Positive Interactions
Carefully-crafted therapeutic and relationship-based learning to achieve meaningful outcomes for people with special needs.
AURORA SERVICES
"Care is the constant companion of love.”
~Henry David Thoreau
We bring decades of experience working across a wide range of diagnoses, developmental profiles, and life circumstances. Our work integrates therapeutic and educational insight to design thoughtful, individualized interventions that meet people where they are—and support meaningful, forward movement. We focus on practical, relationship-based strategies that honor both developmental readiness and human dignity.
Program Assessment & Development
Working in close partnership with families and caregivers, we assess and develop programs that support engagement, sensory integration, and developmental readiness. Our goal is to bring clarity to complex situations and empower families to navigate diagnoses, services, and next steps with confidence. Services include:
- Comprehensive program assessment and individualized recommendations
- Developmentally aligned educational and vocational programming
- Sensory-informed strategies to support regulation and participation
Mentoring & Skills Development
Supporting individuals with complex learning and developmental needs requires insight, steadiness, and a well-supported educational team. Aurora Creative Arts Wellness provides mentoring and professional support for teachers, therapists, and caregivers through individualized coaching, team consultation, and practical, classroom-based training. Services include:
- Curriculum development aligned with developmental and educational principles
- Classroom observation with reflective feedback and actionable recommendations
- Sensory-informed and trauma-aware classroom strategies
- Professional development workshops focused on child development, regulation, and collaborative practice
Aurora Creative Arts Wellness partners with educators and organizations committed to creating learning environments that are responsive, humane, and effective. Our mentoring approach strengthens both professional capacity and confidence, supporting adults to meet students with clarity, skill, and grounded presence.
Leadership Coaching & Organizational Development
With experience founding and guiding holistic educational institutions—including the Otto Specht School and endeavor21+, —we support organizations in shaping programs that are mission-aligned, sustainable, and grounded in reverence for the human being. Services include:
- Strategic program design and space planning
- Professional development and leadership mentoring
- Operational assessment with an emphasis on clarity, integrity, and alignment
- Guidance informed by current standards of best practice and holistic approaches to human development
Child & Family Advocacy and Expert Testimony
Families navigating the special education system often need an informed and compassionate guide who understands both the child and the educational systems surrounding them. We provide thoughtful assessment, consultation, and support grounded in a deep understanding of child development, educational practice, and the frameworks that shape special education services and placement.
Our work includes careful review and interpretation of IEPs, evaluations, and related educational documents, as well as support in helping families and teams clarify language that accurately reflects a student’s strengths, needs, and the intent of proposed interventions. We focus on ensuring that planned supports and strategies are clearly articulated, developmentally appropriate, and educationally meaningful.
As trusted expert witnesses and consultants, we support families, schools, and attorneys in clarifying what genuinely serves the individual’s educational and developmental needs. Services include:
- Educational programming and placement consultation
- Review and clarification of IEPs, evaluations, and related service documentation
- Collaborative family meetings and facilitation
- Impartial assessments and expert testimony
Medical, Hospice & Palliative Music Therapy
For children navigating serious illness, hospitalization, or end-of-life care, music can offer comfort, connection, and a way to express what may be difficult or impossible to put into words. Our work in pediatric inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as hospice care, is grounded in decades of experience in medical music therapy and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Music therapy is used thoughtfully to support emotional regulation, ease anxiety and pain, and strengthen connection between children and their families during times of uncertainty and transition. Interventions are carefully attuned to the child’s medical condition, energy level, and emotional state, and are offered in close coordination with medical teams, caregivers, and hospice providers. At end of life, music becomes a gentle companion—supporting presence, meaning-making, and moments of connection that honor the child’s life and relationships. Services include:
- Individual and group music therapy for children and families in medical, hospital, and hospice settings
- Music- and sensory based support for emotional processing, pain management, anxiety reduction, and regulation
- Family-centered interventions that support bonding, communication, and shared experience
- End-of-life and legacy work through gentle, therapeutic rituals that honor the child and support family members
SPECIALIZED THERAPY-SPECIFIC PROGRAMS
At Aurora Creative Arts Wellness, we offer a diverse array of developmentally informed, creative, and holistic programs designed to support the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of individuals across all stages of life. Our work is grounded in relationship, rhythm, and meaningful activity, and is guided by experienced professionals with deep expertise in their respective fields.
