Van Keulen, Heidi

My name is Heidi, and I have been an occupational therapist for 26 years. I was born in Connecticut, and I grew up in Florida. I've worked as an OT in Florida, Georgia, and Connecticut before I moved to Charlotte 16 years ago. I love the Queen City and can't imagine calling anyplace else home at this point. I have a shy dachshund named Prince and two crazy ginger tabby cats, Fred and George. In my spare time I enjoy reading, crafting, book festivals, and exploring North Carolina. I'm a big Florida Gator fan and I love college football. 

I graduated from the University of Florida in 1991. I first learned about occupational therapy when I read an article about it for a reading assignment in 7th grade and I knew that was what I wanted to do. I changed my mind a bunch of times but always came back to OT. I started my career in pediatrics, and I have worked in almost every area - acute care, PICU, inpatient rehabilitation, birth to three home visits, a developmental preschool, school systems, and outpatient. I spent the most time in the school system. I also worked in inpatient rehab with adults on the brain injury team. I am passionate about OT in general, and I have served as Physical Disabilities Special Interest Section Co-Chair for the North Carolina Occupational Therapy Association. I love working with students with intellectual disabilities in particular, and helping them to live their best lives. But I am excited about providing support in the classroom to best serve all the students who receive OT services.