0:00
it's really a lot of working on that
0:02
interprofessional realm because we are
0:07
um and then really trying to work with
0:08
other providers knowing knowing your
0:10
limitations being like well that's more
0:12
like a peachy thing or that's more of a
0:14
functional mid-nutrition thing or that's
0:16
more of a but then having those referral
0:18
sources because people then start to
0:27
I'm Sean hessinger and this is small Biz
0:29
in 15. the show where we bring you small
0:31
business news and tips to make your
0:33
small business better today Dr Alicia
0:36
Reiser owner and occupational therapist
0:38
at a rise above Occupational Therapy
0:41
Services discusses opening a private
0:43
practice in occupational therapy so
0:46
Alicia to begin with when we say
0:48
occupational therapy what is
0:49
occupational therapy exactly
0:52
so occupational therapy is different
0:54
than Physical Therapy our organization
0:56
aota has defined it I'll give you the
1:00
the definition from them and then I'll
1:02
explain it in more functional kind of
1:05
words but it's the therapeutic use of
1:07
everyday life occupations to support
1:09
occupational performance and
1:10
participation in meaningful tasks so
1:12
what we really do where physical therapy
1:15
is more about range of motion strength
1:19
um healing injuries of the body
1:23
OT is a little bit more holistic and we
1:25
definitely look at who you need to be as
1:27
a person and what you need to do in
1:30
um so that's either by restoring what
1:32
you might have lost after an injury or
1:35
it's compensating by using adaptive
1:38
strategies to kind of get you to be
1:42
with what you need to do so be it a
1:44
student be it a grandparent be it a
1:46
worker we kind of get you back and we
1:48
analyze those activities based on
1:51
different um task performances to see
1:54
okay what can't you do where are you
1:56
struggling and then we try and figure
1:58
out why and then we try and give you
2:01
um solutions to fix those kind of
2:02
functional problems if I was to ask you
2:05
know what does an occupational therapist
2:06
do like could you give me some examples
2:08
of of things you might do or sure and it
2:11
all depends on your setting right and
2:14
who who you're treating so what is a
2:16
wonderful thing about OT is that
2:19
um we treat the whole lifespan so we
2:22
work with children so that's more
2:24
Pediatrics but we can also even start an
2:26
early intervention in newborns
2:28
um so those OTS are kind of looking at
2:31
if it was a pre-term birth or if they're
2:33
sensory issues or feeding issues OT can
2:37
definitely help with that one of the
2:39
niches for OT is a lactation consultant
2:41
just because we're working on the
2:43
bonding experience with mothers and that
2:45
sort of thing but we also then work in
2:47
nursing homes and we work in retirement
2:48
homes and assisted livings and
2:50
independent livings and we can look at
2:54
why are you falling when you're getting
2:57
dressed so we're PT again would look
2:59
more at like the balance issues or their
3:01
neuropathy where they don't have feeling
3:03
in their legs and that sort of thing OT
3:04
will be like well what can we give you
3:06
to make yourself be able to get your
3:08
socks on or to get into the shower so
3:11
more sort of adaptive equipment kinds of
3:14
things so that you can still function in
3:16
terms of that but there's so many things
3:17
in between that lifespan there's drivers
3:21
um sometimes we work in the mental
3:23
health setting and we really explore
3:27
um you know what we can do to improve
3:30
mood and affect and strategies that we
3:32
can use with ADHD or Autism Spectrum
3:34
there's sensory integration kinds of
3:37
fields that we that we work in so again
3:40
the wonderful thing about OT is you pre
3:42
you don't get bored for sure like if
3:44
you're not happy with where you're at
3:45
whether it's a hospital setting or an
3:48
outpatient setting then there's always
3:49
room for you to still use your OT hat if
3:52
you will to kind of do other things well
3:54
I'm glad you brought that up Hospital
3:56
settings versus other settings because
3:58
this is something that I know you're
3:59
really an expert on which is if you want
4:03
to start a private occupational therapy
4:05
practice how do you do that
4:08
it's difficult you need a lot of support
4:11
and it all depends too
4:13
I believe like in your in your
4:15
neighborhood or in your neck of the
4:16
woods right so where I am at we are
4:19
surrounded by large Network hospitals so
4:23
um so that's why I had to kind of find a
4:26
um that other that the hospitals weren't
4:28
doing or weren't capitalizing on so um
4:31
we've kind of really drilled down into
4:33
what we do we do concussion rehab and a
4:36
lot of neurological rehab so anything
4:40
um but we really offer a more holistic
4:45
unfortunately for the hospitals they
4:47
can't offer because they are very
