Occupational Therapist
Beth Jacob, OT cares for patients with a variety of special needs, who typically range in age from 3 years old into young adulthood. She works with young patients with communication delays that struggle with self-regulation. She also enjoys working with older clients on impulsivity, working memory and life skills. She has particular expertise working with patients as the complexity of their needs increases with advancing age. Beth often works with patients as they transition into adulthood to ensure continuity of support and help them find employment or sheltered employment, if appropriate. She is passionate about setting her patients up for their highest function and quality of life.
Beth strives to tailor evidence-based solutions for each family's unique characteristics and circumstances, and is committed to teaching parents how to support both their children and themselves. She truly enjoys helping people find improved quality of life in ways that are important to them. "A scary diagnosis doesn't mean there isn't beauty and quality," she says. "Sometimes people just need a few extra skills to help them find it."
Although she has always wanted to be a pediatric occupational therapist, Beth began her career as an adult neurotherapist specializing in oncology and brain injury. She then traveled all over the country, gaining experience with a wide variety of ages and conditions, which helped strengthen her diagnostic skills as well as her ability to uncover what's most important to her patients and their families. Today, she serves as the occupational therapy lead and clinical program coordinator at St. Luke's Children's Rehabilitation.
Originally from Ohio, Beth and her identical twin sister were born prematurely. Both girls benefitted from special education support as children, with Beth needing therapy for speech, vision and coordination challenges, while her sister learned to adapt to significant hearing loss. They grew up surrounded by kids with special needs, and being a part of this community has been central to Beth's entire life experience. She served as a peer mentor in high school teaching ceramics to special needs kids, and has worked with adaptive physical education.
Beth earned an occupational therapy assistant associate's degree from Shawnee State University and a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Penn State University. She has a specialty certification in pediatrics from the American Occupational Therapy Association.
In her free time, Beth enjoys dirt biking, skiing, kayaking, and gardening.
Call us to make an appointment.