Less than One Week Away!

Opening Day September 1st (we hope…)

We have added some of the final touches in the Sensory Gym including a new 4 point therapeutic swing and naturally themed decor as we anticipate opening day!

I’ve been hesitant to blast an opening day post as it seems like everytime I think we are “all set”, a new surprise is thrown our way! However, one thing I know for sure is our lease is up at “the tiny office” on Main at the end of August so we are putting all our efforts, excitement, drywall, paint and good juju into the roOT House. I will reach out individually to the clients I have scheduled the first week in September to confirm where we will meet! (If you’re wondering, yes, OT can happen at a park, library or even McDonalds!)

As always, the support we have received has been incredible. A dear friend actually thanked me for calling her to ask for help because she knows how hard that can be!

This week we are completing construction on the bathroom remodel, door frames and doors, to meet ADA compliance so we can receive a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy (TCO) from the city. I will be moving offices (again) and I’m striving to tweak my (mostly chaotic) systems that I use in my clinical practice to help this fall feel like a fresh, supportive hug for my clients and their caregivers as we step into the Back to School rush!

Bathroom Remodel Underway!

In order ensure ADA compliance we took out the bath/shower to make space, widened the door, and since this picture added grab bars and are about to add wallpaper! (The fun part!)

As a reminder, Whole Child Wellness offers pediatric occupational therapy and specializes in sensory integration and DIR-Floortime, a play-based approach that supports engagement and shared problem solving. We also offer feeding therapy using a Responsive Feeding Approach, Bowel and Bladder occupational therapy for incontinence, and help each and every child gain the foundational sensory, motor and attentional skills required for success!

We also have limited office space available for other practitioners who align with our mission and we are seeking occupants! Please spread the word!

"It's always something- if it's not one thing, it's another."- Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner on SNL)

I woke up this morning with a racing heart after a restless night filled with dreams of snakes! Yesterday, I dropped by the roOT house and noticed not one but three very large garter snakes slithering on the side of the house down into a small hole. My vivid imagination clearly went into overdrive in the night as I dreamt of heaps of snakes slithering in big balls all over the property. Naturally, I dived down a hole of my own (namely Reddit) trying to learn more about what the slithering stars in my dream could mean. The answer that I liked the most suggested that snakes often mean transformation. The answer I liked the least, suggested snake imagery in dreams symbolizes overwhelm from facing too many challenges at once. I guess both things are true in this case!

The roOT House has been coming together slowly. Between a full therapy schedule and the long “doodlebug” list that comes with wearing all the hats for both Whole Child Wellness and Root Wellness opening day feels far away. Turns out, sheer excitement and big dreams are only a small part of opening a wellness clinic. The roOT House is located in a unique part of Spearfish and is under both county and city jurisdiction. We are just one week away from the last Lawrence County Public Hearing that will hopefully give us the Change of Use Permit (CUP) that will allow this Highway Service-Commercial District property to officially provide retail/health/wellness services. This was the first snake, I mean step(!) to transforming (ohhhh, I’m getting it now) this space from a residential home to a commercial space. After the county gives us the CUP green light, the City of Spearfish takes the reigns and we will likely be required to make some changes to the interior of the building to ensure ADA accessibility for the certificate of occupancy process.

Meanwhile, we have made some great progress! We finalized the SBA paperwork so our lender receives their funds, custom built the rockwall in the sensory gym, started a “modern botanical” mural, gathered with friends and volunteers to put together furniture, placed temporary, upcycled parking stops in our “parking lot”, and importantly, found 2 potential wellness providers for the office rentals!

As always we love your enthusiasm and inquiries about the process and opening date. Unfortunately, we cannot give a firm date yet! But we will keep you in the loop.

If you are interested in helping us, we need volunteers to help with landscaping the therapy garden! We are accepting donations for lumber for a fence and/or garden beds and would LOVE some of your perennials when you divide your garden later this summer/fall. Most importantly, we could your precious time! We will be watching the temps to plan some outdoor work parties!! As always, let’s connect on social media or feel free to send a text to 605-388-2993 if you have some materials or garden goodies to share!!

In Wellness,

Carly OT & fam

We have secured our home!

Welcome Child Wellness’ new home at the roOT House on Evans.

As of May 20, 2026 we closed on commercial space to house Whole Child Wellness! We are fondly calling the ~1200 sq ft remodeled home, the roOT House on Evans. This space will provide three therapy offices (including one for WCW and two that will be available for other providers to rent), a full kitchen and accessible bathroom, a newly designed sensory gym (a converted garage!), a small community/yoga room, and the best part; ample outdoor therapy space designed for play, community gatherings and group learning. We are currently amidst final construction to the to the therapy space as well as Lawrence County Zoning and Planning tasks that cannot be rushed. We will also need to ensure we adequately provide enough parking and a fence to secure the backyard/outdoor therapy space.

Many of you have asked how you can help! Here are three ways that will make a huge impact!

Time: Watch for roOT Community clean-up, construction and painting days coming soon!!

Spread the Word! Share our socials, our website, and your positive reviews online! We are truly building a community!

Donations: Securing a commercial real estate loan is no joke. This endeavor was truly one of the hardest and most humbling experiences I have gone through as business owner. This dream is becoming real, thanks to the SBA as it considers the needs of a small, growing business. However, this loan and personal investment can only take this project so far. Any donation big or small, will make opening day a reality. Our first project we need funding for is a fence! More news and ways to help, coming soon!

Lessons from the sage plant.

Good things take time grow.

Thoughts on gardening and building a sustainable therapy practice.

For those don’t know me, I’m an avid gardener. Planning, dreaming, planting, digging and weeding might be the only way (other than the dancing!) where I am truly in the moment. I absolutely love the grit and hard work that gardening takes and of course, savor each bite of those hard-earned veggies or glimpse of a chubby bumble bee on a flower I’ve planted. One of the first lessons most of us learn while gardening, is the difference between annuals (a plant that is enjoyed for one season) versus perennials (a plant that comes back year after year). When you first plant a perennial, they are not usually as dramatic and showy as annuals. Picture planting a woody herb like sage or thyme vs a tomato plant. Depending on the variety, in the beginning, culinary sage may start out as a very small plant that leafs out but doesn’t really do all that much at first. Sure it smells good, but, it’s by no means a show stopper. Now picture a tomato plant. Within three to four short months, these guys go gangbusters! Depending on the year, their huge, gangly vines take over your garden while supplying you with gorgeous, juicy, brightly colored fruit!! And then it’s done.

Hmm…

This summer, the sage plants, catmint, yarrow and other perennials I have grown around our home have slowly become show stoppers in their own right. Each spring, they emerge, on their own with no oversight from me. They have expanded in size and host heaps of herbs and gorgeous flowers for the tea, the bees, and beautiful landscaping for our home.

Whole Child Wellness has had years that it did feel like quite the show-stopper. But this one wo-man show gets very tired trying to produce, produce, produce!!!

Opening the roOT House on Evans is proving to be more sage than tomato. We are quietly, step by step, nourishing it’s growth and hoping for a bountiful fall. But, more than likely, this will be a gradual process. We hope to begin seeing clients at Whole Child Wellness in the Fall of 2026. Taking time to do each step right while curating the right collection of providers to rent space takes time. In order to make it a truly warm, safe space that can sustain long-term success, this process will have to be slower than I want it to be.

The sage plant is reminding me that the key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but momentum builds through small, consistent action. Progress comes from showing up, not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real you can rely on.

You’re invited to follow along to see what Whole Child Wellness and it’s new home the roOT House is becoming.