About

Caroline Santangelo, MSOT, OTR/L, is the founder and owner of Starfish Occupational Therapy.

Certified in CONTIGO Nature Therapy, Caroline integrates the healing and restorative benefits of the outdoors to support children in optimizing through play. She utilizes comprehensive, neuro-based approaches to promote progress in sensory processing, coordination, primitive reflex integration, ocular motor skills, nervous system regulation, and daily living skills.

Caroline has specialized knowledge in supporting children with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), hypermobility, chronic pain conditions, and the unique ways these challenges can impact development.

Outside of therapy, Caroline enjoys spending time at the beach, hiking, and creating adventures outdoors with her husband and two young daughters.

Sarah Collins, MSOT, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with more than 17 years of experience helping children develop the skills they need to participate confidently in everyday life. As both an OT and homeschooling mother of three, she understands that every child learns differently and believes therapy should be individualized, meaningful, and engaging. Through StarfishOT's nature-based therapy program, Sarah uses the outdoors to support sensory processing, motor development, executive functioning, emotional regulation, handwriting, and confidence in ways that naturally translate into home, school, and community life. She is passionate about partnering with families to help children overcome barriers and participate more fully in the occupations that matter most.

One day an old man was walking along the beach in the early morning and noticed the tide had washed thousands of starfish up onto the shore. Ahead, he spotted a boy gathering up the starfish, then one by one tossing them back into the ocean. He asked why he spent so much energy doing what seemed to be a waste of time. The boy replied, “The starfish cannot live if they are left out in the sun.”

Then the old man gazed out as far as he could see and responded, “But there must be thousands of miles of beaches and countless starfish. You can’t possibly make a difference.

The boy bent down picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled, and said, “It made a difference to that one!”