4:49
productivity based and they're very
4:51
um you know you have to see this many
4:53
people and and unfortunately it doesn't
4:56
allow the therapist to have a whole lot
4:57
of time and that's what I didn't like
4:58
and so that's why I wanted to go out
5:00
into the Private Practice realm so that
5:03
I could really treat the patient how I
5:05
thought they deserve to be treated
5:07
wondering if you could give some other
5:08
other examples like maybe of areas of
5:12
specialty for occupational therapy
5:14
because I guess depending on what kind
5:16
of practice you want to want to build or
5:18
or what kind of specialty you have you
5:20
might can you give us a maybe just a
5:23
couple of examples I know there's a lot
5:25
sure and and I hate to keep comparing us
5:27
to PT but PT is known for Orthopedic
5:30
Sports Medicine you know those kinds of
5:32
OT there's not a lot of OT private
5:36
um one I think we're afraid to kind of
5:39
make the leap of faith um but there's
5:41
definitely areas that we can we can work
5:45
um there's a lot of pediatric private
5:48
um so working with kids you know three
5:50
to three to ten that sort of age range
5:53
um the other OT practices that I know
5:55
are typically hand therapists who kind
5:57
of go out on their own and they either
5:59
then work with hand surgeons who are
6:00
affiliated with with different network
6:02
hospitals or that sort of thing
6:04
um other though up and coming
6:07
um OT niches are mobile based so they
6:11
bill as an outpatient
6:14
um facility but they travel to the
6:16
person's home so it's kind of like home
6:18
health but they're using you know if
6:20
you're using Medicare it's their part B
6:21
benefits and that sort of thing so
6:23
um that is a huge up and coming thing I
6:26
know there's another local OT who's
6:28
really pushing for driver rehab
6:31
um again having your own
6:33
on the road car and being a certified
6:35
driver rehab specialist so those are
6:37
those those niches that are kind of
6:40
already established but what again like
6:43
what I mentioned with OT is you're
6:45
really limited only by your imagination
6:47
and what you can do because like I said
6:49
you could be a lactation consultant as
6:51
an OT you could you know do more mental
6:54
health kinds of things and that's what I
6:55
kind of wound up doing with us we
6:57
started as more of concussion based
7:01
but with own personal
7:04
observations in terms of the ADHD and
7:07
the Autism Spectrum Community I noticed
7:10
that kids age out and then so what
7:12
happens to these kids who either weren't
7:13
diagnosed or who like kind of flew under
7:17
um and so who are struggling with either
7:20
the transition from middle school to
7:21
high school or from high school to
7:22
college who kind of had the life skills
7:25
or the living skills but who didn't
7:28
um know how to be an adult or how to put
7:32
that higher uh level thinking hat on you
7:36
know they were okay in high school when
7:37
someone was reminding them or they had
7:39
schoology or something like that to kind
7:40
of say these are your assignments but
7:42
they had no idea what to do and it was
7:43
like syllabus week and then you're on
7:45
your own and there was no like follow-up
7:46
or feedback and then they'd kind of be
7:48
you know the finals week like cramming
7:52
all their work in and that sort of thing
7:53
or just struggling being on their own
7:55
you know knowing how to eat and study
7:58
and that sort of thing so because ADHD
8:00
and ASD are brain related
8:03
um I became ADHD certified the other
8:05
therapist that's here is autism spectrum
8:09
to kind of work with that
8:11
middle of the road population those
8:13
teens that either weren't diagnosed
8:16
um or who you know parents are kind of
8:19
like I think there's something going on
8:20
can you kind of help and then so because
8:22
brain based we've developed you know a
8:26
program where we can work with those
8:28
with those kiddos too because they have
8:30
executive functioning issues concussions
8:32
have executive functioning issue
8:34
a lot of them have visual sensory issues
8:37
and because of the concussion
8:39
um a lot of those patients have visual
8:41
issues so I've kind of pulled from a
8:43
couple different brain based
8:46
treatment strategies and kind of Applied
8:48
that across the board and I want to talk
8:52
um because Brandon can be a huge part of
8:55
standing out with your private
8:56
occupational practice so I want to ask
8:59
you about of all things the way you
9:01
chose the name for your practice how did
9:04
you do that how did you come up with
9:07
I have this uncanny ability to come up
9:11
with like plays on Words and so I wanted
9:15
to kind of again indicate that we were
9:17
something different from what people
9:19
have experienced before
9:21
um and so I was trying to figure out
9:23
what kind of name that would be
9:26
um and then it I just I remember where I
