The Insider: November 2012

INSIDERTHE

VOL. 8 NUMBER 4: November 2012

BUYING TROUBLEA SAFETY WARNING

A.U.E.E.Learn more about Jerre's

favorite new acronymp. 2-3

Patient SuccessesMeet Isabel and Damian

p. 14-15

Human Resources UpdateT2K AdvocacyChari-T2000 Auction

Also: Division Dirt | Patient Day | Best Buddies

PLUS:

THERAPY2000

We improve lives.

THERAPYTHERAPY

from the administrator, Jerre van den bent, Pt

• A.U.E.E. .............................2-3

• Human Resources ..........4-5

• Chari-T2000 Auction ........5

• A Safety Warning ............6-7

• Best Buddies ....................8-9

• Patient Day ................. 10-11

• Advocacy ........................... 12

• Tech Talk ............................ 13

• Patient Success .......... 14-15

• ETB Family Day .......... 16-17

• Safety Tips ................... 18-19

• Career Track ..................... 20

• In Memoriam .................... 21

• Division Dirt .............. 22-28

Inside This Issue:

a.u.e.e.

On November 9th, we are formally rolling out our new leadership structure, as well as our new and deeply en-hanced “menu” of career enrichment opportunities. This new professional growth extravaganza is the result of more than six months of hard work by T2K upper management. I would like to recognize our Executive Director of Human Resources, Ira Kirkley, for his leadership on this massive un-dertaking. I hope that you will take advantage of the many opportunities that we are rolling out. There are so many new growth opportunities, I feel confi dent in saying that there will be one that fi ts every employee’s needs.

The new menu of career enrichment opportunities brings us back in line with the two guid-ing principles I had when I founded THERAPY 2000. First, I wanted to be “the employer of choice” for the most passionate and specialized therapists and support staff. I want T2K to be an agency that offers the Absolutely Ultimate Employee Experience or A.U.E.E. (oh how I love my acronyms… ) to everyone who chooses to belong to the company. Second, I wanted THERAPY 2000 to be an agency that would value and respect every patient who we served, and through its workforce, would offer exceptional quality of care to all of the families we serve. In other words, by offering an A.U.E.E. to our employees, we expect our employees to offer an Absolutely Ultimate Quality of Care Experience (A.U.Q.C.E.) to the families we serve.

Over the past twelve years, we have adhered to these principles successfully the majority of the time. As far as offering an A.U.E.E. , we have consistently attracted and retained the “best and brightest” clinicians and support personnel. We have experienced high job satis-faction offering a rich employee experience, instead of simply “a paycheck”. We offer a high level of total compensation through offering good pay and a great benefi t package. We have also delivered an A.U.Q.C.E. to our patients. Through our monthly education calendar and our clinical specialty programs, we bring superior quality of care to our patients. Our support staff stays in touch with our families, problem solving and bringing resources when needed. We have delivered high quality of care in an ethical and compassionate environment.

While it is important to take credit for our successes, it is imperative to keep looking for opportuni-ties for improvement. In the past year, we observed three areas that needed to be addressed.

Retaining our “mid career” clinicians: While we continue to experience good overall levels of employee retention, we have seen a subset of employees who we are not retaining as well. They are our more experienced clinicians, therapists who typically are out of school between fi ve and fi fteen years. Through interviews and careful review of their experience, it became clear that these clinicians were less engaged with T2K, in large part due to the fact that our professional development paths were geared heavily towards newer professionals, and didn’t challenge them with growth opportunities. Several of you expressed a desire to be more in a teacher/leader role during Second Friday training instead of a student role.

Size matters: An additional barrier to offering a truly A.U.E.E. is our current therapist supervisory structure. In the past year or so, our District Managers saw their teams grow up

editorial staff Jerre van den Bent, PT

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kyle ButlerMANAGING EDITOR

Alex ParisCOPY-WRITER/EDITOR

Jennifer RileyLEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

Belinda Williams, OTREDUCATION

Ira KirkleyHUMAN RESOURCES

Adrianna LacarraPATIENT DAY

Heather PitnerPATIENT SUCCESS: ISABEL

Eileen WadePATIENT SUCCESS: DAMIAN

a.u.e.e.

to twenty therapist direct reports. With teams this large, su-pervisors are able only to offer the most basic level of em-ployee supervision. (Productivity, Attendance, Productivity, Attendance, Productivity, Attendance). What falls by the way-side is career planning and enrichment, clinical mentoring, etc.

Monthly trainings: It’s not just for clinicians anymore! In the past eleven years, we have formed a company identity around our monthly clinical trainings. We have developed and offered literally thousands of hours of clinical training. We realized that we haven’t brought this level of professional develop-ment to the T2K managers. We must change this, as contin-ued skill development in our supervisory folks is without a doubt a necessary ingredient of A.U.E.E.

We decided it was time to put the A and the U back in A.U.E.E. and went to work. In the past six months, we have completely rewritten our job models, developed hours and hours of managerial training, and designed a much enhanced supervisory structure. We are going back to single disciplin-ary teams, and we are drastically reducing team size. This cre-ates new opportunity for experienced clinicians who want to add supervision and management to their T2K experience. Our managerial training modules will ensure that we are set-ting our newer as well as experienced supervisors up for suc-cess. We have developed a true “menu” of career enrichment opportunities for our professional staff. Whether you want to become a clinical expert in a specifi c area of practice, a CE course presenter or content developer, or you want to give supervision a try, we now have something for you on our menu.

