Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Erin Jankus. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Erin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?
One of the first opportunities I ever had as a speech language pathologist was doing early intervention in people’s homes with babies and toddlers. It was then that I realized children make the most progress when their parents understand WHY we, as therapists, are doing what we are doing. Every parent is their child’s best teacher. I learned that I had to be comfortable with having parents watch therapy sessions; I had to be able to answer the hard questions; and I had to learn to think on my feet. Over the years parents have asked me some tough questions during sessions to which I didn’t always have the answers and that was uncomfortable. Honestly, even after 23 years, I still don’t always have all the answers, but I am committed to finding them. I also know that above all else, my relationship with a child and their family is more important than any other treatment I could provide. When you have earned someone’s trust, you are better able to anticipate their needs and provide strategies that are meaningful not only to them personally but to their whole family, thus improving their quality of life. I always knew parents loved their kids, but once I became a mother myself, I understood that when parents brought their children to me, they were trusting me with their whole world. It is my first priority to make sure every child feels like they are our whole world, too, when they are at Therapy Pro.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
The thing that sets us apart at Therapy Pro is our unique way of approaching therapy. When people go to speech language therapy, they usually sit at a table and work on producing sounds, vocabulary, grammar, etc. During occupational therapy, clients may work on sensory integration to improve their fine motor skills, their feeding skills or any other occupation they are engaging in. Although we do not address all of the areas an occupational therapist would like the fine motor skills needed for writing and cutting, we do kind of fill that gray area between speech language therapy and occupational therapy by teaching our clients how to recognize and communicate their sensory needs to the people around them so they can perform optimally in all areas of their lives. Sensory processing is something that affects all of us all of the time. When a person is able to understand how their body senses the world around them, they are better able to identify tools they need to feel their best. Most people are familiar with five of their senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing), but there are three hidden senses that have a huge impact on our ability to control our emotions; have sustained attention to cognitively demanding tasks such as learning to read and write; and our ability to motor plan for complicated fine motor tasks like speech.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Therapy Pro’s success is based almost entirely on word of mouth, and the families we work with do talk about us because they see results. They see their children blossoming and they get to be an integral part of that process. We genuinely care for our clients. We want them to be successful and achieve their goals, but more importantly we want them to feel understood and loved. People grow the most in environments where they feel respected. Too often children’s sensory needs are quickly dismissed without any further exploration, without any validation. The same can be said for many parent concerns. We offer understanding without judgement and try to collaborate with all of the people in our clients’ lives so that they can experience a high level of success.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
Early in my career, I relied heavily on extrinsic reinforcers. I thought I had to offer kids stickers, candy and trinkets in order to get them excited to learn. Giving gifts is one of my love languages, and I assumed my clients would feel my love for them if I gave them presents. I also thought I was helping them by getting them excited. What I didn’t realize is that by “dangling a carrot” in front of my clients each time I wanted them to learn something, I was robbing them of the joy they could experience solely from the experience of learning! The relationship you have with someone and the time you spend together is more valuable than anything you can buy at a store.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.therapyproaz.com
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