Meet Amy Shaw | Occupational Therapist, MS OTR/L

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amy Shaw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amy, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Outpatient occupational therapy does not have to occur in a typical therapy clinic! Many people don’t know that nature-based therapy is an option for them and/or their family members. We are able to incorporate the same OT fundamentals that we would address in the clinic using a more motivating and stimulating environment. Our nature-based program uses the outdoors to help foster specific skills and abilities to maximize each person’s overall independence. We are also incorporating hippotherapy (or equine movement) into our practice when it is appropriate for our clients as well. Hippotherapy involves using the movement of a horse as a treatment strategy to engage sensory, neuromotor, and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes. We run our therapy clinic at a horse ranch, so it allows us the creativity to come up with unique and challenging ways to help our clients meet their own personal goals. We are treating both pediatric and adult patients with a variety of different diagnoses.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I became an occupational therapist about 10 years ago. I was extremely drawn to this career as I have a passion for helping people to become as independent as possible. I really love seeing the resilience that people have and the ability to relearn how to complete not only the basic daily life tasks, but also how to return to the activities that they love to do. I was very happy with my career choice, however, I always dreamed of a career where I would be able to combine my love of horses with my passion for occupational therapy. When I moved to Montrose, CO I started working at the local hospital where I met a new friend and OT, Madison Cano. She was volunteering her free time at Metaphorse horse ranch and invited me out there to check it out. Madison told me that she was thinking about starting up an outpatient therapy clinic incorporating hippotherapy and asked me if I was interested in joining her. I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity to combine my passions! We’ve been starting up very slowly, but we are working on growing our practice everyday. We live in a rural area so it has been difficult for us to find clients and get referrals. We have been working on our marketing to let our area know about the unique services that we are offering. At this time, we are private pay only, which has been quite difficult, as most other clinics in our area are able to bill insurances. We do provide superbills, so that client’s can get reimbursed from their insurance companies after their treatment sessions. We want our clients and families to know that there are options for receiving outpatient occupational therapy. Many people who live in this area have chosen to live here because of the amazing access to the beautiful outdoors we have here. Our therapy practice brings people back into nature and around animals to motivate them and teach them how to get back to the life that they want to live.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is so much to do in this area near of Montrose, CO! My favorite place to take visitors is to Telluride. Skiing in the winter, hiking in the summer, and everything in-between! Riding the gondola from Mountain Village into Telluride and back is always such a beautiful experience, especially in the fall. Another must see town is Ouray. We love to visit all the local shops in town, take a short hike, and relax in the hot springs. When returning to Montrose, head over to Metaphorse Ranch for a trail ride on some beautiful trails with the most amazing horses!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, a huge shout out to my business partner and co-owner of Therapy Strides, Madison Cano! She has been the driving force behind starting our own practice and I am very fortunate that she has brought me along for the ride with her. She has done an amazing job balancing starting our practice with being a fantastic mother and still managing to work PRN as an OT in multiple different places. The next shout out is to Jody Nixon, owner of the nonprofit Metaphorse, where she is allowing us full access to her property, horses, and equipment. Jody has been incredibly supportive and helpful as we have been starting up and her generosity is unmatched!

Instagram: @therapystrides

Facebook: Therapy Strides

Other: email – therapystrides@gmail.com

Image Credits
Savannah H Photography