About Whole Child Feeding Therapy

Our Mission

The goal of Whole Child Feeding Therapy is to equip and empower families within the Treasure Valley, with the tools to navigate the feeding challenges their little ones are facing. We aim to provide responsive and effective treatment of all feeding disorders. We understand there is no singular, cookie cutter mold for treatment that fits all children. We strive to provide unique and individualized therapy treatment that includes the whole child, from the tip of their tongues to the tip of their toes.

About Kristen

Speech Language Pathologist

I’m Kristen Holcomb, Speech language Pathologist. I graduated with my Masters of Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences in 2012 from Idaho State University-Meridian. I have worked as a pediatric Speech Language Pathologist for the last 10 years. When I had my first child, my focus and attention shifted from early language development to feeding. I began diving deeper into the world of pediatric feeding disorders and dysphagia. I have training and experience using the Beckman oral motor approach. My experience working in a multi-disciplinary clinic has shaped my understanding of the team approach. I truly feel that working with other clinicians and specialists is the most effective way to treat the whole child. I have learned many valuable lessons from my fellow Occupational and Physical therapists.

I enjoy helping children learn to move their tongue, cheeks and lips in new and fun ways. As a childhood picky eater myself, I wanted to find ways to help families learn how to feed their children and succeed. I strive to teach families how to create a meal time space that is fun and playful, while also being effective in nutritional intake. Building confidence in parents that carries over into their children is magical to witness. It brings me a great deal of joy to see children and their families learn to eat and drink successfully, to grow and thrive! I enjoy working with the child and the entire family to create a positive experience associated with food and meal times.

I currently live in Fruitland with my husband, daughter and son. We recently expanded our family to include a shop cat named Ty. As a family, we enjoy baking together (I have a bit of a sweet tooth!), camping, snowmobiling and boating to our family cabin on the Owyhee Resevoir. There are few weekends when we are home because adventure always awaits!

About Kristen

Occupational Therapist

& Certified Lactation Counselor

I’m Kristen Valley, Occupational Therapist, Certified Lactation Counselor and mom. I graduated with my Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2015 from Maryville University in St.Louis, MO. I have worked as a pediatric Occupational Therapist, specifically with feeding since 2017. Once having my own baby in January of 2019, my world was quickly rocked with a little one who struggled at the breast and then struggled to transition to a bottle when I had to return to work. Through the process of learning about all things feeding in order to provide myself with information to help my little one as well as best support the families I was working with, I quickly learned that there was not a lot of information that helped to guide families along their feeding journey, from breast/bottle to solids. This is where my heart to serve families grew and I knew I never wanted another mom to feel the way that I did, thus I needed to do everything I could to help empower and equip them with the tools to navigate all the challenges that feeding littles could bring.

I am passionate about all things feeding! But specifically, equipping babies and moms in the pre natal and post partum stages to navigate any feeding challenges that may arise. The new dyad is a dance, and having someone help to guide you through the sticky parts makes the dance so much more fun! I also believe in allowing the child to lead while continuing to make food fun/engaging and playful. My therapy sessions are playful and always tailored to your little one’s interests while addressing their feeding goals. But most importantly, I want to equip YOU, the parent, to feel confident in your skills to implement the tips and strategies when I am not there. This is where the change happens. The dinner table is so much more than just the food (although that is important and WHY you are hiring us) however, when we can decrease meal time stress, amazing things can happen. And nothing brings me more joy, then watching the parent/child relationship grow over food!

I currently live in Meridian, ID with my husband, dog and 2 boys. There is never a dull moment in our home. We love to go on adventures as a family, hiking in the foothills or camping in the mountains for a long weekend. I firmly believe that children learn and develop life long skills from infancy-adulthood by being outside, so any moment we have, that is where you will find us!