How we began
MintOT began as a partnership between Melissa Beacom and Tara Embrey, two occupational therapists on a mission to transform the post-secondary journey to focus on learning, growth and health. We’re now working in the community, bringing evidence-based tools to a broader audience, supporting wellness for high school and post-secondary students, parents and professionals.
In 2022, while working as accessibility advisors at the University of Guelph, Tara and Melissa received a Learning Enhancement Fund grant to create and launch an academic resilience program. Learning to Bounce was a six-week group, building the emotional skills and belonging needed for students to thrive. The program was researched at the University of Guelph with exciting and statistically significant improvements in helping students bust shame, foster self-compassion, manage stress, maintain motivation and recover from setbacks.
We served our students mint tea from our garden every group and study session (we became known as the tea ladies). Students started to make their own mint tea at home to bring themselves comfort and encouragement when completing hard tasks.
When we decided to move on from the university, we named our company Mint Occupational Therapy as a reminder that little acts of compassion can help motivate us through hard times and towards the meaningful lives we want.
When mental health and/or ADHD experiences are contributing to perfectionism, procrastination and burnout, we can offer validation and new skills. We normalize experiences of struggle and decrease the self-blame and shame that often get people stuck. We look underneath the hood to consider what might be getting in the way of work, parenting, academics and wellbeing. We harness our training and clinical expertise in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, self-compassion and habit change to help clients create meaningful change.
Anxiety, perfectionism, and procrastination are not signs that we are broken — they are signs that we are human.
Research findings
Learning to Bounce was researched over the 2022/23 academic year at the University of Guelph with exciting and statistically significant improvements in helping students bust shame, foster self-compassion, manage stress, maintain motivation and recover from setbacks.
Meet Melissa and Tara
As occupational therapists with a combined 45 years’ experience supporting youth and adults, Melissa and Tara have a toolbox full of evidence-based and practical strategies to help you engage with your work in a way that fosters growth and wellbeing.
Melissa Beacom (she/her)
OT Reg. (Ont.), Psychotherapist
Tara Embrey (she/her)
MSc. (OT), OT Reg. (Ont.), Psychotherapist
Book a FREE 20-minute consultation to learn more about our services and whether we are a good fit for you.