Executive Director – Occupational Therapist

I really enjoy seeing the growth within our children and families each year, but it is also incredible to see the growth and transformation within our therapists as they thrive in our supportive, nurturing and collaborative environment.

Clinical Expertise

• Sensory Integration (SIPT) Certified
• Early Intervention Specialist
• DIR/Floortime
• The Intentional Relationship Model
• Leadership and Management

Director of Eyas Landing – Speech Language Pathologist

I really enjoy seeing the growth within our children and families each year, but it is also incredible to see the growth and transformation within our therapists as they thrive in our supportive, nurturing and collaborative environment.

Clinical Expertise

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
• Autism
• Expressive/Receptive Language Disorders
• Apraxia of Speech
• Developmental Language Delay
• Feeding
• Articulation
• Fluency
• PROMPT Certified
• Beckman Oral-Motor Certified

Director of Merlin Day Academy

Working collaboratively to support children with achieving their goals is the epitome of what influences my experience with Eyas Landing. The integrative and whole-child/family-centered approach is what really energizes and motivates the continued success we see in children.

Credentials and Certifications

• Director of Special Education Endorsement
• General Administrative (Type 75)
• School Social Worker (Type 73)

Clinical Lead, Head of Program Development, Occupational Therapy Assistant

I enjoy coming to work day in and day out knowing that I have a strong community of people that advocate and support each other, whether it be the client’s families, co-workers or supervisors. The support and collaboration that Eyas Landing provides is outstanding.

Clinical Expertise

• Autism Spectrum Disorder

Department Lead of Occupational Therapy

I have always loved helping children develop.

Clinical Expertise

• Feeding
• Sensory Integration
• Early Development
• Helped Establish Best Practices For Occupational & Physical Therapy In The School Setting for the State of Illinois

Occupational Therapist

I decided to become a therapist because I have a brother who is neurodivergent and he didn’t have many of the resources that are available now when he was a child. I was inspired to help other families/children in similar situations and come up with solutions to help them participate in all of their daily occupations fully.

Clinical Expertise

• IRM
• Rehabilitation
• Working with Clients with ASD/ADHD
• Handwriting
• Oncology Patients

Occupational Therapist

I have a strong passion to guide children to live their best lives through a unique approach. I want to inspire kids to use creative ways in life to overcome challenges. Occupational therapy allows me to make a strong impact on improving the quality of life of the children around me.

Professional Goals

1. I am excited to learn and build my professional career at Eyas Landing and take on leadership roles.

Occupational Therapist

I decided to become an OT after watching my grandpa recover from multiple strokes/chronic health conditions. I love the holistic perspective of OT and how we can utilize that to help clients achieve their full potential to participate in their valued activities!

Professional Goals

1. I want to become certified in Early Intervention and provide services to children and families across the Chicagoland area.
2. I also want to expand my current knowledge and continue to learn about topics such as sensory integration, neurological disorders, and OT in mental health.

Occupational Therapist

I decided to become a Pediatric Occupational Therapist because I’ve always loved being around and working with children and knew that I wanted to work in a healthcare profession in some capacity. I was introduced to the field of OT by…

Professional Goals

1. My professional goals are to increase my clinical experiences as an Occupational Therapist so that I can help clients at the individual level while also developing my advocacy skills to help clients at a systemic level.

Speech-Language Pathologist

I’m excited to be joining a multidisciplinary team at Eyas! I look forward to working with the kids in order to give them the tools they need to achieve their goals. I’m also excited to learn from other team members to further develop my knowledge and expertise.

Clinical Expertise

• Expressive and Receptive Language
• Articulation
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Childhood Apraxia of Speech

Speech-Language Pathologist

I’ve loved working with kids and not only does being a pediatric speech pathologist aim towards improving clients’ communication, but it allows for me to be creative and individualize treatment based on who I’m working with.

Professional Goals

1. My goals include building positive relationships with my clients and bringing their interests to the table to increase engagement in therapy.
2. I’m also excited to work with a multidisciplinary team.

Department Head of Social Work

I was inspired to pursue a career in social work by a former MSW supervisor I had while employed at a residential school for children and adolescents during undergrad. Her combination of clinical expertise and advocacy for the families served as a pillar for the agency’s treatment team, and I found myself attempting to emulate her approach in my work. Throughout my last 12 years in the social services field…

Clinical Expertise

• Behavior Modification
• Treatment Plan Development
• Multi-Disciplinary Interventions
• Crisis Prevention/Safety Planning
• Clinical Management and Supervision

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

When I was completing my undergraduate degree, I worked in a daycare center with two-year-olds, and it is from there that my passion for working with young children developed. In college, I discovered social work and realized it was the perfect field to combine my love of interacting with children through play and helping them grow to reach their full potential….

