#150 Aquatic Therapy with Nicole, OTR/L & Owner of Lullaby Waters

Aquatic therapy can be used as a treatment modality for Occupational Therapy and comes with a range of benefits for both adults and children.
 
Today we sit with Nicole Nickell, an Occupational Therapist and founder of Lullaby Waters. In this episode, we take a deep dive into aquatic therapy and what makes it so impactful.

We talk to Nicole about the genesis of Lullaby Waters, as we discover how her love for water-based therapy evolved from a stint at St. Luke's Rehab Institute.
 
We then take a closer look at why Nicole enjoys aquatic therapy so much. As the daughter of a physicist, we find out that Nicole loves water all the way down to a molecular level. She continues to tell us about water’s helpful characteristics, like buoyancy, viscosity and hydrostatic pressure.
 
Later in the show, Nicole expands on the sessions she provides, sharing details about its structure, and how she incorporates daily routine skills into them. We also discover more on what types of patients benefit most from aquatic therapy, like those with Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.
 
To hear more on Nicole’s practice and why aquatic therapy is such a popular mode of occupational therapy, be sure to tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Nicole shares a little about her professional background and her work in aquatic therapy.
• Hear the genesis of Lullaby Waters.
• Nicole shares the biggest benefits that water therapy can offer. 
• Find out Nicole’s approach to water and in-clinic therapy.
• We learn about what one of Nicole’s typical sessions looks like. 
• How Nicole works with kids who have a fear of water. 
• We touch on Lullaby Waters’ unique environment.
• Some of the ways water therapy can help adults with conditions like anxiety.
• Nicole’s biggest challenges at work and how she deals with them. 
• Nicole shares how she keeps herself and her team motivated.
• Find out how you can find aquatic therapy near you.
• Nicole’s parting advice to therapists and parents.

Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at  Harkla.Co/Podcast.

Brought To You By Harkla

This podcast is brought to you by Harkla.  Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this through high-quality sensory products, child development courses, & The Harkla Sensory Club.

Podcast listeners get 10% off their first order at Harkla with the discount code "sensory". Head to Harkla.co/sensory to start shopping now.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

The Sensory Project Show Podcast
The Sensory Project on Facebook
The Sensory Project on Instagram
Harkla
Lullaby Waters
Nicole Nickell on LinkedIn