Supporting Foster and Kinship Families

Children in foster and kinship care often carry significant challenges with regulation — sensory, emotional and physiological. Through play-based, child-led occupational therapy we help children build a working understanding of how their bodies feel, learn to tell signs of safety from signs of stress, and navigate big emotions with support around them.

A placement change is hard on a nervous system. That’s a body problem as much as a feelings problem.

What Families Notice, and How We Help

After a placement change

What families notice. Sleep, appetite and toileting all slide at once. A child who was managing seems to lose ground overnight.

How we help. We start with regulation, not skills. Predictable sensory input and a familiar routine give the nervous system something steady to hold onto.

Toileting regressions

What families notice. Accidents return, or a child who was independent starts refusing the bathroom entirely.

How we help. We rule out medical causes first, then work on comfort and control at the child’s pace — never on a deadline set by anyone else.

Body awareness and safety cues

What families notice. A child seems unaware of hunger, cold, pain, or the need to use the bathroom.

How we help. Interoception can be taught. We build the vocabulary and the noticing habits that let a child recognize what their body is telling them and ask for what they need.

Sleep, meals and routines

What families notice. Bedtime, mealtimes and transitions become flashpoints, and the whole household starts organizing around them.

How we help. We look at the sensory load hiding inside ordinary routines and change the smallest things first, so the day asks less of everyone.

Toileting Support That Accounts for Trauma

Delays and regressions in toilet learning are common for children in foster care, and they frequently stem from stress, earlier trauma, or underlying medical complexity. We know that during a period of transition, toileting may not feel like the top priority. But persistent incontinence or delayed independence adds real, daily stress for the child and for the family caring for them.

See the Toileting Consultation Bundle

How we approach it

  • No forced sitting, ever
  • The child sets the pace
  • Medical causes ruled out first
  • Caregivers coached, not corrected

Reducing Barriers for Foster Families

We care a great deal about making this care reachable for foster and kinship families. We set aside reduced rates, and a limited number of no-cost evaluations, for families caring for children in placement. Availability changes through the year — ask us what’s open right now.

  • Reduced rates on evaluations and consultations
  • A limited number of no-cost evaluations each year
  • Flexible scheduling around visitation and court dates

If You’re a Caseworker or Advocate

Working alongside the care team

We contract directly with families rather than agencies, and we’re not currently a DCFS vendor. When a family asks us to, we’re glad to share findings with a child’s team and coordinate around services already in place.

What’s useful to bring

Any prior evaluations, a sense of the child’s medical history where it’s known, and the practical constraints — visitation, transport, school schedule — that shape what’s realistic.

Get in touch

We share information about a child only with the caregiver’s permission. Occupational therapy supports regulation, daily function and pelvic health; it doesn’t replace mental-health treatment, and we’ll say so plainly if that’s what a family needs.

Our Approach

Evidence-based care. Child-led sessions. Meaningful progress.

Child-Led

We follow your child’s lead to build trust, engagement, and lasting progress.

Strengths-Based

We focus on what your child can do and build from their unique strengths.

Regulation-First

We support the body and nervous system so learning and growth can happen.

Evidence-Based &
Individualized

We combine proven methods with a plan tailored to your child’s needs.

Pelvic Floor Specialization

Specialized support for toileting, pelvic health, and related challenges.

Neurodivergent-Affirming

We celebrate neurodiversity and honor each child exactly as they are.

Let’s Find the Right Support for Your Child

Every child and family is different. Reach out to learn more about Anna’s approach and whether Regulated Relief may be a good fit.