OUR TEAM
Owners
Lisa Cooseman, OTR/L, MS
Lisa received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and Masters Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Maryville University in St. Louis. She is a guest lecturer for several local universities. Some of the coursework Lisa has previously taught includes pediatric neuro-rehabilitation, sensory processing, handwriting, and child development. Lisa enjoys doing seminars for parents, teachers and other professionals. She also serves on the board at the Cottleville Weldon Spring Chamber of Commerce and enjoys networking in the community.
Lisa has extensive training in handwriting, as well as, CranioSacral Therapy, Therapeutic Listening®, oral motor treatment, feeding difficulties, visual processing concerns, and treating children with sensory processing concerns. Lisa has also completed training in the S.O.S. Approach to Feeding and is SIPT certified.
Carrie received her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis. Throughout her career, Carrie has had the opportunity to provide services to children of all ages, as well as adults who exhibit sensory processing challenges. She has provided therapy services in the school, home and community settings.
Carrie has extensive training in treating children with sensory processing disorder. She has had the fortune of completing advanced training with world-renowned therapists at both Camp Avanti in Wisconsin and the STAR center in Colorado. Carrie has additional training in handwriting, visual-vestibular treatment, and oral motor skill development. Carrie also has advanced training in reflex integration, trauma, and holistic wellness & nutrition. She is certified in Therapeutic Listening®, The Listening Program®, Integrated Listening Systems (iLS)© and Interactive Metronome®. Carrie is also certified in Sensory Integration Therapy and is SIPT certified through USC/WPS.
Carrie Salyer, MS, OTR/L
Rob Salyer, BSBA
Rob earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from Washington University in St. Louis. As Director, he oversees and manages all daily operations of the practice. Rob brings a wealth of business and practical experience to the team. He is passionate about helping children and families who are struggling with developmental concerns.
He has continued his education and training, focusing on business leadership, management, healthcare regulations, billing, coding, and multiple computer applications and systems. He also has training in conflict resolution, Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, positive behavior management, and sensory integration.
Matt Cooseman, OTR/L
Matt earned his Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Maryville University in St. Louis. Matt has over 12 years of experience in early childhood school settings, though he enjoys working with children of all ages. He serves as the fieldwork coordinator for Leaps and Bounds, coordinating both Level 1 and Level 2 internships with colleges and universities across the country.
Matt has received training in a variety of areas including oral motor/ feeding, visual processing. handwriting, and sensory processing.
Occupational Therapists
Erin Wilhite, MOT, OTR/L
Erin received her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Maryville University in St. Louis. Erin has worked in a variety of settings, including homes, outpatient, schools, and rehabilitation. She loves working with children one-on-one, though she has exceptional skills in leading groups, as well. Erin oversees all of the occupational therapy groups and learning enrichment camps for Leaps and Bounds.
Erin also serves as a supervisor to occupational therapy interns completing their fieldwork at Leaps and Bounds. She has received continuing education training in the areas of sensory processing, handwriting, oral motor/feeding techniques, and Brain Gym®.
Julie Johnson, OTD, OTR/L
Julie received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from Saint Louis University. She was first introduced to pediatric occupational therapy while working with her younger cousins who are on the autism spectrum. Julie has received continuing education in many areas including sensory processing, oral motor (Talk Tools® program), feeding therapy with the SOS Approach to Feeding, and executive function. She enjoys working with children of all ages and all abilities!
Julie leads therapy groups as well as provides individual therapy at Leaps and Bounds. She also serves as a supervisor to occupational therapy interns completing their final fieldwork rotations at Leaps and Bounds. Our garden bed is one of Julie's favorite pieces of "equipment" at Leaps and Bounds, because there are many therapy goals and practical skills that can addressed through gardening with the children.
Erica Haarmann, MOT, OTR/L
Erica received her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Saint Louis University. Erica has always had a love for working with children in a variety of settings. She has received continuing education in sensory processing, visual perception, and Social Thinking®. Erica has also attended the Handwriting Without Tears™ course for ages Pre-K and K-5.
