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Sunayna Thakur, OTD, OTR/L Founder, Consultant, Practitioner
Sunayna Thakur, OTD, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist. She completed her graduate and clinical doctoral degrees in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California. Over the past 21 years, she has worked in various settings including, home health, school-based practice, early intervention, outpatient clinics, and inpatient hospital care for acute cases. Her areas of expertise include Development Assessments (ASQ, SIPT etc), Sensory Processing Disorder, Sensory Integration, Infant Massage and Communication. She is certified in Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) and is a Certified Instructor of Infant Massage (CIIM). In addition, she has extensive clinical experience in pediatric occupational therapy covering areas such as Handwriting, Feeding, Yoga, Environmental Modifications, Calmer Parenting, Stress Management, Positive Behavior Support etc.
In 2008, under the mentorship of Kalena Babeshoff, founder of Healthy Family Living Foundation, she created the Tender Touch Communication program incorporating her parent training skills of infant massage and communication to work with families while continuing to focus on early intervention while completing her clinical doctorate degree in 2009 from USC. She moved to Seattle, WA from sunny California in 2012 where she currently works for the Lake Washington School District. She built Creative Kids Therapy as a way to connect with families around family centered care and parent education and continues to provide training and educational workshops in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy to empower the greater community.
Cassandra Wolfskill, MOT, OTR/L
Cassandra has been practicing pediatric occupational therapy for 3 years. She was born and raised in Washington, and earned her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Eastern Washington University in 2020. Cassandra has experience in outpatient pediatrics, school settings, and early support for infants and toddlers (home setting). She was inspired to pursue occupational therapy after participating in her son’s occupational therapy sessions.
Her professional interests include executive functioning, sensory integration, fine motor, social skills, visual processing, mental health, feeding therapy, advocacy, assistive technology, and parent coaching. Cassandra is trained in the Size Matters Handwriting Program, and the SOS Approach to Feeding.
In her free time, she loves to attend comedy shows, spend time in nature and at beaches, go glamping, and enjoys spending time with her family. Her family consists of her husband, 5 children, 2 dogs, and 2 cats.
Nikita Malhotra, OTR/L
I have been a pediatric occupational therapist for 9 years now. I specialize in working with students in the school based setting. I am passionate about fostering a positive learning environment and believe in the power of play and creativity to motivate children. Outside of work I enjoy hiking and cooking with my family.
Brigitte Arizala, COTA/L
Brigitte is a graduate of Lake Washington Institute of Technology, where she earned her degree in 2022. And has since then been a skilled and dedicated Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) with a background in skilled nursing. She brings her a unique set of skills and a passion for helping children reach their full potential.
She honed her expertise in addressing the needs of diverse patient populations. Her experience in this setting has provided her with a deep understanding of rehabilitation, functional independence, and individualized care.
Driven by a desire to make a positive impact on the lives of children, Brigitte has recently embarked on a new chapter in her career by joining the pediatrics setting. This transition showcases her adaptability and commitment to expanding her skill set to meet the unique challenges and opportunities presented in pediatric occupational therapy.
Her hobbies include painting, coloring, drawing, reading, roller skating, traveling, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Jessica Schultz, COTA/L
Jessica Schultz, COTA/L, has been licensed in and practicing pediatric occupational therapy for over a decade. Jessica grew up in Washington state and graduated from Lake Washington Institute of Technology in 2012. She has enjoyed helping children and their families thrive ever since!
Jessica loves working with children of all levels of abilities and some of the diagnoses she has worked with include but are not limited to: fine and gross motor concerns, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, sensory processing disorders, reading and writing challenges, traumatic brain injuries, auditory processing concerns, anxiety disorders, ADHD, and other developmental delays. Jessica has worked in a variety of environments including outpatient clinics, nature- based settings and private schools.
Jessica’s professional interests include sound therapy, primitive reflex integration, social thinking skills, and sensory integration. Jessica is trained in Handwriting Without Tears, the Alert Program, Zones of Regulation and is a Rhythmic Movement Provider.
Jessica is Polyvagal Theory Informed and is an SSP provider for children, adolescents and adults. Jessica uses a child-directed, play-based approach to meet every child where they're at and to help them reach their goals!
Nancy Shepherd, COTA/L
Nancy has been practicing pediatric occupational therapy for over 30 years. I grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Lake Superior College in 1989. She has worked in many states and several disciplines. I worked as a traveling COTA for 5 years (Alabama, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, California and Washington). She has experience working in rehabilitation, long term care, private pediatric practice, schools and mental health.
Her passion lies in pediatric therapy, using a play-based model of therapy. This structure gives children freedom to play, while therapeutic goals are strategically facilitated. She loves seeing their independence and confidence improve with every session!
In her free time, she loves to travel, garden, hike, read, friends and go to the movies. Her family consists of her partner of 19 years (Troy) and her dog (Tamal) whom they rescued from Mexico in 2022. They also like road trips and camping together.
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