by arrangement, depending on what's going on and whether I'm genuinely the right person. Calling me is the fastest way to find out.
What area do you cover?
We're already working with early intervention or the school. Does this conflict?
The best place to start is a conversation.
Call or email me directly — a first conversation costs nothing, and it's the fastest way to work out whether I'm the right person for what's going on.
Get in touch