Erica also serves as a supervisor to occupational therapy interns completing their fieldwork at Leaps and Bounds.
Nicole Dempsey, MOT, OTR/L
Nicole earned her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from the University of Texas at El Paso. She has worked with children with a variety of diagnoses and of all ages. She leads social skills groups in addition to individual sessions. Nicole is a big advocate of nurturing children’s mental health.
Kayla Preiss, COTA/L
Kayla's Bio is coming soon.
Emily Thieman, MOT, OTR/L
Emily's Bio is coming soon.
Kallihan Riley, MOT, OTR/L
Kallihan's bio is coming soon.
Emily Leonard, MOT, OTR/L
Emily earned her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Maryville University. She has worked with individuals of all ages and with a variety of diagnoses in outpatient and inpatient settings. She has experience leading executive functioning groups as well as individual sessions at Leaps and Bounds. She has also gained valuable experience as a counselor for a summer camp for children with varying abilities through working to adapt each activity in order to ensure all campers could participate. Emily has a passion for working with children and assisting them with setting and achieving their goals!
Emily has also received continuing education in Learning Without Tears™ (previously known as Handwriting Without Tears).
Kim Lorenz, MS, OTR/L
Kim earned her Master of Science Degree in Occupational Therapy from Washington University. She has provided therapy for the entire lifespan, from four months to 104 years. Her work has taken her into a variety of settings, including the home, school, skilled nursing facility, hospital, and community. Kim has received training through a variety of conferences on topics including nutrition, interventions for children with autism, oral motor/feeding techniques, and a variety of sensory integration therapy interventions. She has also gained invaluable training through working with the Disabled Athlete Sports Association, which provides sports opportunities to children with physical disabilities and visual impairments.
Speech & Language Therapists
Carissa Speelman, MA, CCC-SLP
Carissa received her Master of Arts degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Saint Louis University. She has provided therapy in a variety of settings, including school-based, outpatient clinic, home-based, hospital, and skilled nursing facilities. Carissa has experience working with children of all ages with a variety of diagnoses including articulation and phonological disorders, language impairment and delay, apraxia of speech, autism spectrum disorders, swallowing disorders, and fluency disorders. Carissa has received continuing education in the areas of articulation and phonological disorders, augmentative and alternative communication, social communication/pragmatics (Social Thinking ®), and apraxia of speech (TalkTools ®). Carissa also serves as a supervisor to speech-language pathology interns completing clinical rotations at Leaps and Bounds.
Sarah Metz, M.S., CCC-SLP
Sarah's bio is coming soon.
Alexa Lasam, M.A., CCC–SLP
Alexa's bio is coming.
Emily Nagy, M.A., CF-SLP
Emily's bio is coming soon.
Administration
Lori Cannon, OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
Lori earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. Lori has years of experience in administration working for a tax service and in retail. She is an expert in navigating the ever-changing world of health insurance and helps families determine their benefits and how to access them effectively.
Having children of her own, one with a learning disability, has given Lori the compassion to help families with children who experience similar challenges.
Emily Galvan, BILLING SPECIALIST
Emily has been with Leaps & Bounds since 2014. She has over 18 years of experience in office administration in a wide variety of settings. She, her husband, and their two daughters moved back to Missouri in 2014 after living in Anchorage, Alaska for 10 years prior. Emily is excited to be using all of her office experience to benefit the families at Leaps and Bounds.
Marissa Clark, OFFICE STAFF
Marissa began working at Leaps and Bounds in the summer of 2018. She is currently in her third year at Maryville University in St. Louis. Marissa is working on her degree of Bachelor of Science in Psychology as a part of Maryville’s Pre-Occupational Therapy program. Her current area of interest in occupational therapy is pediatrics.
Shawnee Haas, OFFICE STAFF
Shawnee's bio is coming soon.