Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Williams
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Absolutely! I’m an occupational therapist who specializes in pediatric feeding therapy. I was only offered one class on feeding therapy in grad school but I was absolutely hooked! When I graduated, I started looking for courses which would expand my knowledge beyond just that class and applied to a clinic position which provided mentorship opportunities to keep learning in the space. After 5 years in the clinic, with wonderful support, I felt stuck. In the clinic setting, kids were eating well with me, showing new chewing patterns, engaging in play with novel foods, and really expanding their diets. But at home, parents weren’t seeing the same success. That got me thinking about what I could do differently to bridge the gap between clinic and home and I realized that I needed to change the way I was providing services all together. I decided to take a leap of faith, quit my full-time W-2 job, and created an in-home/mobile therapy practice – San Diego Feeding Therapy. It was really scary to do, but I am SO happy that I did it! I now have a full-time practice of in-home feeding therapy clients, ranging from a few weeks old to teenagers; and, let me tell you, being in the home makes such a difference. I get to support families in their most natural setting, provide solutions to mealtime concerns in real time, work through tricky family dynamics, and help littles feel regulated and supported at home – where they eat the most!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I have been lucky enough that this road has been mostly smooth. While it was scary to give up a full-time job with benefits, I couldn’t see a way around it if I really wanted to provide the best possible care for my restrictive eaters. There have, of course, been moments of anxiety or asking myself “What was I thinking?!” as I learn to juggle the administrative side of running a business, seeing a full caseload of kids around North County San Diego, and maintaining some work-life balance. However, every time I meet a new family who has tried clinic or hospital feeding programs before, and still feels stuck, I am instantly reminded why I did this. As a private practice owner, I get to be in the homes, have more time allotted to listen to all their concerns, give parents more access to me during “non-work” hours to share wins and discuss emerging concerns, and be flexible on where we meet – often times at home but also, sometimes, at restaurants, a park, or at school, too.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My specialty area includes providing neurodiversity affirming feeding therapy which focuses on felt-safety, sensory-based approaches, and oral motor skill acquisition. I really pride myself on tailoring my feeding session to the family and the child I am working with. No two sessions are ever the same, even when I’m working with the same family. My sessions are child-led, which means that I am able to adapt the approach I take to expanding a child’s diet based on their current regulation levels, interests, and available food. My practice is differentiated by my focus on building up regulation and felt-safety AWAY from the table before new foods are even introduced. So many of the families and kids that I work with have been told they have to sit still to eat, must try a “no-thank-you” bite, and that they can’t spit out food if they don’t like it. These rules, which we all might have grown up with, can create anxiety and perceived fear around new food. My approach to feeding therapy really aims to build comfort, safety, and confidence FIRST by tailoring regulation strategies, offering foods within a preferred sensory profile, and educating children and their families that there is more than just “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods out there.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love about San Diego is how easy it is to be outside. Outdoor play, whether at your home, a park, or the beach, is a wonderful regulation strategy which really prepares the body for a successful mealtime. It surprises a lot of people that a majority of my sessions are spent outside playing or digging in the dirt, which I wouldn’t be able to incorporate if we weren’t in Southern California! What I like least about San Diego might be biased by the time of year, but right now it’s June Gloom. I am ready for the sun to be out and for more sessions to be at the park or beach!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sandiegofeedingtherapy.com/
- Instagram: @sandiegofeedingtherapy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sandiegofeedingtherapy
Image Credits
Sheila Chen Art
San Diego Feeding Therapy
