Experiment.
Discover.
Thrive.
Your Occupational Therapist
Karen Connell, MS, OTR/L
Founder, Occupational Therapist
My journey into Occupational Therapy didn’t start in a textbook—it started at home. As a mother of three adult children, I lived the sensory journey firsthand through toddlerhood and beyond. By engaging in those sessions, I saw firsthand how vital family collaboration was to replicating activities at home and unlocking my son's incredible progress. Witnessing the changes that OT made possible for my son and for our family, fueled my desire to find ways that I could help other families.
Today, as a licensed occupational therapist and the founder of Independence Lab, I bring a wealth of experience across all pediatric ages, specifically working with school-age children through young adults. Having practiced in public schools, outpatient clinics, and homes / community-based settings, I've been able to support individuals across all areas of their lives.
My passion lies in helping children and young adults discover their own pathways to self-regulation and coping, operating from the foundational belief that “children do well when they can” (thank you, Dr. Ross Greene). By prioritizing emotional security and honoring each individual's unique neurological wiring, I aim to create a collaborative environment where clients feel truly understood, connected, and safe to grow.
Karen Connell, MS, OTR/L has 16+ years of dedicated pediatric practice with clinical specialization in school, clinic, home and community settings.
In practice, this means moving away from traditional deficit-reduction models and focusing instead on a person's inherent capabilities. Whether we are refining fine motor precision or navigating complex sensory environments, my objective is to promote engagement by leveraging strengths, intrinsic motivations while utilizing evidence-informed modalities. We work together to achieve meaningful, everyday autonomy and practical life skills.
During our initial evaluation, we establish a framework to assess your family's needs. Together, we implement structured interventions designed to target essential life skills, ensuring that session work translates into meaningful, sustainable success within the home and community.