alumni spotlight
Name: Erika Higginbottom
Regis Major: Occupational Therapy
Current Job: Founder of OT by Mommy
Tell me about your career and your current job.
When I became a mother, I recognized a void in parent education that an occupational therapist could fill. My Regis education gave me the tools I needed to help parents understand development, choose quality products, and find resources when they required more support for their child. I founded OT By Mommy to help give parents those resources and the confidence that comes with knowledge. I work with new parents, pregnant parents, and infants. My main offerings are therapy and bodywork for infant feeding (breast and bottle), tongue-tied baby therapy, and small group therapeutic tummy time courses. If infant feeding is not going as expected, a baby is colicky, or if a tongue tie has already been identified, I help work on the underlying whole-body skills babies need for better feeding.
What is your greatest professional accomplishment?
OT By Mommy is my greatest accomplishment to date. Our offerings are unique and individualized. We blend community offerings with traditional occupational therapy services to support parents in their transition to parenthood. My son had feeding difficulties from birth, and now I have the opportunity to help other parents through these difficult times and help them reach their feeding goals.
How did your experiences and your education at Regis prepare you for life after college?
During my time at Regis, we received hands-on experience. We were given many opportunities to plan and carry out group programs, including leading an adapted yoga group for adults with TBIs. As an OT, that type of hands-on learning was invaluable. I felt prepared when I got into the field because I had so much experience working with people. I was confident that I could handle working in the field when I graduated because of the experience I had at Regis.
There was also coursework geared toward creating my company. I came up with a business plan, imagined what that business would look like, and had to pretend to apply for grant funding for my business. It helped me understand where to start with the planning stage of my company. We also had OT entrepreneurs come in to speak to my class. It was inspiring to hear how people were using their OT degrees to build their own companies and bring programs into the community.
What advice would you share with other OT students?
I would say go for it! OT is the best field because of our versatility. You can work with almost any population. If you want to work with babies, adults, school-aged children, or specific diagnoses, there is usually a place for an OT!