Frequently Asked Questions

Do you take insurance?

At this time I am not able to process insurance. I am a cash-based provider and process payments through IVY Pay which is a HIPAA compliant payment processing service. I do offer a free initial discovery call so that parents can share any concerns they have, learn about my services, and so we can decide together if I'm the right fit to address their needs. I also offer a sliding scale if patients are unable to pay my standard rate - let’s discuss.

What is the sensory system?

During every waking moment, our sensory systems influence how people experience and understand the world around us, make decisions, and interact with the world around us. They hum along in the background without us even realizing, but our sensory systems are vitally important. Our senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, smell, proprioception (body awareness), vestibular processing (sense of position in space), and interoception (internal senses such as hunger, fatigue, or need to use the bathroom) help us understand both our bodies and our environments, which then influences how we respond to our environment, and how safe and comfortable we feel in our bodies. 

Sometimes the complexity of processing all of this sensory information can present challenges, and this is where Occupational Therapy can be so helpful. For some kids, it might look like extremely selective eating, difficulty with motor coordination, big emotions that escalate quickly, heightened activity levels that do not match the setting, an inability to wear weather-appropriate clothing, playing too roughly around others, or acting out behaviorally. Occupational Therapy can help improve the processing, modulation, and filtering of all the sensory input that can happen during the course of everyday life to foster development for greater independence and satisfaction in activities of daily living.

Why do you visit clients in their homes, daycares or other settings besides an OT office?

Visiting clients in their natural environment allows Alyssa to gather so much more information about each child’s unique needs than would otherwise happen in an office. It is also much more convenient for the family and cuts down on travel time, giving the whole family more much-needed downtime.