I have learned a lot in the past twelve years while operat-ing THERAPY 2000. One thing I have learned is that growth and progress are never linear. As sincere as we have been in our desire to offer a truly perpetual A.U.E.E. there have been, and there probably will be times when the experience is not truly A and U for all employees. I believe that we have diagnosed several signifi cant A.U.E.E. barriers and I am confi dent that the solutions we are implementing will break through them. I hope you will take advantage of all the opportunities that will be available agency wide for you this next year, and that you will do you part to make working here the Absolutely Ultimate Employee Experi-ence too.

SAVE THE DATE

THERAPY 2000Holiday Party

"Denim and Diamonds"

Omni Mandalay at Las Colinas

SaturdayDecember 15th, 2012

7pm-12pm

Come and enjoy dinner, dancing and a fun

presentation

The 3rd AnnualChari-T2000 Silent auction will occur prior to dinner

Hotel room rate is $89.00

reservation information to follow

Why Change?As THERAPY 2000 has grown it has evolved as an organiza-tion, particularly when it comes to management. Throughout its history THERAPY 2000 has tried to implement changes in-tended to place our employees

in the best position to improve the lives of our patients. As we’ve taken a look around the company lately, we’ve noticed some developments that we are not too excited about. Team sizes have grown very large in the field and we’ve received feedback about poor communication and a lack of clinical support. If we pride ourselves on our qual-ity of care and quality of employee experience, then those are not good developments. As a result, we have begun implementing a new management model, Team Managers, across the company that will decrease team sizes, encour-age same discipline teams, improve communication, open up new career enrichment opportunities, and improve our cost per visit.

This new model will help us stay true to our roots even as we grow to help more children across the state of Texas.

The Team Manager:A Team Manager’s roles and responsibilities are very simi-lar to a District Manager’s. In fact, these two positions can serve side-by-side with one another where needed. However, there are some important differences:

• Priorities: The TM’s emphasis is placed on patient care, talent development, and achieving team out-comes.

• Compensation: The TM is compensated based on the number of direct reports and their number of vis-its.

• Direct Reports: TM’s are paid per pay period per direct report. No TM can have a team smaller than 4 or larger than 12. The TM will decide team size in conjunction with the Divi-sion Director.

• Visits: Full-time and Part-time TM’s are re-sponsible for 87 monthly visits (20 weekly)

and are compensated at an appropriate per visit rate.

• Assistants: TM’s are compensated for assis-tants like all other supervising therapists. As-sistants count as one of the TM’s direct re-ports.

• Flexibility: TM’s can be Full-Time, Part-Time, or PRN employees. TM’s have general space available at the office but are not required to report to the office out-side of scheduled meetings/events.

In the long run, the Team Manager position will be the pri-mary supervisor for all company therapists. All of the fol-lowing are potential examples of a Team Manager position:

• A full-time TM with 12 direct reports, 2 of which are assistants, and 87 monthly visits

• A full-time TM with 4 direct reports of the same discipline and 110 monthly visits

• A part-time TM with 4 direct reports and 87 monthly visits

• A PRN TM with 4 after-school PRN therapists and 35 monthly visits

Advanced Field Opportunities:THERAPY 2000 recognizes that we have an abundance of experienced therapists looking to contribute their ex-pertise and mentoring across the company. So in addition to flexible management opportunities (the Team Manager role), the company is also increasing its investment in edu-cation and learning. Beginning in early 2013, therapists, Team Managers and Division Directors will have an op-portunity to fulfill a formal educational role in addition to their standard responsibilities. These roles will help fulfill the educational needs of the division while providing flex-ible and reasonable work arrangements. They include the following:

• Peer Trainer – helps to provide non-clinical training and coaching to new or developing Team Managers.

• Peer Facilitator – participates in providing formal non-clinical training and teaching in a classroom setting.

• Clinical Facilitator – participates in providing formal clinical training in a classroom setting.

• Clinical Educator – assists in the development of train-ing content for clinical knowledge and skills.

• Program Manager – takes ownership over the imple-mentation of clinical programs (i.e. VitalStim, High-risk

human resources by ira kirkley, PHr, executive Director of Human resources

4(Continued on next page)

chari-t2000 uPDate

We are currently seeking donations for our 3rd annual auction on December 15th. The more great items we get, the more funds we raise, the more kids we help and the better we all sleep!

If you are able to make a donation (whether it be a prized heirloom, fun gift set, gift cards, free services, etc.) for this very deserving organization, please contact Kimmy Gibson, Central Nurse Case Manager, at [email protected]. Please encourage friends, family, and business acquaintances to donate as well!

Any company that makes a donation will be represented in signage at the auction/annual party. Their logo and donation will also appear in our T2K’Nection that goes out to three hundred plus therapists and employees. In addition, their logo will be listed as a sponsor on the Chari-T2000 website and the THERAPY 2000 website, www.t2000.com, with over 1,000 visits a month.

Here are some ideas for donations that have been popular in the past:

• Gift cards

• Lessons (scrapbooking, singing, golf, knitting, quilting, baking, etc.)

• Personal Training Sessions

• Sports Memorabilia

• Sports Tickets

• Cultural Tickets

• Craft items that you make

• Spa or salon service

We are asking that all items to be delivered to the corporate offi ce by November 30th. Help us make this event a success!

5

infant, a general discipline) in a specifi c division or region. Performs mentor visits, chart audits, gathers data, serves as the “go-to” expert for that program.

