Meet the Team

Cindy Duckworth

MOT, OTR/L, IMC, DIR-FT

Occupational Therapist/Founder/Clinical Director
cindy@bloomandgrowtherapy.com

Roots: After growing up in Delaware County, Cindy graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Shippensburg University. While teaching an inclusive 3rd grade class, she discovered the field of occupational therapy. Cindy obtained her Master of Occupational Therapy from Temple University. While a graduate intern at Temple, Cindy had the privilege of conducting interviews with autistic adults, both speaking and non-speaking. This experience allowed her to learn from true experts. Highly influenced by these interviews, Cindy's philosophy, practice, and "way of living" is strongly rooted in always presuming intellect.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": Cindy brings nearly 20 years of OT experience in a wide variety of settings with clients across the lifespan. These settings include the NICU, acute care, rehabilitation, hospital outpatient in pediatrics and adults, private practice outpatient, early intervention, preschool, sensory and interest based social groups, aquatic therapy and specialized private and public schools that included programs for autistic adolescents and young adults.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Cindy has participated in specialized training and mentorship in Sensory Integration, DIRFloortime through ICDL, Interoception, Interactive Metronome, Therapeutic Listening, kinesiology taping, Handwriting Without Tears, Size Matters Handwriting Program, pediatric yoga and mindfulness, infant massage, aquatic therapy, and NDT. Cindy is certified in Interactive Metronome, Integrated Listening Systems, Safe and Sound Protocol and Focus System.

Cindy has completed multiple trainings with ICDL and earned her certificate of proficiency in DIR-Floortime. She is also completing a training on a new found interest- Gestalt Language Processors.

Why: Bloom and Grow Therapy Services was launched to provide high quality OT to the greater Southern Chester County area with a focus on relationships, sensory processing, and strengths. Cindy currently holds OT licenses in PA, DE, and MD. Cindy resides in West Grove, PA with her husband and 3 children. She enjoys anything musical, watching her children play sports (soccer!!), and time spent in the mountains, down the shore, and OBX.

Rachel Parisi, MS, OTR/L, IMC

Senior Occupational Therapist
Office sessions- Saturdays
rachel@bloomandgrowtherapy.com

Roots: Rachel grew up in Chester County, PA and graduated from Downingtown East High School. She attended Temple University and went on to complete her Masters in Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University. She specialized in Pediatric Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her passion and dedication to help families and children started in high school and continues to increase as she furthers her experience and continuing education in her field.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": Rachel has over 11 years of experience working with children in a variety of settings which include: private schools, outpatient clinics, pediatric hospitals, and early intervention in homes.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Rachel continues to learn and enhance her level of expertise in the field. She has received mentorship and training on sensory integration and DIRFloortime. She is certified in Interactive Metronome. She values education and enjoys searching for ways to learn and further her expertise.

Why: Rachel believes in the power of educating families to enhance their child’s development. She strongly believes relationships shape the way a child grows and develops. She understands the importance of social-emotional skills and loves to collaborate with families in order to help a child bloom and grow.

Kara Shipley, MS, CCC-SLP

Speech and Language Pathologist

Nattural Language Acquisition (NLA) certified

DIR Floortime Practitioner

After school sessions

kara@bloomandgrowtherapy.com

Roots: Kara grew up in Northern New Jersey. While in high school, she worked as a dietary assistant at a nursing home, and that is when she first saw the impact that communication has on one’s quality of life. She shadowed the speech-language pathologist and decided it was the perfect career for her. After high school, Kara attended La Salle University for both her bachelor’s and master’s Degrees in speech-language pathology. Now she is happy to call Chester County home.

Professional Experiences “The Bloom”: During graduate school, Kara focused on evaluating and treating children and teens with selective mutism. She saw how anxiety affects communication skills and found passion in treating children with selective mutism. Kara currently works in a local school district serving children with ranging communication needs, including supporting students in both autistic support and life skills classrooms, students with speech sound disorders, developmental delays, and language disorders.

