Pediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant

Lisa joined us in September, 2016 as our first employee at Play for Real. In 2006, she began working with children as an orthopedic technologist at Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Chicago. During this time, she developed a passion for assisting children with a variety of disabilities. This experience inspired her to become an occupational therapy assistant.

Wanting to deepen her relationships with children and families, Lisa completed course work to become a Basic DIRFLoortime Practitioner. In turn, this led her to become part of our team at Play for Real Therapy Services.

While training as an occupational therapy assistant, she was fortunate to work at Mt. Sinai and Stogers hospitals in Chicago. Here Lisa developed her pediatric experience in neonatal care and outpatient therapy. After graduating, Cum Laude, in 2010, she gained experience in a pediatric unit specializing in trauma. At this time, Lisa also developed an interest in using play to work on pre-handwriting skills in children.

2014 brought Lisa on an amazing journey to Florida where she initially worked with medically fragile children and their families. Through this experience, she discovered the effects of nurturing touch and its benefits to both the child and parents. Consequently, Lisa went on to become certified as a pediatric massage therapist.

In her free time, Lisa spends time cooking and creating new dishes for her family and friends. She enjoys researching and learning about Florida’s reptiles and spiders of all kinds. Lisa’s other interests include travel, swimming, reading, yoga and watching football.