It is important that THERAPY 2000 maintains its quality of education and recognizes the important contribution made by individuals in these functions. For that reason, each of the above roles will include the following:

• An eligibility criteria (requiring a Division Director recommendation)

• An interview process• Formal training for the specifi c role• Ongoing mentorship from Team Education• A one-time bonus upon certifi cation• A per event pay rate (you get paid an additional

amount every time you mentor, facilitate, etc.) or bi-weekly stipend

• An appropriate reduction in productivity require-ments depending on the role

• And additional support to attend state and national conferences

What Next?Over the next few months you will begin to see postings in each division for Team Manager positions and the ad-vanced fi eld opportunities listed above. If you think you will be interested in those opportunities then there are a number of things you can do in the meantime:

• Speak with your Division Director about the Team Manager position or Advanced Field Opportunities

• Read additional information on Mangrove under the My T2K Professional Development menu

• Contact Ira Kirkley, Director of HR

DONATE TO CHARI-T2000'S 3RD ANNUAL SILENT AUCTION!

(Continued from previous page)

Buying trouBle: a safety warning belinDa Williams, otr, executive Director of eDucation & Qa

My son needed a car so we set out to shop for one a few months ago. We both agreed that we would prefer a Nissan or Honda product, with less than 85,000 miles, but that all went out the window when he saw this sporty, metallic ginger

orange colored Mitsubishi, Eclipse. He couldn’t seem to let that one go, so after testing a couple of Altimas, we finally agreed to at least test-drive it. It had 69,000 miles, leather seats, CD changer and nice wheels. I must admit, it fit my Son’s personality (zany and smart). Since it was his car we were looking for, of course I let him drive.The engine seemed responsive and more than once I asked him to slow down as he exclaimed, “It’s just powerful Mom!” Being the pragmatist that I am, I insisted on giving it a try and finally took the wheel. All went well for one block; as we approached the first stop light, I was horrified as the brake pedal almost completely leveled to the floor before the car fully stopped. I couldn’t believe what I had just experienced and wondered briefly if I was just imagining things, but as I repeated the tests, pumping the brakes, slow stops, fast stops, it happened again and again until we got back to the lot. Needless to say by the time we got back to the lot, I was already giving my son 101 reasons why we couldn’t buy this one. I immediately pulled out my phone and searched 2006 Eclipse recalls and found that there had been a recall on the hydraulic brakes for this model, years earlier. When I checked the CARFAX I also discovered that this very car had been involved in a front end collision which deployed the air bags! We had just drove-and survived a recalled car that had never been repaired!Lesson learned? Looks can be deceiving! When considering product safety for infants and children, we must be equally vigilant. As therapists in the home we can offer helpful advice for parents and caregivers. We are also good eyes for toy and equipment manufacturers. For example as I was finishing up one visit, the infant I had just seen was placed in her motorized swing by the foster mom. Before I could complete my final paperwork with the foster mom, the baby started crying with a clearly panicked tone. She had fallen

forward, with her head resting on the tray, and seemed unable to right herself as the swing continued to arc back and forth. At closer inspection we found that one of her only four teeth had become wedged in the seam between the edge and upper surfaces of the tray. She suffered a cut lip and a loose tooth but other than that calmed down quickly. Needless to say that incident also prompted a call to the manufacturer who had no record of any such issues, but promised to investigate further (which they did by the way).Safety encompasses many aspects and since October is child safety month, I challenge everyone reading this to be product savvy as well as precautious to avoid obvious hazards and report any signs of abuse.

Consider & share these child safety rules:

• Avoid use of painted toys older than a decade.

Older toys often are painted with paint containing

lead.

• Never substitute broken safety straps, with belts,

scarves or other seemingly suitable substitutes to

secure a child in a seat. Without proper anchors

the child can slip downward and strangle on the

restraint.

• Never use recalled or retrofitted equipment in

therapy sessions. Retrofitting and repair, is only

as good as the person’s close adherence to the

instructions provided.

• Broken toys should be removed from use, especially

if sharp edges, fasteners or small pieces result.

• Avoid use of talc based powders; these have

been associated with respiratory complications.

(Cornstarch based products are better.)

• Be wary of TVs, book cases, dressers that can tip

over. (Last year it was reported that one child dies

every two weeks due to tip-over related incidents.)

• Be aware that testing water temperature for children

should take into account that they burn more easily

in adults. What feels comfortable to an adult may

be dangerously hot for an infant or toddler. Besides 6

Buying trouBle: a safety warning belinDa Williams, otr, executive Director of eDucation & Qa

burns, young children can overheat when in placed

in water warmer than body temperature for any

extended time.

• Testtoys,pacifiers,teethers,etc,whichwillgointo

children’s mouths; they should either be made one

piece or if made of multiple pieces they should be

so fastly secured that you can’t pull them apart.

• Don’t rely on child safety locks, medicine caps

and door knob devices to restrict access. These

sometimes fail or a child eventually figures them

out so the best we can hope for is to delay their

access. NOTHING is fail-safe with kids!

• Report any product failures that you observe to

your supervisor so the incident can be documented

and as a result reported to the manufacturer.

Some recently recalled products:

• Cyclone Swing Seats Recalled by ADS Due to Fall Hazard

• Summer Infant Recalls to Repair Baby Bathers Due to Fall and Head Injury Hazard

• CareBears Pacifi er Recalled by IDM Group Due to Choking Hazard

• Baby Seats Recalled for Repair by Bumbo International Due to Fall Hazard

• Kolcraft Recalls Contours Tandem Strollers Due to Fall and Choking Hazards

• Peg Perego Recalls Strollers Due to Risk of Entrapment and Strangulation; One Child Death Reported

• Children's Beach Chairs Recalled by Downeast Concepts Due to Laceration Hazard

• Trampolines Recalled by Panline USA Due to Fall Hazard

• Old Navy Recalls Toddler Girl Aqua Socks Due to Slip and Fall Hazard

We all play a key role in keeping our kids safe!

[Pictured below: The bunny cup was a good idea until

kids were poked in the eye by the bunny ears. Cabinet

locks that fail offer false security!]