Specialized Training “The Grow”: Kara is familiar with various AAC programs including Proloquo2Go, Snap Core First, LAMP, and Touch Chat. Kara is eager to expand her skillset by enrolling in DIR Floortime courses.She has earned her certification in Natural Language Acquisition. She attends continuing education classes to remain current on the most up to date therapy approaches. She is currently enrolled in DIR 201 with ICDL.

Why: Kara believes in honoring all forms of communication. She thinks it is important to build strong relationships with children and their families in order to show all of the ways their child is communicating to them. She is excited to help families learn how to be good listeners and communication partners.

Melissa Crowell, MOT, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Outpatient

melissa@bloomandgrowtherapy.com

Roots: Melissa grew up in Chester County, where she graduated from Avon Grove High School in 2015. While attending Avon Grove, Melissa discovered the field of occupational therapy through the Allied Health Program at the Technical College High School- Pennock’s Bridge Campus. Melissa earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 2019 from West Chester University where she majored in Exercise Science and minored in Psychology. Through her undergraduate internships, Melissa discovered the wonderful world of pediatric OT. After graduation, Melissa moved to Southern California to study occupational therapy at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences and graduated with her Master of Occupational Therapy degree in 2021.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": While attending occupational therapy school in California, Melissa had the opportunity to gain experiences in both the inpatient rehabilitation and outpatient pediatric settings. Melissa completed her first level II fieldwork experience at Casa Colina Hospitals and Centers for Healthcare in Pomona, CA. Here, she was a part of the spinal cord injury team and enjoyed being a part of her patient’s journeys. Melissa completed her second level II fieldwork experience at the Launchpad Therapy for Kids in San Juan Capistrano, CA. This experience enriched her knowledge of sensory integration and the importance of play and having fun! After completing her master’s degree at the University of St. Augustine, Melissa moved back to Pennsylvania to be closer to family.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Melissa has gained experience with spinal cord injury rehabilitation, Ayres’ Sensory Integration, hippotherapy, outpatient pediatrics, and school-based OT.

Why: Melissa believes in the importance of teamwork and collaboration with a child and their family. She loves working with kids to find and highlight their strengths and help them reach their highest potential.

Lauren Beeles, MA, CCC-SLP, CLC

Lead Early Intervention Therapist

Speech-Language Pathologist & Certified Lactation Counselor

Spanish-Speaking Clinician

Roots: Lauren grew up in the Thousand Islands region of Northern New York. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Nazareth University in 2017, where she majored in International Studies and Spanish and minored in Psychology and Legal Studies. While working as a full-time nanny after graduation, Lauren discovered her passion for working with infants/toddlers and their families. Lauren earned her Master of Arts degree in Speech-Language Pathology from West Chester University in 2021. As a graduate student, Lauren participated in the Bilingual Emphasis Course Sequence program, an experience that contributed to her development as a Spanish-speaking clinician.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": During graduate school, Lauren gained professional experience working with individuals across the lifespan while providing therapy services at an outpatient clinic, several middle schools, and an inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Before moving back to Chester County, Lauren worked in Infant/Toddler Early Intervention in the Greater Boston region where she was fortunate to collaborate with children and families from a variety of cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. It was here that Lauren honed her clinical focus to specialize in feeding and swallowing disorders in premature infants and toddlers with medical complexities. During this time, Lauren completed coursework to become a Certified Lactation Counselor in order to better serve infants/toddlers that chestfeed.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Lauren has participated in several specialized trainings to continue to develop her expertise in infant feeding, focusing on topics such as adapted baby-led weaning for babies with feeding challenges and optimizing feeding/swallowing for infants with tracheostomy tubes. She is a NOMAS (Neonatal Oral-Motor Assessment Scale) Licensed Professional and a Certified SOFFI (Supporting Oral Feeding in Fragile Infants) Professional. She has also completed training in the assessment and treatment of velopharyngeal dysfunction and pediatric resonance disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Why: Lauren believes that the heart of communication is connection and emphasizes the importance of building positive collaborative relationships as the foundation for growth. Lauren currently holds speech-language pathology licenses in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Lauren loves adventuring with her dog, traveling abroad, backpacking in the mountains, baking, doing yoga, and crocheting.

