My journey to the field of speech-language pathology was a deeply personal one. As a child, I received speech therapy for a lisp, however, that experience was not what motivated me to consider the field as my life profession: my brother, who is 18 years younger than me, began to show language delays when he was a year old. Our mother reached out for help, beginning what would become a 17-year journey through multiple assessments and therapies to treat his developmental language struggles, reading and writing difficulties, ADHD, and sensory processing problems. Whenever possible, I took my brother to his therapy sessions, and I quickly realized that I wanted to help other children like my brother learn to effectively communicate their wants and needs.
In the mid-1990s, I received my M.A. in speech-langauge pathology in my home state of California. After graduation, I worked as a speech-langauge pathologist (SLP) in a central California public school system and taught a course in treatment procedures at my alma mater--Fresno State University. In the late-1990s, I moved to Nashville for post-graduate education and research at Vanderbilt University. While at Vanderbilt, I worked as a graduate research assistant, planned and taught a graduate-level course on child language development, and completed 48 hours of coursework.
After leaving Vanderbilt, I returned to my proverbial first love--conducting therapy with children. I worked in private practice, assessing and providing therapy to children with a variety of communication needs. I also had the privilege of providing therapy and support to children with a variety of diagnoses--including developmental delays, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, dysgraphia, emotional/behavioral issues, and sensory processing differences.
In 2007, I took a leave of absence from speech-language pathology to spend more time with my children, all the while knowing I would eventually return to my career. During my time away from the profession, I took continuing education courses so I would stay updated on current research and therapy techniques. I ultimately reinstated my license and resumed working as an SLP in March of 2017.
Upon my return to speech-language pathology, I began providing treatment to children with language-based reading/writing difficulties and executive function/cognitive needs. I also continue to provide therapy to children with speech sound, language (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, social skills), fluency/stuttering, and motor-speech issues.
I enjoy spending my free time with my 2 children, 2 rescue dogs, and Nashville-native husband. Our family loves to travel and our vacations almost always involve visiting amusement parks, which seems entirely appropriate because my childhood was filled with frequent visits to theme parks near my childhood home in Orange County, CA. (I even spent a few years working at Disneyland during college!) My love for roller coasters, spinning rides that go upside down, and deep-fried foods that should probably never be fried in the first place reflect my deep belief that the wonder of childhood is not reserved solely for children--it is something we should relive whenever possible and is often reflected in my therapeutic approach. Laughter, joy, and wonder are important aspects of learning, so having fun is vital and will be an integral part of my sessions with your children as I help them move toward becoming more efficient, confident, and empowered communicators, readers, and writers.
Hope to talk to you soon.