References:"ANCHOR FOR SAFETY: TV AND FURNITURE TIP-OVER-RELATED

DEATHS AND INJURIES NOT SLOWING DOWN A CHILD IS

KILLED ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS, TENS OF THOUSANDS ARE

INJURED EVERY YEAR." States News Service. States News Service.

2011. Retrieved October 10, 2012 from HighBeam Research: http://www.

highbeam.com/doc/1G1-268431877.html

United States Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2012, Retrieved

September 13, 2012 from http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/

child.html

recalled!

Beware!

7

THERAPY 2000 interviewed Andrew McAnulty, Lead Program Manager with Best Buddies Texas to learn more about this valuable global program that provides unique opportunities to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).Tell us a little about your charity Best Buddies. Best Buddies is dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Many in-dividuals with IDD experience a lot of isolation in their lives. Best Buddies creates a culture that is free from isola-tion and completely focused on inclusion. For many of our participants, without Best Buddies, such opportunities only exist through family members and paid support. I think bringing people together in a unified community is a much more natural and human experience. It’s more fun too!

Tell us a little about your background and how you got involved with Best Buddies. I have an uncle with IDD and I also grew up in a rural area in Tennessee where my school was the only school in the county that had a program for individuals with IDD. So I’ve had important relationships with people with IDD my whole life. I saw through my uncle how frustrated he was to not have social outlets; it affected his relationships with his parents, family members and coworkers. At school I realized how I could make a difference just through listening and having the patience to learn people’s unique personalities and to be able to genu-

inely smile and laugh with them (that’s a valuable thing to do with anyone, whether or not they might have some sort of disability). After college I moved from Nashville to Los Angeles with some friends. While looking for work there I discovered Best Buddies. I quickly fell in love the mission … and the name! Next thing I knew I was working with

their middle school and high school programs in Hawaii. With the help of the community and local governments there, we were able to establish our programs in the ma-jority of the region’s public schools. Now I’m here at our office in Dallas hoping to do the same thing. Even though we’ve had programs in Texas longer, growth here has been slow. We don’t even have Middle School programs here yet. We provide our programs to schools at no cost, and I’ve seen so many lives changed. I don’t know why Best Buddies isn’t a part of the curriculum for every school in the state.

How many fundraising events do you have a year, na-tionally and locally? We have programs of some sort in all 50 states and in over 50 countries, so it’s hard for me to speak on more than what’s going on in the Dallas region. Currently our Dallas area office, which includes support for the Austin area as well, has three fundraisers per year. We have 5k walks in Dallas and Austin as well as our Life

Best Buddies alex Paris, coPyWriter/eDitor

Buddy Walk San Antonio

Making new friends

8

is Sweet Dessert Festival in Dallas. My mouth is watering just thinking about that one!

What important upcoming events do you have? Our Dallas Friendship Walk is actually right around the corner! Without a direct government funding source for expanding our programs, this event is our primary way of maintaining our programs (www.bestbuddiestexas.org/dalwalk). Hope-fully, if we can get the community behind us, it can even lead to expansion. I really want to see our programs in places like Arlington, Fort Worth, Garland and Richardson, amongst others, by the 2013-2014 school year. And hope-fully some of those can be middle schools. Seeing students run their own inclusion programs at their schools at that age is so incredible and inspiring!

Tell us a little about the Buddy Ambassadors program. Buddy Ambassadors is our newest program and, to me, it also might be the most exciting. Buddy Ambassadors is a program in which individuals with IDD get professional speech and advocacy training that empowers them to be

self-advocates and leaders in their communities. I had a good friend back in Hawaii who was a gentleman who hap-pened to have Downs Syndrome. Separately he had also always had a little trouble with a stutter and was shy to speak in front of more than just a couple of people. He went through an ambassadors program one summer and wound up giving a speech to over 1,500 people at Indiana University. The change in self-confidence I saw in him after that still inspires me on a daily basis to do the work that I do.

What’s the best way to get involved with Best Buddies? There are so many ways it’s too hard to name a best one! Hopefully, if you’re in the area, you can support a local fun-draiser. For other people it might be sharing this article, or contacting your local school board, putting on your own fundraiser, or just going online and ordering a t-shirt or sticker to display proudly. One thing that everybody can

do is just spread the word that our programs are out there! Word of mouth is key!

What work does Best Buddies do that you think is most important? I think increasing confidence and providing a sense of belonging and ownership for individuals with IDD. I ask school students all the time how much they like it when they’re told that they’re not allowed to do things that they want to do, or told that they’re not old enough to do something? Then I ask them to imagine that happening to them one hundred times as often and that’s closer to the lives of many of our friends with IDD. Best Buddies creates a cultural space that people with IDD can relax and feel free in, and most of all demonstrate their talents, personali-ties and incredible capacities for love and friendship.

As a 501 C what is the biggest challenge you encounter? For me it’s probably not being able to help everywhere. I’m fortunate enough to work in an office space that is filled with other nonprofits. I work with incredible teachers, host site coordinators, families, and administrators. And then I also hear from and meet so many people that we’re not working with yet. Sometimes it’s hard for me to swal-low the fact that I can’t help out everywhere all of the time. That’s why it’s important for leaders in our communities to take initiative, and for new leaders to rise-up. If we all come together and stand for each other’s causes and concerns, we can definitely accomplish great things.

THERAPY 2000 has started a 501C called Chari-T2000 that provides help to kids with developmental delays obtain the necessary equipment and services theyneedwhentheirfamilycannotfinanciallyafforditandno other resource is available. Any tips for fundraising and helping more people? I think that one of the number one things that we in the nonprofit sector need to focus on, is making sure that our people in our communities un-derstand that we need their help. They are the engine in the car, and we’re just the GPS system. So be honest about what you need, be clear about the long term goals for your organization and be specific with how people can help you in an organized way.

