image of Banff national park

Are you reflecting on your life and wondering, “What now?” Are you feeling stuck or experiencing a life transition that is challenging to adapt to?

We all have goals that matter to us, and many factors influence our ability to achieve them. Engaging in meaningful activities positively affects our health. So, we’re here to help you get back on track!

AT SKILLS TO THRIVE

WE OFFER MENTAL HEALTH OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

What does that mean? Helping you spend time on things that matter, like social relationships, leisure pursuits, employment, schooling, self-care, and more.

We accomplish this in four steps, each tailored to your unique needs. The duration of each step varies for each person, ensuring a personalized approach. Throughout the process, we collaborate closely with you, honouring your journey.

  1. Understanding what your goals for “occupying” your time are. We do this through an informational interview where we get to know you, and you get to know us.
  2. Uncovering the block to why you can’t accomplish this goal. We do this through assessments and therapeutic approaches. Sometimes the block could be related to previous traumas, differing abilities like being neuroatypical or even the environment.
  3. Treat the block through approaches like using therapeutic modalities like cognitive behavioural therapy, acceptance commitment therapy, accelerated resolution therapy, environmental modifications, or psychoeducation.
  4. Teach you skills and give you a road map to accomplishing your occupational goal. We then check with you throughout the process until you feel comfortable to continue on your own.

If you’ve had occupational therapy before, it’s important to remember that depending on the setting or clinic an OT works in (especially in physical medicine), their practice can look very different.

Occupational therapy can be used as a stand-alone treatment or in conjunction with treatments provided by other healthcare disciplines such as psychiatry, psychology, social work, and counselling.

In Alberta, occupational therapists are able to perform the restricted activity of psychotherapy.

About Juanita

Hi there, I’m Juanita Gnanapragasam, OT.R (AB), MPH, BSc and owner and sole therapist of Skills To Thrive.

As the name suggests, I started Skills To Thrive to support individuals and organizations in building skills to achieve their wellness goals related to activities that bring meaning and joy. My interest in occupational therapy was sparked after I worked on projects where I created social spaces for individuals of different abilities to be empowered to explore their connection, identity, and community using food.

Based on my previous frontline experiences, I have seen that mental health is at the core of thriving and resiliency. Thus, I’ve dedicated my career to understanding how we can create and promote mental health through our daily interactions and occupations.

circle in a square puzzle

LET’S WORK TOGETHER!

Besides being a therapist, I have training an experience supporting clinicians, communities and organizations in various ways. If you’re interested in working together feel free to connect.

No matter what your goal is, let’s work together!

No matter what your goal is, let’s work together!