Sarah Larsen, MOTR/L: OT in Home & Life Organization
In this post, we will be learning about an occupational therapy practitioner in home & life organization. Sarah Larsen, MOTR/L is the CEO of Balanced Home Organization. She graduated with her master’s degree from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. Sarah has been working in traditional and non-traditional OT settings for over 19 years, serving children and adults in a variety of settings. She stepped away from traditional OT practice 2 years ago to grow her home organization business so she could provide more client-centered OT services to her clients in their homes.
Q & A with Sarah:
Please tell us a little about yourself and a few favorite occupations.
I'm Sarah Larsen, an OT from Portland, Oregon. My dad was in the Coast Guard, so we lived in Alaska, California, and North Carolina before settling on the Oregon Coast. I spent most of my childhood there, then moved to the city when I went to undergraduate school. I originally wanted to become a PT because I didn't know OT existed, then I found myself being drawn to the OTs during my many observation hours. I started asking the OTs lots of questions, fell in love with the holistic aspect of the profession, and switched my major. I enjoyed the mental health lens that OT offers, and I got my undergraduate degree in psychology. I went to Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR for my Master's in OT. About a year into my program, I met my husband, and we were married a few years after I graduated from OT school. I started my career in early intervention and at an outpatient pediatric clinic. I enjoyed my time there but felt myself being pulled toward a hospital setting. I worked at a level 1 trauma center in downtown Portland for 10 years working in inpatient rehab and acute care with children who had TBIs, SCIs, MIs, and other injuries. I LOVED this setting, and the pace of the work matched my personality. I eventually specialized in SCI and moved into working with adults in inpatient rehab. Soon after that, I had my 2 boys and I wanted a change of pace, so I transitioned to working on-call in a SNF for a few years. Once I was done having babies and got my energy back, I moved to another hospital where I worked as an acute care OT with adults. I didn't know it at the time, but this would be the last traditional OT setting that I would ever work in. I started my non-traditional OT business about 3 years after I started working in acute care. I have always enjoyed home organization and I am the daughter of an accountant and a military officer, so I was born this way. I lived in a tidy home my entire life until I had 2 young kids of my own. I felt overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious when I looked at all of the things around me. I had the life I always wanted, but I wasn't happy. I had lost who I was and didn't know how to move forward. My mother-in-law gave me a book about home organization, and I started organizing my house room by room. As I let go of the things that were weighing me down and draining my energy, I felt lighter, freer, and more in control of my life again. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted and I was ready to discover who I was again. I wondered if there were other people out there who felt the same way that I did: people who feel weighed down and stuck because of all of the stuff around them. I felt compelled to do a SWAT analysis being the OT that I am, and I found that there are LOTS of people who feel this way. A spark was lit and within a few months, I started Balanced Home Organization! I had imposter syndrome at first and I was nervous about being an entrepreneur. But I was super busy and grew a wait-list almost immediately. This was so unexpected! Clients would hire me to organize a specific part of their home, love the results, then want me to organize their entire home. I worked as a home and life organizer part-time and as an acute care OT part-time for 2 years before I made the leap away from traditional OT settings and I have never looked back. It was truly the best decision I have ever made. Quality time is my love language, so I enjoy spending time with my family and friends the most. I also like to go wine tasting, salsa dancing, and cycling.
What motivated you to contribute to this podcast series?
I love the work that you are doing Patricia! It's fun to hear about what other OTs are doing out there in the world of non-traditional OT. I never aspired to become an entrepreneur, but now that I am, it's great to surround myself with other like-minded people. Practitioners who know that OTs can do anything with their skills and adapt to meet their ideal clients where they are at. It's inspiring to hear all of the stories.
Please describe the UncommonOT work that you do and the setting in which you work, the population you serve and, the needs that you address.
I am a home and life organizer. I work with clients in their homes and online to help them declutter and organize their space. I specialize in working with clients who are ready to make big changes in their lives and who are ready to let go of the stuff that is holding them back from living the life they want. I typically work with families, and I help them create organizing systems around their busy schedules so they can focus on what matters most to them. Most of my clients work part-time, full-time, and/or they are entrepreneurs themselves. They usually have between 1-3 children and are feeling overwhelmed in their homes.
Please describe a typical day or OT session in your uncommon setting. What OT skills do you utilize?