9

Excitement at Every TurnSaturday, October 27th, 2012, therapists, volunteers and patients alike gathered on the field of Rough Riders’ Dr Pepper Ballpark for a day of play. We had patients and parents dressed in costume and everyone had an amazing time! Entering the field through the dugout in true baseball player style; patients were welcomed with the talents of Rachel Quitevis and her skilled balloon artistry. She created everything from hippos to flowers to monkey hats. Everyone was so excited to see what she would come up with next! Our patients were them invited to make Halloween masks with our Teen Team! They used markers, crayons, WikiSticks, feathers and their imagination to make works of art to wear on their faces or around their necks! The kids then had their pick of the field activities for playtime. They ran

from station to station, including a ball relay race, bowling and bubble station! There was also parachute play that quickly became a cape for some superhero kid-dos and beanbag toss that got very competitive — between the therapists! We had a super special visit from the SPCA’s Compassion Connection therapy dogs. Zoe, Tusko and Simon loved playing with everyone and made the event extra special. Simon even did tricks like ringing a bell! We had a huge surprise guest when Deuce, the Rough Riders mascot, made an appearance and said hello to everyone on the field! He had fun playing too and tried the bean bag toss and parachute play and indulged in some cotton candy.The day was so much fun and everyone had a great time seeing the joy that the event brought to the patients and their families. We are so grateful to everyone who helped make the event such a success!

t2k adVocacy Jennifer riley, community relations Director

Now that the elections are completed, it is time to get back to work advocating for children who receive Medicaid in Texas to continue receiving medically necessary physical, occupational and speech therapy. Jerre and I frequently meet with leaders of the Texas Legislature such as com-mittee chairs and members who make decisions about the services we provide. Now with so many newly elected House and Senate members, we need your help in educating all lawmakers about the long-term and cost-saving benefi ts of our services.

Therefore, we are planning two exciting events that we would like for you to be a part of. In late 2012, THERAPY 2000 will be organizing an In-District Lobby Week where we will ask as many T2K staff as possible to volunteer to visit their Senate and House representatives. We will provide you with the tools necessary to describe our services, the children we serve and the Texans we employ. This is an important step in the legislative process since many new lawmakers are not always familiar with our industry.

Second, we are planning a Therapy Day at the Capitol once the 83rd Texas Legislature begins in January 2013 and the pro-posed state budget and new bills affecting our services have been introduced. We will have legislative advocacy training for all volunteers and a Therapy Day Pep Rally of sorts hopefully at our Austin offi ce! We would like to set a goal that 100 — yes, you read it correctly, 100 — of our T2K family travel to Austin to lobby at the Capitol.

In addition, I am starting a Legislative Advocacy Committee to help steer these events. If you are interested in joining the committee and/or participating in the In-District Lobby Week and Therapy Day at the Capitol, please email:

[email protected]

Jennifer and Jerre with Rafael Anchia who is the State Representa-tive for our Lone Star offi ce and surrounding neighborhood.

Jennifer and Jerre with Royce West who is the State Senator for our Lone Star offi ce and surrounding neighborhood.

www.kaishinlab.com

12

www.kaishinlab.com

T2K Tech TalkToday’s soc iety is a busy one. We are a l l look ing for shor tcuts, ways to save t ime and s impl i fy our l i ves. So here in IT we have compi led a l is t o f keyboard shor tcuts that should come in use in your work and home l i fe and shave prec ious seconds of f your computer work. Cut out and keep th is l is t be low handy in your favor i te workspace.

For more tools or tips contact:Maico l N ieto maico l .n ie [email protected]

iCan't

Windows system key combinations

• F1: Help• CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu• ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs• ALT+F4: Quit program• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently• Windows Logo+L: Lock the computer (without

using CTRL+ALT+DELETE)

Windows program key combinations

• CTRL+C: Copy• CTRL+X: Cut• CTRL+V: Paste• CTRL+Z: Undo• CTRL+B: Bold• CTRL+U: Underline• CTRL+I: Italic

General keyboard-only commands (when you don’t have a mouse, and for doing things quickly)

• F1: Starts Windows Help• F10: Activates menu bar options• SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for the

selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object)

• CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the AR-ROW keys to select an item)

• CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start but-ton (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)

• CTRL+SHIFT+ESC: Opens Windows Task Manager

• ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box

• ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB

key to view the task-switching window)• SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key

while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature

• ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window)

• ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's Sys-tem menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window)

• CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program

• ALT+underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu• ALT+F4: Closes the current window• CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple Docu-

ment Interface (MDI) window• ALT+F6: Switch between multiple windows

in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window)

Windows Explorer shortcuts

For a selected object: • F2: Rename object• F3: Find all fi les• CTRL+X: Cut• CTRL+C: Copy• CTRL+V: Paste• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately,

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Patient success stories: isaBel

14

This precious two-year -old was referred to us when she was only three months old. Isabel has a diagnosis of Prader-Willi Syndrome. All three dis-ciplines from our agency have been in the home, working with this beau-tiful girl and her amazing family. Tonya Ferguson, SLP, worked with her initially

on feeding skills, as she was having diffi-culties with oral motor weakness from the low tone associated with her di-agnosis. In June of last year, Isabel had made so much progress with her feeding skills that she was discharged. Beginning at nine months of age, Rachel Smith, OTR, was working with Isabel on proximal and core muscle strengthening, as she was unable to sit unsupported, prone prop, or crawl. Rachel asked me to come and do a couple of shadow visits with her to give her ideas of things to work on with her because we did not have a PT available to see Isabel at the time. Rachel incorporated suggestions, and Isabel continued to make progress with both her fine and gross motor skills. When I had the opportunity to pick her up, she was fifteen months old, and was just starting to push up into sitting independently and maintain weight on hands and knees for brief periods of time. Tonya re-evaluated Isa-bel shortly after and began seeing her again because the weakness in her jaw and tongue were hindering language development. By March, Isabel was crawling across the room. By June, she was cruising along furniture and tak-ing up to four independent steps, and this past month has

started ambulating independently, as well as transitioning from floor to stand without support! She is saying many more words during PT sessions, and is able to blow a horn, demonstrating increased strength in her lips and improved breath support for talking.

