Flying at you from my monitor to yours is the 2nd Quarterly Edition! Enjoy our 2nd Quarter’s Covis Safe Provider Spotlight, some Articles I’ve written, and information about how mutual aid efforts are going over here!

We’re starting off with our Covid Safe Provider Spotlight, where I interview Leanna Namovic from NeuroConvergence OT!

Aera: Hello! Thank you for accepting this interview. I'm excited to get the word out about your practice! Let's jump right in -

First, why are you committed to providing Covid Safer Care and how would you describe your measures to keep yourself & others safer from the spread of airborne disease?

Leanna: I offer both telehealth and in-home services. I typically address cognitive complaints via telehealth (think routine building, working around sensory issues) and physical complaints via in home services (like hypermobility, FND, your general neuro body issues). When I go into people's homes, I will mask using a high quality N95 or KN94, I will take off my shoes as requested, and I will follow whatever your personal disease protocols are. I also am very proactive to cancel or reschedule if I am feeling ill, and I urge my clients to do the same. I am in your home, and I want to be as respectful as possible to your space!

Aera: How does your practice approach client-centered care?

Leanna: Everything I do is driven by my clients. Before the end of our first session I will confirm the goal themes that we have identified during our evaluation to make sure that I am covering (or not covering!) the things that you want to work on. I also make my notes viewable for you on your client portal so that you can look and see my train of thought in-between sessions. At the beginning of each session I typically ask "what went well and what didn't go well this past week", so that we are always staying relevant to your current life needs.

Aera: Do you see clients in-home or in-office, or both (what travel radius/areas do you do in-home visits in)?

Leanna: I see clients via telehealth in Washington State, and in-home within King County.

Aera: What should clients expect from their first initial visit with you?

Leanna: I will start with an occupational interview, which means we go through what you do with your time from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed. I'll ask you what things are hard for you and if you would like to change them. I will never tell you to change something if you are happy with the way that task is being performed and accomplished. Depending on if we are addressing cognitive or physical complaints, I will either do a Sensory Profile Measure (standardized questionnaire assessment) or I will check your range of motion and muscle strength throughout your body.

Aera: One of the biggest things that stood out for me about your practice is your commitment to financial accessibility for care! This is a value I share, and I was delighted to see that you offer both sliding scale and the opportunity for people to sponsor fully paid sessions for others! Could you expand on what inspires you to provide these options and tell my readers how to access care in this way?

Leanna: Yes! The main instigator for starting my practice was working at a community non-profit supporting people with disabilities to be able to continue to live in their communities. About twice a month I would talk to a new client who was coming into their neurodivergent identity or realized that they were hypermobile, but had no idea where to find the resources to build the skills needed to support their brains and bodies. Insurance doesn't cover OT services for people over 26 with an Autism diagnosis, and I know personally how hard it is to find a practitioner who is more chronic illness-minded than sports medicine-minded.

That being said, disabled people are disproportionately un/under-employed, and I never want the cost of care to be a reason that someone can't receive the support they need. Currently, you can book an evaluation with me at the sliding scale rate, the standard rate, or the sponsorship rate via my website. I can technically go lower on a case-by-case basis than my sliding scale rate, but that requires some emailing back and forth to figure out what will work best for the two of us.

Aera: When you're not working, what are your favorite past times? What makes you feel like a human and connected to community?

I love to knit and crochet! I also enjoy live outdoor music and small group hangs.

Aera: Here's the last question! Do you have any thoughts on how we can all strengthen our community through service to others?

Leanna: Consistently showing up in little ways. It feels as though everyone is being pulled in so many different directions right now, and it can feel so isolating to be trying to survive independently. Connecting with my neighbors has been a huge support in feeling less overwhelmed. We have one neighbor who comes over and uses our laundry machine and will take our dog on a walk while laundry is running. We have another neighbor who brings home almost expired meat from his job, and we turn it into chicken stock. What is easy to contribute for one person might be extremely valuable to another, and finding ways to connect those two people is the key to making a strong community.

Thank you, Leanna for participating in this interview! To learn more, you can go to this website to learn more and to book an appointment! Leanna is out of network with all insurances, but can provide a superbill. Check with your individual insurance to see if they accept superbills!

Next up, An Update about Our Mutual Aid Efforts over here at Bodywork With Aera / Advanced Integrative Bodyworx

The start of 1st quarter was a little busier in terms of people being helped by sliding scale and $0 sessions. I currently have many sliding scale and $0 appointments available, backed by my Ko-Fi supporters (thank you, as always!). Please take advantage of these offerings! No amount is too small to pay if you need to pay something in order to feel like you can take advantage of my offerings. Even just offering to get some brochures out there, or to write a shoutout post about me would be payment enough!

To wrap it up here is a quarterly recap of things I have written on Ko-Fi:

Article and Video: Crash Course to Lymphatic for the Upper Body!

Supporters Only: System Maintenance

Article: Type 2 Deiodinase, Functional Hypothyroidism and Me

See more here!


Thank you all for reading and we’ll be back next time for the next Quarterly Edition of The Better Baseline Bulletin!


If you enjoy my work and want to support me, I would love to get up to $300+ in monthly Ko-Fi support! Your support (financial, word of mouth, or engagement) would mean the world to me! Thank you!