Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?

Occupational therapy is a client-centered practice that helps individuals achieve independence and fulfillment in their daily lives. Whether you're managing chronic pain, navigating cancer treatment, or seeking support for ADHD, Autism, or sensory processing differences, occupational therapy provides the tools and strategies you need. Occupational therapists assess your unique needs and develop personalized solutions that enable you to fully participate in the activities that matter most to you, empowering you to live a meaningful and joyous life.

How does Occupational Therapy work?

Through a blend of in-person sessions at Maliya and home visits, Jane takes the time to understand your unique challenges and barriers. If you’re a mom living with chronic pain, you might find it difficult to play with your children without exacerbating your symptoms. If you’re a woman with ADHD, organizing your schedule and staying on top of tasks might feel overwhelming. If you’re a parent of a neurodivergent learner, managing food and mealtimes might feel challenging. Whatever you're navigating, Jane collaborates with you to develop sustainable strategies that support both your physical and emotional well-being, helping you regain control and create a more balanced, fulfilling life.

Occupational Therapy Services

  • Living with chronic illness and/or pain can be an overwhelming and isolating experience. The constant struggle to manage symptoms, maintain energy levels, and keep up with daily responsibilities can take a toll on your physical and emotional well-being. The challenges of navigating a world that often doesn’t understand or accommodate these invisible struggles can lead to feelings of frustration, helplessness, and even loss of identity. However, with the right support and tools, it’s possible to reclaim a sense of control and find ways to thrive despite these challenges.

    Our OT will work with you to navigate day-to-day life in a way that is sustainable and that supports your well-being. OT can help you to identify daily activities that exacerbate your pain, such as cooking, cleaning, driving, or playing with your kids, and suggest different ways of doing things in order to reduce pain and conserve your energy for what is most important. This could involve adjusting the way you lift objects, change positions, organize your space, plan your day, or use assistive devices. For example, you may explore adapting activities that you enjoy doing with your children so that they can be done while seated at the table instead of running around or getting down on the floor.

    All OT support is tailored specifically to your condition, symptom, and needs. Sessions can be held in-person at Maliya and/or in your home and can involve just you or your partner and support system. This is all about creating a life that feels supportive and nurturing for your specific needs. We're here to support you every step of the way!

  • Cancer treatment can totally change your life, often leading to symptoms like pain, fatigue, neuropathy, and brain fog. Unfortunately, many women are often left feeling alone during and after cancer treatment and are unsure how to adjust to the changes in their life.

    This is where occupational therapy comes in! OT helps you to:

    • Understand and manage your pain and symptoms

    • Feel supported and empowered to participate in the things you need and want to do in your day-to-day life

    • Explore and strengthen your sense of fulfillment, agency, identity, and purpose after a cancer

    OT can help you to manage your symptoms and get you back to living well despite these obstacles. For example, you may learn to use strategies such as memory aids, planners, apps, and organizational systems, along with creating structured routines, using grocery delivery or meal prep services, and recruiting social support to help you manage the cognitive demands of a task like meal planning.

    Jane can meet with you in-clinic at Maliya or she can come to your home! She can work with you individually or bring in your partner and family to ensure that your plan for your well-being is collaborative. If you're unsure where to start, we recommend booking a free 15-minute meet and greet to discuss your needs and see if OT is right for you!

  • Occupational therapy offers personalized strategies to enhance daily functioning and well-being for those navigating life in a world that may often feel was not designed for them. Jane has a wealth of experience supporting neurodivergent learners, and a strong knowledge base grounded in accounts of lived experience from the neurodivergent community. 

    For children, therapy focuses on developing essential skills that support emotional regulation, social interaction, movement, play, and independence, while supporting parents with tailored parenting strategies. Play-based activities and targeted interventions help children build confidence, advocate for themselves, and thrive in their everyday environments.

    For adults, occupational therapy supports individuals through the journey of learning to recognize, accept, understand, and meet their own needs, while providing practical tools for managing challenges such as sensory overload, uncomfortable social situations, and difficulties with time management or organization. OT empowers women to lead fulfilling lives by supporting them to come into greater alignment with their unique way of experiencing the world. Our OT offers specialized support to neurodivergent parents, helping them manage the complex challenges that parenting young children can present to those with a sensitive nervous system.

    Through a compassionate and collaborative approach, occupational therapy can help you to harness your strengths, overcome challenges, and achieve your personal goals.

Occupational Therapist

Jane Brownridge

Jane is a registered Occupational Therapist with the Alberta College of Occupational Therapists. She holds a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alberta. In her work she draws upon her varied professional experience supporting families in home, school, and community settings, as well as her personal experience with navigating motherhood. Jane works with people of all ages and all abilities. She has extensive knowledge and experience related to neurodivergence, and a deep appreciation for the many valid, unique, and beautiful expressions of human diversity that exist in the world.

As an occupational therapist, Jane holds a core belief that our health, well-being, and sense of self are profoundly interrelated with our capacity to participate in the activities we find meaningful, our ability to fulfill the roles that shape our identity, and the degree to which we feel a sense of belonging and purpose in our community. Her goal is to enable and empower her clients to participate in the daily activities that they need and want to do, as a vehicle to discover personal growth and enriched quality of life.

Jane’s work is rooted in care, connection, and collaboration. She partners with her clients to create personalized program plans that take into account each individual or family’s unique goals, strengths, values, interests, and perspectives, as well as the complex interactions between people and the environments in which they live. You can trust that Jane will meet you with an open heart, a listening ear, and a deep respect for you and the journey you are on.