I start my days around 8:00 by preparing for the upcoming home organization session, which starts at 9:00. I look over notes about previous sessions, get organizing supplies that I might need from my garage, load the car, and drive to my client's home. When I arrive, I guide my client through the 5-step organizing process that I created. We rarely get through all 5 steps in 1 session, often clients book 3-5 sessions with me at a time, so we devote some good time to their project. We pull items out of the space, sort them into collections, declutter items that no longer add value to their life, assign the remaining collections a new home, place them in organizing supplies if needed, and label them. Throughout the session, I ask a lot of questions about my client's daily habits and routines to help create organizing systems that can be maintained over time and that are realistic for their lives. I help them uncover what habits led them to having a disorganized home and I give lots of suggestions about new strategies they can implement to support them in reaching their goals. I work with them to figure out systems to make it easier for them to complete their IADLs. This is typically processing their mail, doing laundry, menu planning, organizing papers, paying bills, managing their time, managing their daily schedules, creating chore charts for their kids, you name it. Whatever they have questions about, I help them come up with a solution in order to simplify their lives. Then I pack up the donations in my car, drop them off, head home, bill my client for any supplies that we used or send follow-up emails. I get home about 2:00, then I meet virtually with clients who booked a virtual home organization session, a life organization session, or a consultation. Then, I end my day around 5:00.
Can you talk about some recent highs (successes) and lows (challenges) of your current role?
I recently started working with one of my sweet elderly clients again last month. A few years ago, I helped her downsize from a 6000 sq ft estate into an independent living apartment. I helped her figure out what she wanted to take from her childhood home and move to her apartment. We spent months going through every single drawer, cupboard, and room of her home. She shared all the memories of her childhood, her mother, and her adult years spent back in that home. I helped her pack up her belongings, unpack them, and organize them in her new apartment. We were 90% of the way done when COVID hit, and we had to stop working together because her building could not allow visitors to keep the residents safe. We spoke on the phone every month for 1.5 years, then she stopped communicating with me. It turns out that she fell in the shower, and she was hospitalized for quite some time. She spent several months in a SNF, then she transitioned to a new apartment in the assisted unit of her building. Her journey took about 8 months. All that time I was wondering what happened to her. Then, one day out of the blue, she called me to tell me her story and to ask me to come help her get organized and settled into her new apartment. I was sad to hear about her fall but overjoyed to see her again! I have been working with her to help her unpack her things and organize them in a way that accommodates her new mobility differences. I'm thoughtful in where I place furniture and her belongings to prevent falls. I help her organize her ADL supplies in a way that makes them easy to access with her 4WW, and I help her organize her finances, papers, etc. It's relationships like this that bring joy to my life. Connection is key for me. Marketing is a challenge for me. It doesn't come naturally to me and it's something that I didn't learn a thing about in OT school. I recently hired a marketing coach to help me understand how to grow my business. She helped me understand that if I am my authentic self then it makes marketing easier.
How do you continue to learn in order to stay on top of things within your role?
I read a lot of home organization books, I worked as an independent contractor for The Container Store for a year to gain knowledge about their products and custom closet systems, and I complete traditional OT continuing education classes to stay fresh.
Can you share a little bit about salary and compensation in this setting? How do OT or the services you provide get funded?
I have a cash-based business; I do not take insurance. All of my in-home organization sessions are 4 hours in length and they are $450. I give a discount if clients book a 12- or 20-hour package. All my virtual home organization sessions and life organization sessions are $129. Clients pay for all services up-front, and I bill them for any organizing supplies after the session. Half of my garage is filled with home organization supplies!
Any career advice for our followers and listeners on how to get started on this path?
I always recommend shadowing someone and meeting with the business owner before switching your career. That way you can see if you enjoy it and hear about all aspects of the job.
What’s a common myth or misconception about your job/role you’d like to call out or demystify?
Clients often call for a consultation and want their homes to look just like The Home Edit show on Netflix only to be surprised that this is not what the organizing process is really like. I love the show, but they don't show the audience all the things that had to be decluttered for the space to get organized. They also make it look like it takes a few hours, and it really takes a long time to get organized. I have also had people ask me why I'm no longer an OT since I left my traditional OT setting. Owning my own business and working with their clients in their homes is the most client-centered OT work I have ever done in my 19 years of practice. Home organization is very much OT. I work with clients who are feeling overwhelmed and stuck; they are having a challenging time moving forward with their lives and they have goals that they want to accomplish, but don't know how to start or stay organized. I spend 4 hours each session working side-by-side with them to grade the activity and slowly move them forward. Decluttering can be emotional for many clients, and I get to use my OT skills to help them understand where the emotions are coming from and to help them process those feelings in a respectful way.
How do we find you, follow you, be in touch with you, and promote your unique work?
Instagram - @balancedhomeorganization_pdx - https://www.instagram.com/balancedhomeorganization_pdx/ Facebook - Balanced Home Organization - https://www.facebook.com/BalancedHomeOrganization/ Website - https://www.balancedhomeorganization.com
Resources:
I will be launching a home organization course later this spring. Clutter-Free Home: A Step-By-Step Guide to Shift from Feeling Overwhelmed to Organized in 60 Days! I have a VIP email list for those who want early access to the course, exclusive discounts, and an invitation to the virtual launch party. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6237bfc39b7136a9e313e5c4
As always, I welcome any feedback & ideas from all of you or, if you are interested in being a guest on future episodes, please do not hesitate to contact Patricia Motus at transitionsot@gmail.com or DM via Instagram @transitionsot
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