Why has she made such quick progress? I believe it is be-cause of two primary reasons: first, both her mom and dad follow through with everything shown to them during therapy sessions. It is a challenge to keep up with teaching them, because almost every session I come to find she has mastered what I worked with her on the week prior.

Mom and dad play with her daily, incorporating ac-tivities we have shown them in therapy. Sec-

ondly, I have had the privilege to partner with both Rachel and Tonya in her care.

Coordination of care has definitely benefited sweet Isabel. We talk regu-larly, letting each other know what we are working on so that we can incorporate the other’s goals into our own sessions.

Isabel is a true delight to work with – she loves my bean bag frogs, likes to hide under the bed and surprise Tonya when she comes, and is loving her new ability to walk!

This is why I’m

a therapist – I get to assist

families in helping their child to flourish,as well as partner with amazing therapists who share my passion. There isn’t anything else I’d rather be doing!

— Heather Pitner, PT

Many thanks to the West Division (this page) and East Division (next page) for the following success stories.

damianDamian is an almost fourteen-old boy diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and grand mal seizures. Tracey Raith, PT has been working with him in physi-cal therapy for a little over a year. During that time, Damian has transitioned from a boy who relied on others to move him, to now being able to stand, as well as take steps, with assistance, in his gait trainer. Damian recently received a new SWASH brace for

sitting. Tracey and Damian’s grandmother creatively adapted a $19 shelf from Target to make a small table for him. By positioning Damian against a piece of fur-niture and providing him with wedged pillows behind him and on each side, for additional support, he was able to successfully sit without any hands on assis-tance for the fi rst time in years. In this position, he is able to use both hands to play on his iPad, which is his favorite pastime. There are plans to attach pieces of a pool noodle to all sides of the table for additional padding and UE support. Damian is now able to sit in this position consistently 30-45 minutes at a time to play on his iPad, as well as interact with his family. As the pictures refl ect from his fi rst day in this new posi-tion, Damian is thrilled and very proud to be able to sit unassisted. Tracey has made a positive, functional impact in Damian’s life.

— Eileen Wade, MA, CCC-SLP

Happy Annivevev rsaryryr

ANNIVERSARIES

OCTOBER

Kristy Winiger ..............10/17/2002

Sandra Ordaz ................10/04/2004

Marisela Martinez ........10/18/2004

A’Donna Corbin ...........10/16/2006

Tara Wisdom .................10/09/2007

Sherri Woloszyn ...........10/15/2007

Jenifer Kamper .............10/12/2009

Julie Walker ...................10/20/2009

Anne Pinkenburg ..........10/26/2009

Vicki Prouty ...................10/28/2009

Darla Grant ...................10/01/2010

Risa Grace .....................10/04/2010

Kerri Bennett ................10/11/2010

Suomi Gandara .............10/11/2010

Emily Johnson ...............10/11/2010

Katherine Cantrell .......10/18/2010

Theresa Mai ...................10/25/2010

Amy Payne .....................10/25/2010

Adrienne Smith .............10/25/2010

Carissa Tracy .................10/25/2010

Shantell Knowlton .......10/21/2011

Mercedes Pina ..............10/24/2011

NOVEMBER

Guillermo Monjaras ....11/08/2001

Areti Hadjigeorgiou .....11/30/2001

Jennifer Riley .................11/07/2005

Karen Vardiman ............11/13/2006

Ashley Tarrant ...............11/05/2007

Diana Terry ....................11/02/2009

Patricia Gurinsky..........11/09/2009

Joanna Littler ................11/30/2009

Georgina Suick .............11/08/2010

Jean Belcher ..................11/10/2010

Juan Martinez ................11/15/2010

Michael Basham ............11/29/2010

Melissa Smith ................11/29/2010

DECEMBER

Ezequiel Valdez .............12/17/2001

Rhonda Gayle ...............12/01/2003

Jennifer Barbee .............12/14/2004

Bradley Jeffery ..............12/01/2005

Cynthia Lynette Fountain .................

12/20/2005

Maicol Nieto .................12/05/2006

Sheryl Sauter Parma ....12/15/2006

Jessica Martinez ............12/03/2007

Theresa Hill ...................12/01/2008

Jorge Marquez ..............12/17/2008

Edward de la Cruz .......12/06/2010

Stacey Willmon .............12/07/2010

Andrea Beach ................12/20/2010

Karen Cannon ..............12/20/2010

Gisele Owens ...............12/20/2010

Jill Glenn ........................12/02/2011

Michelle Adams ............12/05/2011

Martha M. Gutierrez .....12/05/2011

Rebecca Gay .................12/12/2011

Crystal Zamora ............12/12/2011

Jamie L Lombardo .........12/19/2011

t2k family day in the Piney woodsAugust 4th, 2012, was a day to celebrate our East Texas family. THERAPY 2000 staff and their families gathered at Fire Mountain Amusements for an afternoon of fun. We braved the Tyler heat to mix and mingle. Mini golf and arcade games were on the agenda. Some of our more competitive staff members went head to head in bumper boat battles and go-kart races. The challenges didn’t end outside, but continued at the indoor arcade. It was an incredible opportunity to relax with co-workers and to meet the family members who stand behind them everyday.

