Gym Jam

As a student in 媚娘直播鈥檚 occupational therapy program, Mary Strausser MSOT 鈥08 did not anticipate a career that centered around children.


鈥淚 remember telling my classmates I had no interest in working with kids,鈥 she recalled. 鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 be perfectly happy with adults.鈥


Fast forward 15 years, and Strausser, now 38, has changed her tune. Completely.


鈥淚 can鈥檛 imagine now not working with kids,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t opened up my clinical world in a completely different way.鈥


Strausser, with two business partners, owns two franchises of Gym-Jam Therapeutics, Inc., a learning center serving children with autism and other special needs. The facilities offer services including applied behavioral analysis (ABA), speech therapy, occupational therapy, social skills groups, and parent training.


The centers, which accept insurance and medical assistance, are located in Pottsville, the home of 媚娘直播鈥檚 recently opened Pottsville CollegeTowne, and Frackville, both in Schuylkill County. They serve children and families from a wide geographical area.


Strausser鈥檚 change of heart regarding her career path began nearly a decade ago when she had the first of her four children, a son who suffered from medical difficulties and experienced some developmental challenges.


Locating services for him was not easy, as resources near her home were sparse at that time. When she eventually succeeded, she was delighted with the benefits her son experienced from the therapies he received.


鈥淚 saw the proof that getting good quality services early on can change a child鈥檚 life, and the family鈥檚 life,鈥 she said.

 

Gym Jam
鈥淲e live in a small, close-knit community. A lot of time there鈥檚 nothing for us to do but take care of each other.鈥

When the opportunity to open a facility that could help other children arose, Strausser enlisted two colleagues and jumped at the chance.


鈥淚t was a way to give back,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e live in a small, close-knit community. A lot of time there鈥檚 nothing for us to do but take care of each other.鈥


The centers currently serve about 220 children, with many more prospective clients on wait lists.


鈥淲e get multiple calls a week from people looking for services for their kids,鈥 Strausser said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e constantly trying to develop new programs and increase our staffing to better serve our clients.鈥


The Gym-Jam staff works with area school districts and Schuylkill County鈥檚 early intervention program to identify students needing services. The therapies provided vary depending on need, as does the length of time a child remains in the program.


Often, Strausser explained, the goal is to help a child prepare to transition into a school classroom. Once the child is able to be in school, Gym-Jam therapists teach school staff the skills they need to help the child succeed.


鈥淲e鈥檒l remain with the child as long as necessary, then fade back as they adjust to the classroom,鈥 she said.


Gym-Jam also partners with Pottsville CollegeTowne psychology students, who assist at the centers.


鈥淭hat partnership has just been invaluable for our community,鈥 Strausser said.


She looks forward to additional opportunities to partner with 媚娘直播, with an eye to expanding Gym-Jam into Berks County.


鈥淲e鈥檒l see what happens,鈥 she said. 鈥溍哪镏辈 was a wonderful experience for me, and I鈥檓 excited to be reconnected and working with people there.鈥

Occupational Therapy (Post-Baccalaureate)

Degree Type:
Master of Science
College:
Occupational Therapy (Post-Baccalaureate)
Location:
  • Reading Campus
Program Type:
Graduate
Credit Hours:
0