ABOUT US
Rooted in Connection was founded to meet the unique needs of the community serving marginalized and vulnerable populations, such as foster children, adoptees, and children and families who have experienced trauma. Trainings, coaching, and consulting services are rooted in connection; empowering caregivers and professionals to build a foundation of trust in order to be more effective in their roles and increase meaningful interactions.
Supporting individuals, families, and
professionals in building healthy
relationships with children and peers.
Nurturing empathy and understanding while empowering others by providing practical strategies for meaningful interactions.
Envisioning a community where caregivers and professionals feel equipped with the tools to meet the needs of those in their care.
ABOUT ME
Kiah Van Horne, MOT, OTR/L
Founder
Occupational Therapist
TBRI® Practitioner
Kiah has worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for over 6 years and loves the joy and excitement that children bring to everyday life. As a foster parent herself, she has developed and led trainings for foster parents for the past 3 years, focusing on a variety of topics including trauma-informed caregiving and TBRI®, sensory processing and self-regulation skills, child development, and self-care. With a passion for trauma-informed care, she completed the intensive TBRI® (Trust Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner training in 2018. Kiah has special interests and experience in family-centered care, attachment, and sensory processing. She loves to work with individual families in a small group or 1:1 setting to meet more specific needs of family dynamics through parent and family coaching. She also supports professionals through personalized trainings to help meet the needs of the community. In all of her roles, Kiah is a fierce advocate and ally for the children, families, and other professionals she works with, walking alongside them with intention and empathy. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two small children, cooking, hiking, and reading.
Personal History
Kiah has always enjoyed interacting with children. Kiah's interest in the field of occupational therapy began when her close family member began receiving occupational therapy services as an infant. She was able to see the huge impact it made on her family's life and she was convinced she wanted to be an OT when she grew up!
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While she was in high school and college, her parents ended up adopting 6 children (one international adoption, and 5 siblings from the foster care system). With this experience as a sibling of adopted children, her interest in trauma and its impact on the brain grew.
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After receiving her degrees and relocating to Minneapolis, she and her husband became licensed foster parents, and immediately received a placement. They have remained respite care foster parents for the past several years, and just recently allowed their foster care license to expire due to life changes.
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Kiah has continued to grow personally and professionally by reading books and subscribing to a variety of resources on parent and family coaching, parent education, and child development.
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Additionally, she enjoys volunteering with a number of organizations serving the foster care and adoption communities over the past several years.
Professional and Educational History
Kiah knew she wanted to be an occupational therapist form a young age. She attended the University of Florida (go Gators!) and graduated with her Bachelor in Health Science degree in 2013, followed by her Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2014.
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Shortly after graduation, she relocated to Minneapolis where she began her work as an occupational therapist in several pediatric settings including preschools, outpatient clinics, and elementary and middle schools. Her experience with children ranges from infancy to teenagers. In her work as an occupational therapist in various settings, she was able to focus on children with histories of trauma and gain experience in this area.
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Kiah has intentionally sought out additional trainings and education in the area of Trauma-Informed Care, including completing the intensive TBRI® (Trust Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner Training at Texas Christian University in 2018. She has also completed trainings with Kim Barthel (Relationship Matters) and Kelly Mahler (The Interoception Curriculum).
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She is passionate about continuing to grow and learn through reading books, attending courses, and meeting with families and other professionals in the field.
What does individual and family coaching look like?
Intake meeting and getting to know you
Identify goals and schedule future sessions based on needs and availability
Weekly to monthly sessions
consisting of:
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Guided activities to build on family strengths
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Coaching and direction in order to connect with your family
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Reflection
Monthly assessment and reflection of progress, adjusting goals and schedule as necessary
Ongoing support via check-ins and collaboration, even after discontinuing ongoing sessions
Result = connected family unit,
confident caregivers, decreased stress