Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jenna Snyder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Jenna, thanks for joining us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

That behavior is not intentional or manipulative.

Even in empathy-rich environments like therapy and education, I have found it to be a missing piece in deciphering behaviors in the therapy room and the classroom. I frequently educate other therapists, as well as preschool teachers and parents, on what “behavior” is and how to improve it in the children they work with. The answer truly lies with what Dr. Ross Greene calls the “empathy step.” We cannot maintain a healthy connection with the children we work with without it. Without the desire to understand where the behavior is coming from we resort to practices that we are most familiar with – often the way that we were raised ourselves. Empathy drives co-regulation in that we are nudged towards curiosity, not accusations. A gentler approach leads to the correct affect that is needed for co-regulation. Less blame and shame leads to the understanding that behavior is can’t, not won’t.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Jenna! I am the owner of Focus On Function, a pediatric occupational therapy clinic. I have a wonderful 14 year old daughter and a supportive fiancee. We live with our two dogs in Cumming, GA. I have been working towards this for as long as I can remember, even since before I knew what occupational therapy was. I have always been drawn to children with special needs and as my knowledge has grown, so has my desire to support children and their families.

When I decided to open my own occupational therapy practice I knew that I wanted to include the family as much as possible. The typical therapy clinic model does not often encourage or even allow parents into their child’s therapy sessions. I never felt like I had enough time at the end of sessions to communicate valuable information that would make some immediate difference in their daily lives. Focus on Function was an opportunity for me to create a therapy environment that would be truly impactful for families.

Our first clinic was in our home – We had a fully finished basement that we turned into a therapy clinic – all it took was some creativity, a padded floor, and a swing and I had all I needed to begin building this dream. Parents attended every session and would leave each session with a firsthand look at the strategies I was able to model for them. The progress and successes that we have seen with each child have been amazing to be a part of.

Three years later my dreams have over doubled in size – Focus on Function has two locations and four brilliant and caring therapists. Parents attend nearly every session and are learning so much about their children and themselves. As a practice, we hope to further the message that behavior is communication as well as lagging skills/unmet needs. Showing parents a better way to manage the immense challenge of parenting in healthier ways than they were raised, therefore raising healthier, happier children has been another goal for my practice.

Emotional regulation and behavior management are my primary areas of focus, particularly in neuro-diverse and autistic children. My mission since opening Focus on Function has been to reach as many children as I possibly can, so I have been working with preschools all across North Georgia. I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with preschool teachers.
From topics that include co-regulation, improving classroom behaviors, and working with neuro-diverse children, every teacher I reach will impact more children than I could ever attempt to treat directly.

Any advice for managing a team?

Inside and out of my current industry I have worked with and for people who I have respected and adored. Many people have helped me along the way to be a better therapist and person. However, I have also worked places where I have thought…”if I had my own practice I would do that differently.” One of the areas I have always strived to keep in the front of my mind is morale. I strive every day to be the kind of business leader that people want to work with. I say “with” because I don’t really consider my staff as people that work “for” me. We ALL work “for” our patients and their families. They are our bosses, not me. I may be the one setting the pace and goals of our practice, but if we aren’t satisfying the parents of our patients and meeting the children’s needs we won’t be very successful therapists. With that in mind, I am constantly monitoring the morale of our staff – we do a tough job, and sometimes with compassion fatigue it can be hard to put on a smile and move on to the next client when you just came out of a hard session. To keep morale high, we have monthly team meetings, social gatherings and regular (sometimes daily) one-on-one check-ins with therapists.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Many of our clients have come to us through social media, even though we have a very small online advertising budget. We’ve achieved this by being helpful and outgoing online. My goal with Focus On Function has always been to help families – not just the child who needs services, but the parents, caretakers and sometimes even siblings of the child. I belong to several parenting groups on facebook where it seems like someone is always looking for suggestions to help with their children. Many times a parent will post a question to the group and if I feel like I can help, I will comment with some suggestions. Most times this interaction doesn’t even turn into a client, but I am always satisfied when I can help someone who needs it.

However, sometimes this initial interaction leads to a dialogue with the parent where they will reach out for an evaluation and if it is determined that their child could benefit from working with us we bring them on board as a patient. I find that being genuine and helpful online, without an agenda or a “business angle” is helpful in showing those parents that I care, and that I really want to be helpful. Whether Focus On Function gains a client from this interaction or not isn’t the important part – showing people I care and am here to help goes a long way!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.focusonfunctionga.com