When clinically indicated, licensed therapists in specific modalities are available through consultation or collaborative arrangements. Aurora Creative Arts Wellness functions as a wellness, educational, and consultative organization, rather than a licensed therapy provider.
Program areas include:
- Creative Arts & Expressive Work Arts-based experiences facilitated by trained and licensed professionals, offering meaningful avenues for expression, reflection, and emotional processing.
- Horticulture & Garden-Based Program Engagement with plants and gardens to support regulation, responsibility, and connection to the natural world through hands-on, rhythmic activity.
- Equine-Based Experiences Guided interaction with horses that fosters presence, confidence, emotional awareness, and relational attunement through nonverbal, experiential learning.
- Animal-Assisted & Animal Husbandry Programs Structured experiences involving animals that nurture empathy, routine, and responsibility while supporting social connection and practical life skills.
- Nature-Based Programs Experiences rooted in natural environments that promote grounding, resilience, and a sense of belonging through purposeful engagement with the land.
- Woodworking & Craft-Based Work Hands-on work with natural materials that supports focus, fine motor development, problem-solving, and a sense of competence and accomplishment.
- Eldercare Community Experiences Creative and social offerings for older adults that encourage engagement, purpose, and connection, enhancing quality of life and community belonging.
Each program is thoughtfully designed through individualized assessment and arts-informed, developmentally attuned approaches. Guided by principles of radical acceptance and inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s insights into human development, we honor each individual’s unique path, viewing challenges as opportunities for growth and transformation.
Through these offerings, Aurora Creative Arts Wellness cultivates a supportive, responsive community—one that empowers individuals to explore their strengths, build resilience, and experience meaningful connection.
Aurora Creative Arts Wellness provides educational, wellness, and consultative services. Licensed therapeutic services, including music therapy in medical and palliative contexts, are offered through qualified professionals when appropriate and are not the primary function of the organization.
Empowering INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES with AURORA
Our Mission
To empower individuals with special needs—and those who care for and educate them—by offering therapeutic, creative, and relationship-based supports that foster authentic growth and well-being.
Through individualized assessment, arts-based interventions, and developmental insight, we help determine what educational or life circumstances are truly in the best interest of each person. We work alongside schools, programs, and service providers to strengthen their capacity to deliver effective, dignified, and developmentally appropriate support.
Our Approach
At Aurora Creative Arts Wellness, we offer individualized, therapeutic, and relationship-based support for children and adults with special needs—and for the families, educators, and professionals who walk alongside them. Grounded in Rudolf Steiner’s insights into human development, biodynamic rhythms, and the healing power of community, our work integrates psychodynamic understanding, developmental wisdom, and creative engagement to foster lasting, life-affirming change.
We believe that every challenge carries meaning, and every human being carries a spark of purpose. Through thoughtful assessment, collaborative planning, and heartfelt guidance, we help individuals, and their care teams clarify what educational or life circumstances truly support well-being and growth—body, soul, and spirit.
We also provide compassionate support for children facing complex medical journeys—both in outpatient and inpatient settings—as well as hospice and palliative care services through music therapy. These offerings create space for connection, emotional expression, and spiritual nourishment during some of life’s most tender moments.
AUDIENCE
Aurora Creative Arts Wellness work with different people and organizations to address the challenges of those with special needs.
- Families & Caregivers
- Therapists & Educators
- Schools & Organizations
- Attorneys & Legal Advocates
- Medical Providers & Hospice Teams