Introducing Shine Therapy Services!

Welcome to our blog! Are you wondering about how Shine started and our mission in the community? Here’s a bit about us!

Shine started out as one therapist with a dream! In 2005, owner Sarah Ziemba started providing in-home therapy to children under her name, after working for a local non-profit therapy center and as an early childhood speech-language pathologist at a local school. In 2011 Sarah began hiring therapists and operating under the name Shine Therapy Services. In 2015, SLP and feeding therapist Kristin Faulkner joined the company as a co-owner and we acquired a clinic space- and the ability to add more therapists! Our mission is two-fold: to provide high quality, evidence based services to children & families AND to provide a supportive, flexible workplace for our staff. In 2017, we served nearly 600 local children and families, and in 2018 moved to a larger, newly remodeled location to accommodate our growing business!

Shine now provides the following therapy services in our clinic as well as in homes, daycares and other community locations:

Speech Therapy

Feeding Therapy

Nutrition Services

Occupational Therapy

Physical Therapy

Developmental Therapy,

Spanish-English Interpretation/Translation.

We are excited about our future as a pediatric, multidisciplinary private practice in Peoria, IL!

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An 8-week program for children age 4-5 with sensory processing differences

Children with sensory processing differences have difficulty with regulation, which sometimes makes it difficult for them to interact with the world around them. Our Sensory Explorers group targets regulation in order to build engagement! This group is led by pediatric occupational therapist Mackenzie Baldock and developmental therapist/PLAY Project Consultant Brenna Thompson, both of whom specialize in using developmentally appropriate strategies to support children so they can learn new skills. Group meets once/week for 60 minutes.

Wondering if this class is appropriate for your child? Some characteristics of kids who benefit: easily frustrated with play, repetitive play, difficulty sitting/keeping still to engage in play, refuses to allow others to engage in play, unable to be messy, overly busy, quickly overwhelmed in a busy environment, picky eater, difficulty tolerating grooming/dressing/diapering routines, struggles with transitions/following a group plan/routine. 

Goals of the group include:

  • Child participating in a variety of sensory play activities
  • Engaging socially with others in the group
  • Providing a non threatening environment where children can experience new sensations with the support of a pediatric Occupational Therapist and PLAY Project consultant
  • Providing personalized resources to caregivers, so they better understand the sensory system and learn strategies to assist their child with regulation outside of group
  • Opportunity to meet with other local families
 
 

GROUP MEETS for 8 weeks:  Caregivers must stay on the premises to support their child and learn helpful strategies. Children will separate from caregivers for the session; caregivers can socialize at our coffee bar in the lobby (we will also provide a few toys for siblings to play). Caregiver education is a key component of this program. 

 

OPTIONAL Summary Report available at close of session. This 2 page report will summarize your child’s participation in the class and provide helpful sensory strategies to increase their participation in activities. This report could be given to teachers in classrooms & daycares or utilized to help educate other caregivers about ways to help your child participate. This option includes a 30 minute Zoom meeting with Brenna and MacKenzie to review the report and discuss your child’s progress in Sensory Explorers. COST: $100 due at sign up