913-276-4665 sgoodman@thepewc.org

Stephanie Goodman

Meet Stephanie

Stephanie Goodman, COTA/L, is a life-long learner and coach at The Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center, (PEWC), a unique 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Overland Park, KS., where she and her fellow coaches provide support for people living with PD and provide an array of exercise programs for a stronger body, education and resources for a stronger mind, and camaraderie and support for a stronger spirit.

Stephanie is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), a certified PWR! Moves Professional, and Rock Steady Boxing Coach with specialized training in adaptive yoga, (Matthew Sanford, Mind-Body Solutions.)

Her clinical and educational background, (along with neuro-focused, continuing education) allow her to bring a multi-faceted approach to the battle against Parkinson’s and reflect an atmosphere of hard work, camaraderie, creativity, fun and function. Stephanie’s sessions include diversified, evidence-based and holistic strategies to target activities of daily living, overall fitness, functional movement, gross and fine motor skills, vocal production, mind-body awareness, and mental agility.

Stephanie is also a professionally trained actor, director and arts-educator. In June of 2020 she received a community grant from the Parkinson’s Foundation enabling her to share, Parkinson’s-Art of Expression, (PARTE™), her innovative, complementary, training program which utilizes tools borrowed from the theatre to address the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, those not normally addressed by medicine and traditional therapies.

The PARTE™ Method provides 16-hours of interactive training. Parkinson’s-Art of Expression training is free and supported by the Parkinson’s Foundation with the ultimate goal being to “train the trainers,” professionals who work with people living with Parkinson’s, thereby enabling and empowering them to facilitate and share the PARTE™ Method both at home and in underserved communities.

Education:  Stephanie’s diverse education includes and Applied Science degree from Metropolitan Community College, and MFA in Dramatic Performance from The University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music and a BFA in Dramatic Performance from The University of Florida.

 

Stephanie Goodman

Watching my mother participate in PARTE, I reveled in seeing her engage in playful, improvised short sketches. While on occasion she can get stuck on a word or have “brain freeze”, stepping into new characters and playing their intentions on the fly, I noticed how lucid and present she was and how the exercises opened her up creatively (not to mention how much fun she seemed to be having). My normally mild-mannered mother, Victoria, transformed into Clarissa, a diner patron and persnickety grump, bent on ruining the day of anyone near.

Zaalo