Ph.D., Pediatric Occupational Therapist
DIR-Floortime Trainer
Founding Director
Dr. Suvi Pitkola
Originally from Finland, I have lived and worked in Singapore since 1996. My first jobs in local hospitals, outpatient clinics and special schools introduced me to many wonderful people that became close friends, and I enjoyed the vibrancy and the multicultural aspects of Singapore so much that I ended up staying for good.
A big dream came true when Kim Nicolson and I set up Kaleidoscope in 1999. Nowadays I divide my time between Kaleidoscope and our sister company Mighty Oaks, a DIR-Floortime-based early intervention centre I started in 2010. In Kaleidoscope my role includes therapist supervision, clinic development and management duties, whereas the bulk of my clinical work is currently done at Mighty Oaks.
I have been a paediatric occupational therapist for a long time – I graduated in 1989 with my first OT degree. What has kept me going all these years? Working with children in a great team of people is a lot of fun! Furthermore, it is extremely rewarding to witness the social-emotional and sensory-motor development of the children unfold.
Having grown up in a family of teachers, I believe in the importance of good education and keeping oneself constantly up-to-date. I undertook a masters degree in the field of counselling, because I wanted to learn new tools for supporting parents and families. The PhD was about developing better critical thinking skills and learning new ways to evaluate our own work. My doctoral research with the University of Melbourne was about the use of Samonas Sound Therapy to improve the social engagement of preschool children with autism. I am proud of my randomised controlled trial and the good results we achieved.
All of my clinical work is guided by the DIR-Floortime approach. I am particularly interested in facilitating social-emotional development through play. I enjoy mentoring and leadership and have undertaken the Women’s Leadership Program by Yale School of Management (2020) to develop my skills further in these areas.
I am proud of our wonderful team at Kaleidoscope! My aim is to provide our therapists and teachers with excellent support, training, and resources so that they can offer the best possible service to our clients.
