GET TO KNOW ME 

 

Hi! I'm Ruthie VanGorder, and I am The Mindful OT.  I am an Occupational Therapist and a Mindfulness coach!   My mission is to help caregivers, families and schools learn to navigate sensory processing and self-regulation in practical, easy to understand ways!   

I discovered the world of OT at Keuka College where I obtained my Occupational Therapy degree in 1995. I entered college intending to become an elementary school teacher! I had never even heard of OT prior to going to college and honestly, I first thought that an Occupational Therapist was someone who coached you at your job or helped you discover an occupation!  Well, to some degree that is the truth.  A child's job is to learn through play and exploration.  My job is to walk alongside children, families and schools to help children navigate any hurdles to their ability to learn, play and live!  

 

I was always fascinated with how yoga and mindfulness impacted our brains ability to attend and regulate our bodies in the moment. Over the years I attended continuing education that focused on integrating yoga into OT sessions with my first training in Boston with Child Light Yoga in 2001. I was hooked!  I became a certified children's yoga teacher in 2018 through Kidding Around Yoga with Harris Lender.  This further ignited my passion for mindfulness for schools and families.  I obtained my 200 hour yoga training with Stephanie Ball-Mitchell with the Yoga and Ayurveda Center in 2020 as well as becoming a Level II Mindfulness Educator in 2020 at the Balance Living Center in Webster, NY with Erica Ebert. In 2022 I became a Yoga 4 Classrooms Implement Leader with Lisa Flynn to further enhance my ability to support whole classrooms and school communities.  As a nationally licensed OT and a yoga/mindfulness teacher I have found that sharing strategies with families and classrooms provides optimal support for each person involved by cultivating community connection and shared learning!  

 

I look forward to collaborating with you!  :)