Clinical Expertise

• DIR Floortime
• Infant and Toddler Mental Health
• Infant and Toddler Mental Health Consultation
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Social Emotional Learning
• Group Therapy

Social Worker

I previously worked with youth involved in the juvenile justice system. I was drawn to social work because it allows me to support individuals as well as other folks involved in their lives. I value being able to build a therapeutic relationship with each person I work with!

I previously worked at Eyas Landing as a therapeutic assistant during the summer of 2020 while in grad school. I had such an amazing experience that when looking for a new job, I made my way back to Eyas Landing.

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

I decided to become a dietitian to combine my love of science, health, and food. When working as a clinical dietitian, I found my passion in pediatric nutrition, especially with new food introduction and food chaining.

Bachelor of Science in Nutrition,
Health and Wellness & Coordinated Dietetic Internship,
Northern Illinois University

Board Certified Behavior Analyst

As an RBT, I was inspired by my BCBA to become certified to continue to make positive impacts on our clients and empower families to incorporate ABA strategies in their daily lives. I hope to do the same with my fellow staff and families alike!

Clinical Expertise

• Autism
• Trauma-Informed Care
• Parent Training
• NET
• DTT

Behavior Therapist

Throughout my life I have worked with children with developmental disabilities. Starting at Community Mental Health in Michigan working in a respite program, I was able to first experience my ability to impact early learners in their growth. Going through my education at Michigan State University, I was fully able to explore the best way I could make a direct impact on Children with disabilities. Through peer advisers and other mentors, I was shown that working as a behavior technician could be the way for me to further my career making a impact on the early intervention development of clients.

Clinical Expertise

• NET
• DTT
• ABA
• PFA

Behavior Therapist

I just completed my bachelors at the University of Illinois Chicago with a major in human development. I will soon be applying to graduate school for masters in nursing in hopes of becoming a pediatric nurse. I was previously a daycare teacher as well as volunteered alongside a child life specialist and will continue on with my volunteer work in pediatrics. I am looking forward to learning about the different therapy fields here at Eyas Landing!

Behavior Therapist

• Behavior Therapy

Behavior Therapist

I’ve always had a passion for helping people but since I’m terrified of scalpels and viscera, I decided to go the therapy route!

Professional Goal

1. To become a BCBA-D and have my own private practice.

Behavior Therapist

I have always loved using play as a way to develop skills that people need to live their best lives. After seeing how play truly has an impact while working at a daycare, I decided to find a way to make something that made me happy into a career.

Professional Goal

1. I hope to develop my skills and further explore future opportunities in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Behavior Therapist

After going to school for some time and working with kids in a camp setting almost my whole life, I wanted to continue bring this light of love and understanding to anyone in need of it. I’m interested in pursuing a career in therapy and I love working with kids!

• Black Lives Matter
• LGBTQA+

• I want to develop my professional skills, and in the future I would love to work on going back to school.

Lead Therapeutic Assistant

Working in a variety of schools (public, private, and Montessori) with children was an amazing experience. To see and be a part of a child building their skills is a privilege. It is what I learned I loved most, working with children of any ability. I hope to better hone my skills working with the team at Eyas Landing.

Bachelor’s of Arts in Psychology,
Carthage College

• Substitute Licensure
• Mandated Reporter

• Misericordia

• My goal is to become a Behavioral Therapist.

Therapeutic Assistant

I have always loved helping others, and working as a paraprofessional across several schools in Central Florida demonstrated to me how rewarding it is to work one-on-one with kids to help them reach their fullest potential.

• My professional goal is to become a behavioral therapist.

Therapeutic Assistant

I have always wanted to work with children, since they are the most vulnerable in our society. I also hope to make family life better by offering essential support, services, and resources to the children and their parents.

• I am still figuring out what my exact career goals are, but I know I want to work with children in a clinical setting. I hope that this position will open me up to new perspectives and eventually help me go to grad school to fulfill my career goals.

Therapeutic Assistant

My first experience working with youth was in an extended day setting over 16 years ago and I loved the atmosphere and opportunity to see youth grow and achieve their goals.

• CPR/First Aid Certified
• Illinois Paraprofessional Educators License
• Youth Work Certification

Therapeutic Assistant