Occupational Therapy
in Columbia, MO Community
Clinic + Community = Complete Care
When someone is struggling in their day-to-day life, the role of an occupational therapy practitioner is to come in and help them become more independent and safe, which looks different for each individual.
Connectivity with Our Community
Sometimes the work done in therapy leads to uncovering other areas in life where an individual or family needs additional support. After all, as humans our connectivity with our community, friends, and family is a web of independent tasks and interactions. The addition of occupational therapy serves as a bridge between concepts and habits created in therapy and living those practices in everyday life.
What is Occupational Therapy?
Simply put, Occupational Therapy (OT) is a health profession that helps people safely and independently do what they need and want to do every day.
Occupational Therapy Supports Integration
& Independence in Life
Whether someone is struggling with the impact of illness or injury, or has a chronic lifelong condition, the role of an occupational therapist is to work with them to pinpoint the areas they struggle in and then find strategies to make a change either with their body, their environment, or the actual task they are trying to accomplish. Unlike physical therapy (PT) which focuses on the function of the body and movement. Occupational therapy can inform other treatment plans by identifying muscle groups or movements necessary to complete a task while physical therapy can strengthen or create flexibility in the body to support doing such activities.
Occupational therapy looks at the whole person, the whole environment, and the whole activity to make sure that tasks can be completed as safely and independently as possible. Essentially, our therapists work to help individuals do the things that they need and want to do!
What might this look like at our practice? Think executive function (creating a schedule to clean the house), community mobility (like learning how to ride the buses or going shopping and staying focused in the store), and sensory processing for things like noises or overwhelming environments.
The profession addresses all ages and ranges of ability, from babies in the NICU to elderly people in hospice, and everything in between. Perhaps a teenager with autism wants to be able to navigate the grocery store themselves, or a middle-aged man has a fall and needs to re-learn to use his arm that is now differently able to perform tasks that once were ‘normal.’
How Does Occupational Therapy
Fit With Other Therapies?
An Integrated Approach at Better Together
Often, different therapy practices work in tandem to give patients the skills and tools that they need to best function in a world that can be difficult to navigate.
A Social Work Therapist will help with skill identification and coping mechanisms, talking through what it takes to handle a situation or task.
An Occupational Therapist, on the other hand, will be the one in the community, helping patients through experiential practice of those tasks and environments that might be causing them some difficulty.
Our practice aims to focus on community-based independent living for young adults and adults with social skills needs.
Not every client will need to work with multiple therapists, but the roles can often work together to help the client understand skills both in idea and practice.
Group Occupational Therapy Sessions at Better Together
Jacque collaborates with some of the other Better Together therapists to lead groups that rotate based on patient needs. Keep an eye out for this season’s group schedule found here.
These groups focus on more self-advocacy and functional living skills. The guided group work will identify young adults’ interests and align them with post-secondary goals. Think of this as a mix of work with executive functioning and fine motor skills.
Groups in public spaces will address common needs for individuals working on the same skill. Practicing these skills in natural environments will help patients be more successful down the road.
Individual sessions, on the other hand, can be held wherever the need is strongest. For example, individual occupational therapy sessions may work best in a client’s home or in public spaces such as downtown in The District, Shops at Broadway, Shelter Gardens, Columbia Mall, Rock Bridge, or Finger Lakes State Park. Jacque often leads sessions in grocery stores, local parks, and other spaces her clients most need support navigating.
Is Occupational Therapy at Better Together Right for My Child?
Before scheduling therapy sessions or putting a treatment plan in place, Jacque will meet with a family for a free consult and help determine what is needed. A physician’s referral to Occupational Therapy would be necessary if clients pursue a ‘super bill’ for insurance purposes. However, when paying directly, you can contact us directly via phone or our intake form as we do not require a referral for service. The Better Together office does not engage with insurance and we talk about why right here.
Take the First Step
If you have questions or are ready to get started, you may contact our office or submit the intake form here to initiate the first 15-minute free consultation.
Common Interventions & Outcomes of Occupational Therapy
Click on an intervention type to view the outcomes focused on within that category.
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
- Bathing, dressing, grooming, and hygiene
- Functional mobility
- Feeding and eating skills
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)
- Meal planning, cooking, and kitchen safety
- Home management and cleaning
- Financial management and budgeting
- Community mobility and transportation
- Shopping and errands
Life Skills & Independent Living
- Laundry and clothing care
- Time management and scheduling
- Home organization and decluttering
- Personal safety and emergency preparedness
- Digital literacy and technology use
Sensory Integration & Processing
- Sensory processing assessments (Sensory Profile 2)
- Sensory diet development and monitoring
- Environmental modification for sensory needs
- Self-regulation through sensory strategies
- Integration for ASD, ADHD, SPD, and PTSD
Emotional Regulation
- Identifying triggers and arousal patterns
- Co-regulation and self-regulation strategies
- Routine-based regulation supports
- Zones of Regulation and similar frameworks
- Integration with mental health treatment
Executive Functioning & ADHD support
- Task initiation and follow-through
- Planning, prioritization, and organization
- Working memory strategies and external supports
- Habit and routine formation
- Digital tools and systems coaching
Fine Motor & Coordination
- Handwriting assessment and remediation
- Tool use (scissors, utensils, fasteners)
- Keyboarding and adaptive technology
- Eye-hand coordination
- Visual-perceptual skills
Accessible Home Consultation
- Home safety assessments and fall prevention
- Adaptive equipment recommendations
- Bathroom and kitchen modifications
- Aging-in-place planning
- Caregiver training for safe assist techniques
Post-Secondary Transition
- Vocational exploration and work readiness
- IEP collaboration and transition assessment
- College readiness and disability services navigation
- Self-advocacy and self-determination skills
- Community integration planning
Social Participation & Community Integration
- Community mobility (transit, errands, banking)
- Workplace navigation and employer communication
- Social skills in naturalistic contexts
- College campus coaching
- Recreational activity participation
Meet the Therapist: Jacquelyn Sample
DrOT, M.Ed., OTR/L, FAOTA
Meet Dr. Jacquelyn Sample, or Jacque, Better Together’s newest addition to the team as of May 2026. As a contractor with the practice, her focus is wholly centered on supporting the community through sessions both in and out of the clinic.
Read Jacque’s full bio on our About Our Team page.