9:29
was I was standing next to my computer
9:30
desk and all of a sudden it like hit me
9:31
so again my name is Alicia Riser
9:34
um and so I was like well what about a
9:37
for Alicia and then rise for Riser and
9:39
then so people are rising above their
9:42
you know their challenges or we provide
9:45
a service that's arise above anything
9:49
else that you've had before so I don't
9:51
want to think that it was like
9:52
egotistical but I just knew that what
9:55
um done out there needed to be kind of
9:58
bumped up a level and so I I kind of
10:00
figured out that the name indicated that
10:04
and so we get people are like you know
10:07
rising up I don't know what people Rise
10:09
Above and Beyond and like we get we're
10:12
not perfect at our branding because
10:14
Asians will tell you know their other
10:16
medical providers where they're at and
10:17
they kind of mix it up a little bit but
10:19
I think it's catching on
10:21
I'm sure this is what
10:24
terrifies a lot of people in any therapy
10:27
practice when they're going out on their
10:28
own how do you get patience for your
10:31
private occupational
10:35
yes I'm sure you've dealt with patients
10:37
who might follow you might be interested
10:39
in might want to know what you're doing
10:41
but I mean that's not in and it's of
10:44
itself you can't build a business so how
10:46
do you do that how do you get patience
10:51
attract them how do you get
10:53
patients into a private into a private
10:56
therapy practice what's been your
10:58
experience successes failures that kind
11:01
this this is something that was I kind
11:04
of was very very lucky because when I
11:07
left the one network
11:09
they kind of knew my idea was and what
11:13
they wanted to see but they also
11:17
based on politicking or you know
11:20
finances that that wasn't going to be
11:22
able to be done at their location
11:25
um so I had developed a good rapport
11:26
with those providers and
11:30
they will still refer to me even though
11:33
it's strongly discouraged to refer out
11:35
of network so I think just kind of then
11:39
the proof is in the pudding too based on
11:41
you know the results that we give
11:46
they give us the more challenging
11:47
patients the ones that have not just the
11:51
concussion but might have a pre-existing
11:53
ADHD diagnosis or who have more of a of
11:57
a mood disorder kind of thing in terms
12:00
of like depression or anxiety because
12:02
they know that we're going to
12:03
incorporate that we're not just going to
12:04
look at eyeballs we're not just going to
12:06
look at memory we're going to work look
12:08
at them as a whole person and integrate
12:09
a whole lot of different interventions
12:12
so I've been very lucky in terms of you
12:15
know staying in contact with those
12:18
um because of where I went to get my
12:25
nationally and world renowned and so
12:29
I tend to name drop a little bit that I
12:31
studied under him and then a lot of
12:36
um optometrists will say uh what you
12:38
studied under him so you kind of have to
12:39
know what you're doing so there's a fine
12:42
line here too that we we have to stay
12:44
within our Scope when we're treating
12:46
some of the vision but we do work very
12:48
very closely with Optometry behavioral
12:50
optometrists neuro optometrists
12:52
developmental optometrists
12:54
um but I I had to work at that and I
12:56
again had to kind of prove and let them
12:58
trust me and know that I would only do
13:01
things that they allowed me to do we'd
13:03
have a working relationship where they
13:04
would see my reports and that sort of
13:05
thing so it's really a lot of working on
13:08
that interprofessional realm because we
13:13
um and then really trying to work with
13:14
other providers knowing knowing your
13:16
limitations being like well that's more
13:18
like a peachy thing or that's more of a
13:20
functional mid-nutrition thing or that's
13:22
more of a but then having those referral
13:24
sources because people then start to
13:25
trust you you know as the expert at
13:27
least in the OT end and then you can be
13:29
like and I trust these people for PT and
13:32
I trust these people for
13:33
um you know counseling and psychology or
13:36
you want to try something a little more
13:38
holistic like Reiki or yoga or you know
13:41
those kinds of things well then here are
13:43
the people that you know we've had
13:44
success with then too and then you kind
13:46
of just build your network you start you
13:49
surround yourself with people that are
13:50
like-minded and then you build it and
13:54
well that's it for another episode of
13:56
small business 15. thanks again to Dr
13:59
Alicia Riser please like And subscribe
14:01
if you enjoyed the show and please leave
14:03
a comment and let us know what topics
14:05
you'd like to see covered in future
14:07
programs more small business news and
14:09
tips join us at smallbiztrends.com