Leslie Sutter, MSW

Patient Care Coordinator

Roots: Leslie Sutter grew up in Delaware County, PA and attended Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield. As a student, she was drawn to the "helping profession" and went on to receive her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Cabrini University in 2009, followed by her Masters degree in Social Work from Widener University in 2010.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": Leslie spent the first 10 years of her professional career in the hospital setting, advocating for high risk and underserved populations, providing brief supportive counseling and ensuring patients were linked to all available support programs in the community. It was also in the hospital setting where Leslie was first able to work alongside occupational and speech therapists, and witness the importance of these therapies on a patient's rehab potential. Her more recent work experience has led her to account and insurance management as well as continued patient advocacy.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Throughout her career, Leslie has found herself in various settings learning and helping various at-risk populations. She completed the "Inside Out" prison exchange program in Montgomery County that allowed her to take college courses inside a prison with female prisoners; a program that fostered mentoring, sharing, and growing. She has also spent time providing counseling to youth in residential placement, and believes that relationship building can truly save lives.

Leslie resides in Media, PA with her husband and 3 children, and is excited for the opportunity to join the Bloom and Grow family!

Colleen Gannon, MOT, OTRL

Occupational Therapist

Early Intervention and Outpatient

Roots: Colleen was born in Philadelphia, moved to Bucks County as an adolescent and recently relocated to the Kennett Square area. Colleen received a bachelor's degree in exercise science from West Chester University and went on to earn her Masters in Occupational Therapy at Salus University in Elkins Park, PA.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": Colleen’s passion for working with the pediatric population started early, as she has over 15 years of experience working with children of all ages and neuro-types. During high school Colleen was a swim instructor for children of all ages and during her undergraduate and graduate education she spent time nannying infants/children. As an occupational therapist, Colleen has experience across a variety of settings including early intervention, school-based, and outpatient clinics.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Colleen has focused much of her continuing education on neurodiversity-affirming and strengths-based practice, trauma-informed care, primitive reflexes, and sensory integration.

Why: Colleen prioritizes getting to know each individual child and family. She believes creating a feeling of safety with children is the foundation for learning and growth. Colleen is grateful to work with families to empower their children to build on their strengths and reach their full potential. Colleen is very excited to be a part of the Bloom and Grow team.

Kelsey Schmidt, MA, CCC-SLP

Speech Language Pathologist

Early Intervention and Outpatient

Roots: Kelsey grew up in Coatesville, PA. After taking a sign language class, Kelsey became interested in the way people communicate, and she decided to pursue speech language pathology. After graduating high school, she attended Ithaca College in New York state, where she majored in Communication Sciences and Disorders and minored in Deaf Studies. Her student teaching experiences cemented her interest in working with children with complex communication needs. She received her masters from University at Buffalo. After working in New York state, Kelsey has returned to the Chester County area to be near family.

Professional Experiences "The Bloom": Kelsey has over 6 years of experience working with children who have complex communication needs. Previously, she has worked as an SLP in a specialized school. She is familiar with AAC programs such as TouchChat, Proloquo2Go, TD Snap, LAMP Words for Life, and GoTalk, and has obtained personal devices for students. She has worked with students using alternative ways to access devices, such as eye gaze and keyguards. Within the past several years, Kelsey has gained experience in utilizing the Natural Acquisition framework to support students who are gestalt language processors.

Specialized Training "The Grow": Kelsey continues to seek out new ways to support children's language acquisition. She has a basic knowledge of ASL, and she is experienced in using AAC and the Natural Language Acquisition framework. She has also received training in sensory integration. In the future, Kelsey hopes to become NLA certified.

Why: Kelsey believes that communication is a human right. Children should be empowered to communicate, and their families should be able to learn about communication along with them. She believes that a neurodiversity affirming approach fosters true connections, which promotes meaningful communication. Her goal is to support and empower communicators to share their true thoughts and feelings using a variety of modalities.