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safety on the JoBWeaskedafewofouramazingtherapistssomequestionsinregardstosafetyintheir

workplace , the patients home. They gave us some great advice!

T2K:Canyoushareastoryorquickanecdoteonhowoneofthesafetyprecautionsyou

practice on the job has helped you out in a “sticky” situation? Or share with us a home

health “situation” you were caught in that will not be repeated because now it’s on your

radar and you take special safety precautions so it doesn’t ever happen again?

Janet Stanford, PT

My patient is an 11-year-old boy with autism and is nonverbal. He has a history of breaking his wrist and he only grimaces when it happens. So Mom is very observant and sensitive to his expressions. We (Mom and I) were doing an SI activity of swinging him in a sheet and landing on the couch. Mom noticed a grimace and we stopped and checked his wrist. (He was placing his UEs into extension for a protective response upon each landing.) Mom took him for an Xray which was negative. I defi nitely stopped the high speed/ impact SI activites after that.

Toni Barron, ST

I was doing a feeding visit on a four-month-old. Mom sitting on couch next to me. Suddenly front door smashed in and police squad busted into home. Gun in my face, I was pushed back by policeman on couch, who demanded who I was and why I was there... I identifi ed myself and continued to hold my patient while fi ve men I didn't even know were in the home were brought out in handcuffs. Also, the rest of the family was handcuffed and taken outside. I was held for two hours and ultimately released with apologies from police.

Courtni Marshall, ST

Using gloves and proper washing techniques prevented exposure to staph that we were unaware was staph at fi rst.

Victoria Piper, OT

Not that long ago, I had a kiddo in a standing frame turned into the corner for a "time out' (per his behavior plan). He decided he didn't want to be there and leaned so far to one side his standing frame started to fall over - had I not been standing right behind him and able to immediately catch/stop the fall, he would have toppled over and probably have hit his head hard on a very close book case. The "kiddo" was 17 at the time. I reported the incident to his parents as an FYI reminder to never leave him unattended in his stander. Although I was doing the right thing, it was also a reminder to me.

Shannon Bowling, SLP

I try to fi nd libraries in areas where the neighborhood is commonly unsafe so that if I have to stop to do paperwork or go to bathroom I don't feel out of place or get harassed by neighborhood locals for money, etc like commonly happen at place like McDonalds. Don't carry a purse, just carry a wallet that can be put in bag you take into the home. Never put purse in trunk when get out at home because you never know who is watching.

Liz Inga, OT

I was told early on in my home health career to say hello or acknowledge people milling around the apartment/home you are going. Not only is there a chance for rapport, it also makes you look confi dent and less intimidated, and you are aware of your surroundings. I have had many clients whose neighbors, teenage siblings, and especially their friends, know I am there for the child. I have also had parents walk me to my car or watch that I enter my car without incident.

Joyce Carter, OT

I worked recently with a patient that had been compliant in behavior for the last few months but his behavior changed suddenly. He quickly became aggressive with some pushing and without any instigation. However, I was able to maintain my demeanor of fi rmness and re-direction with anticipation that this behavior would probably escalate. Although I was not able to complete the visit for that day, the patient was able to be kept safe as well as family and therapist until he could be re-directed elsewhere in the household. Subsequent visits have gotten back to normal with vigilance by OT of his behavior before therapy and with calming solutions ready to implement for his particular behavior. Parent and I never fi gured out what triggered his behavior but we did focus on what to do if it occurs again.

Chessa Jones, ST

I once had a family member sort of ask me for money. He followed me to my car and stood closely, which made me very uncomfortable. I notifi ed the LMSW who gave me advice on how to handle it, should the situation occur again. I also end conversations at the door now.

T2K: Do you have any safety tips you would like to share with The Insider and other

therapists on how to remain safe while performing your job in a variable environment

every day? Tips can be related to what you do to keep yourself safe or the child/family

you work with.

Amelia Rankin, PT

Tip: Always have enough gas in the tank, you don't want to be caught in a bad part of town, and nearly running out of gas

Shannon Bowling, SLP

Tip: If you are headed to rough area of town make sure that offi ce staff or family you are working with knows you are on your way and to be looking out for you. This is especially important as the time changes in evening and it gets dark early. Also if you are uncomfortable walking to your car in the dark ask patient family member to walk you to your car. I also took a "women against violence" safety course that taught me many important things to watch for.

Liz Inga, OT

Tip: Keep cell with you at all times (and get a car charger) , put purse in trunk or below car seat fi rst thing in morning, carry only essentials into the home, don't park in the driveway in case you need to leave quickly, acknowledge loiterers at apartment complexes so they know you are aware of your surroundings, don't take purse/money inside so you don't get approached by someone as you go to home/apartment, use backpack or messenger bag so hands are free, don't wear expensive jewelry or accessories!

Joyce Carter, OT

Tip: Of course be aware of all things going on in your environment. Anticipate what could happen and have in your mind a plan of action, especially if there have been warning signs. Trust in your "gut" instinct about situations. If something does not feel right, you probably have reason for concern.

Chessa Jones, ST

Tip: I always have my keys easily accessible should I need to quickly get in my car. I also think wearing scrubs or something along those lines is helpful, because it lets people know you are working and they may be less inclined to bother you.

