Support For
Families and Educators

Unlocking potential through education, direct service and community support offerings

Support for Children and Parents

  • Direct 1:1 occupational therapy sessions focused on early intervention (0-6 years old) within the home environment.
  • Parent coaching/consultation: Providing 1:1 guidance and education to parents
  • Infant massage classes
  • Virtual community for parent support

Support for Students

  • Executive Functioning Skills groups for middle school-aged students focused on developing a stronger self-awareness around key executive functioning skills
  • “Powerfully You” groups and individual lessons focused on developing a stronger self-awareness around key executive functioning skills

Support for International School Teachers

  • Professional development training with practical information for the classroom
  • Consultation services ongoing or as-needed options available 
  • Supporting teachers with an easy-to-implement program to help students be self-regulated learners

Hello! I’m Kristi

Kristi Troutman, OTR/L
US Registered/Licensed Occupational Therapist
Owner, Bridges to Benchmarks

I have been an occupational therapist for over 30 years and a mom for more than 24! These combined roles underpin my motivation for developing Bridges to Benchmarks. In my career, I have had extensive experience working with individuals of all ages but found my passion is working with children, their families and their educators. I have been lucky enough to work with all of these groups in a variety of multicultural settings across three continents.

Through my own parenting and the experiences I have gained as an OT, I have seen common threads within these diverse groups. It is clear that everyone has a desire to grow and develop, whether that be acquiring a skill, improving connections, learning new strategies or even improving on the quality of something we engage in every day. I’ve witnessed that children, when given the right opportunities, strive to develop independence; parents, when given knowledge, support and tools, aspire to foster their children’s growth and development in ways that best suits their child; and educators, when provided support and growth opportunities, work to develop skills, friendships and a love of learning in their students. Identifying our goals and setting benchmarks to achieve them allows us to reflect on our own progress and plan next steps accordingly.

I strongly believe that components of development cannot be addressed in isolation and it is vital to support development of the WHOLE child through collaborations with children, families, educators and other key supports in each child’s life. My work through Bridges to Benchmarks aims to support children, families, educators and other professionals in building bridges to unlock their potential and participate in the life occupations which bring them meaning and purpose. This is always the ultimate goal.

Occupational Therapy

The term “occupation” is commonly used as a synonym for “work” or “one’s job” but it really expands further to include how we occupy our time throughout our day. Occupational roles can include many more things, such as leisure activities, sleep, learning, rest, play, or family and social participation. We can engage in occupations alone or with others. Bridges to Benchmarks is able to offer occupational therapy through direct 1:1 sessions, group offerings, consultations or mentorships to facilitate meaningful participation in life occupations.

Testimonials

“Kristi Troutman was such a blessing in our lives. We met Kristi when my oldest son was 2 years old; He was dealing with sensory processing issues and he only spoke a few words. With a great deal of patience and kindness, she helped him crack out of his shell and prepared him to begin preschool. Something equally necessary was that she also helped me learn skills needed to help him in our home and out in the community. As a family, we remember our weekly sessions with Kristi with such fondness and we are forever grateful for her. Our son is now 13 years old and he is thriving!” M.C.

“Toen ons zoontje 10 weken oud was hebben wij de eerste les van Kristi mogen krijgen. Onze zoon was een erg onrustige baby met veel krampen en hierdoor huilde hij vaak, het leek mij dus heerlijk voor hem om een beetje te ontspannen. Ook leerde ik hierbij makkelijke massage oefeningen voor de darmen waardoor we de pijn wat konden verlichten. Je merkte dat hij het tijdens de massage heel fijn vond en hij liet alles rustig gebeuren. Voor elk lichaamsdeel heb je weer andere manieren van masseren en je kon ook duidelijk merken wat hij wel en wat hij minder fijn vond! Het is ook een erg fijn momentje samen, echt even aandacht voor elkaar met professionele begeleiding en advies!” WM

English translation: “When our son was 10 weeks old, we got the first lesson from Kristi. Our son was a very restless baby with a lot of cramps and because of this he cried a lot, so I thought it would be great for him to relax a bit. I also learned easy massage exercises for the intestines so that we could relieve the pain a bit. You noticed that he really liked it during the massage and he let everything happen calmly. You have different ways of massaging for every part of the body and you could also clearly see what he liked and what he didn’t like! It is also a very nice moment together, really paying attention to each other with professional guidance and advice!” WM

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