Suzanne, OT/L

Suzanne has experience evaluating and treating patients of a variety of ages, diagnoses, functional levels, and psycho-social backgrounds. However, she has spent the past 2 years working specifically in outpatient pediatrics treating children and young adults ranging in age from 1 to 21. She has experience treating children with challenges related to autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, a variety of genetic/chromosomal disorders, sensory processing differences, executive dysfunction, visual perception skills, fine motor skills, and other developmental delays. Suzanne has worked closely with physical therapists and speech-language pathologists, both in treatment collaboration and direct treatment approaches. She has worked with children in school, hospital, and clinic settings. Suzanne is originally from Nashville TN but has been in Raleigh since 2006. She had a long and varied job history before deciding to attend college as a non-traditional student. She graduated from East Carolina University with her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology with a goal to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy. In the process, she learned about occupational therapy where she discovered her true passion and professional home. She continued on at East Carolina University to complete a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Children have always been a part of Suzanne’s life both personally and professionally. She is passionate about connection-building through play and supporting a child’s autonomy. Therefore, she prioritizes caregiver training and reframing behavior as communication to facilitate skill building and regulation. She is known for her empathetic and non-judgmental treatment approaches which is especially helpful when supporting children and caregivers with a variety of challenging mental health and psychosocial considerations. Suzanne strives to be a neurodivergent affirming therapist with a strong desire to be open and collaborative with all caregivers involved in a patient’s care.

In her free time, Suzanne is running around in the woods with her husband and daughter, reading science fiction, trying a new plant out in her garden, or making a fun mess somewhere.