Coleen DeFruscio, MS, OTR/L

Senior Occupational Therapist

Early Intervention and Outpatient

Roots: Coleen has remained close to her roots for her education and professional
career. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from St. Joseph’s University
and a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University. As
a graduate assistant, Coleen was introduced to Sensory Integration Theory and the
work of Jane Ayres, which ignited her interest in learning about and incorporating this
approach into her work as an occupational therapist.
Professional Experience “the Bloom”: Coleen has nearly 20 years of experience as a
pediatric occupational therapist. She has worked in a variety of settings including early
intervention, preschool and school-age educational settings as a direct provider and a
consultant to teachers and staff, pediatric outpatient settings, and private sensory
integration-based clinics.
Specialized Training “the Grow”: Coleen has a passion for learning, and continually
seeks new ways to enhance her skills and grow as a therapist. She has completed
trainings in DIR Floortime®, Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration®(MNRI)
approach, John Barnes’s Myofacial Release, visual motor skills, Handwriting without
Tears®and executive functioning, in addition to extensive trainings in sensory
integration. Coleen has certifications in Interactive Metronome, Therapeutic Listening,
and Handwriting without Tears®.
Why: Coleen has always been interested in child development and helping others, so
occupational therapy was the perfect way to combine these passions. She loves
working as part of a team, and enjoys collaborating with families, school staff, and fellow
team members to help children achieve their full potential. She believes that all children
should be met where they are, treated with respect, and supported to feel safe and
understood. Coleen hopes to continue to deepen her practice of DIR/Floortime® and is
so happy to be part of the Bloom and Grow community.
Outside of Bloom and Grow, Coleen enjoys spending time with her husband and three
boys, usually cheering them on at the hockey rink or lacrosse field. If she can squeeze it
in, she loves to go for runs, attend cycle classes, and read.

Anna Fostik, MS, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Early Intervention and Outpatient

Roots: Anna grew up in Gettysburg, PA. She attended Misericordia University, where she graduated with her Bachelor of Health Sciences and her Master of Occupational Therapy.

The Bloom: As an Occupational Therapy student, Anna completed her fieldwork at a pediatric outpatient clinic and a transitional housing association. Both experiences played an integral role in forming Anna into the therapist she is today, as they introduced her to the concepts of neurodiversity affirming and trauma-informed care which continue to guide her practice. Anna has several years of experience in the pediatric outpatient setting, where she has successfully facilitated the development of her clients’ skills to enable their participation in meaningful childhood activities.

The Grow: Anna is experienced in supporting the fine motor, gross motor, visual motor/visual perceptual, executive functioning, social-emotional, sensory processing, and feeding development of children. Her passion for both learning and the Occupational Therapy profession has led her to becoming certified in the intervention modalities of Interactive Metronome and the Safe and Sound Protocol as well.

Why: Anna views neurodiversity as a difference, not a deficit. She believes that all children possess a unique skill set which allows them to contribute something special to the world. Anna is passionate about helping children to develop these skills, as well as empowering their families to support them.

Ann Marie Wehe

Office Manager

Early Intervention and Outpatient

Roots: Ann Marie was raised in Delaware County and graduated from Garnet Valley High School. She then traveled to Florida to pursue her studies at St. Petersburg College, where she earned her Associate degrees in Health Sciences and Medical Billing and Coding from Delaware County Community College.

The Bloom: Ann Marie has more than eight years of experience as an Occupational Therapy Office Manager, bringing a solid background in assisting and caring for both children and adults.

The Grow: In addition to her professional qualifications, Ann Marie is a volunteer firefighter and holds various related certifications, including CPR certification.

Currently, Ann Marie lives in Brookhaven, PA, with her two daughters. She has a passion for country music, enjoys going on cruises, and loves spending time at the beach! Ann Marie is thrilled to be part of the Bloom and Grow administrative team, where she looks forward to supporting the expanding team!