Mercedes Pina, Intake Department

Tip: 1. Be aware of your surroundings. 2. Make sure things are not on the fl oor or put them away to avoid tripping on them. 3. If you see equipment or furniture that is broken or in bad condition, do not use it to avoid accidents. 4. Wear shoes that are appropriate for your activities: open toe shoe vs. closed toe, high heels vs. fl ats. 5. Sometimes we have to improvise, but be safe at the same time. e.g., do not use an offi ce chair with wheels instead of a stool or ladder to be able to reach something.

Shane Basham , RN Case Manager

Tip: Practice good hand washing, treat each patient as though they are possibly contagious and you will reduce your chance of becoming sick.

Jill Olsen, OT

Tip: Get supplies organized before opening your door. Don't use your cell getting in and out of your car.

Alex Paris Copywriter

Tip: Don't text while sitting in the car. You are vulnerable because you don't notice your surroundings!

Victoria Piper, OT

Tip: Always have soap, antiseptic wipes and kleenex in work bag. Keep a change of clothes, protective gown, mask and gloves in car. Use only bags that zip closed and only take out what you need. My rule for everyone is no one goes in my bag - often told in a sing-song voice in front of parents to siblings.

Amelia Rankin, PT

Tip: Keep the doors locked, and always be aware of your surroundings.

19

Back to school WitH Dava reynolDs

Q: Congratulations are in or-der! We heard you recently completed your Master’s in Speech Language Pathology. Tell us a little about your jour-ney towards this huge accom-plishment.

A: The journey was long and challenging. There were days I didn’t think I would finish. I was a wife, mother, and student. I was surrounded by a lot of people who gave me encouragement and support. I endured many burdens but nevertheless, there was a light at the end of the tun-nel. I am thankful to my family, friends, co-workers, and THERAPY 2000. Q: You were able to go back to school with some assis-tance from the THERAPY 2000’s Career Track Assistance Program. When did you start the program?

A: I started the program in July 2009. Q: Tell us a little about your school background. What you were doing before you decided to go back to school to become a SLP?

A: I worked as a 5th grade Math and Science Teacher at Pleasant Grove Elementary in Dallas, Tx. I also worked PRN at THERAPY 2000 as a Speech Pathologist Assistant. Q: Where and when did you get your masters?

A: I received my Masters from NOVA Southeastern Uni-versity located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in August 2012.

Q: What was the hardest part about going back to school?

A: Finding the time to study and complete assignments.

Q: What has changed the most in your life since you graduated?

A: I have more time to spend with my children now. And of course, my income has changed.

Q: What do you have to say to others who are thinking about going back to school?

A: It is a wonderful feeling once you complete the pro-gram. I had a big sigh of relief once it was over. Q: Where are you working now?

A: I am working out of Central Division at THERAPY 2000.

To learn more about the THERAPY 2000 Career Track Assistance Program contact Ira Kirkley:

[email protected]

where in the world?

Kimmy Gibson, RN, Case Manager, took a little bit

of T2K with her to Bora Bora. Looking good Kimmy!

Did you pack any duty-free goodies in that backpack?!

Beyond the reef

in memoriamMaarten van den Bent

20

where in the world?

in memoriamMaarten van den Bent

(November 3rd, 1938 — August 25th, 2012)

Moment of Truth(English Translation of "Geen Spel")

Death, when you come to me, maybe tomorrow, maybe today, I’ll let you, as a friend, into my house.

Is there another way?

But please, be kind to me: knowing with what I’m faced,don’t waste

your time, nor mine.

Make haste,and bring, whate’er you need,to comfort me with instant peace.Don’t play with me, I pray, as though you were a cat and I a mouse.

— Gerrit Visser

Geen SpelDood, ben je onderweg naar mij,

dan laat ik je, hoe kan ik anders,

niets spaaar je op jouw "Levensreis",

als vriend in huis.

Maar, als het even kan:

kom met geslepen zeis.

Speel niet met mij,

het spel van kat en muis

— Gerrit Visser

21

Division DirtINtroduCiNG New team leaders

welCome New west team members

west has New arrivals

West DivisionUpdates on the Super seven

Patricia Gurinsky, CCC/SLPCuyler Romeo, OTR Liz Capron, CCC/SLP

YoucanviewtheirfullprofilesinourweeklyT2K’Nections!

Ashley Collazo (PT)Arlington area

Angela Northcutt (ST)Haslett and Roanoke

KatiaClervaud(ST)Arlington area

KristinKirkley(ST)S.W. Fort Worth area

Taylor Wright (ST)Haltom City and

North Fort Worth area

Trina Ard (ST)Kellerarea

Carson Michael Seibert7/23/2012

7 lbs 15 oz, 21 inches

Landon James Estrada8/9/2012

7 lbs 15 oz, 20 inches

KellenPaulMullaney9/2/20129 lbs 4 oz

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East DivisionNew team members

east has New arrivals

We have a new PT and we’re excited! Jan Dulay, PT graduated from TWU this past semes-ter. She is new to Dallas, from Austin, Texas. She is pediatric focused and enjoys a broad scope of treatment practices. Jan is tiny, but she packs a punch — she has a black belt in Kuk Sool Won!

We are happy to announce that Christin Christopherson, ST is our newest team member to the North-East Division. She completed an internship with T2K in 2011 with Brianne Rich-ardson as her clinical supervisor. We are thrilled she decided to return! She is married with two daughters, Scarlet (7) and Kennedy (5). When she’s not working, she enjoys scrapbooking and jewelry making. She’s a great addition to the team.

Congratulations to Jenifer

LokeyKamper,STA and her

hubby on the arrival of their

first child. They are proud par-

ents to Hayden Marie, born on

May 8th, 2012. She’s beautiful!

Houston Divisionmeet the houstoN divisioN staff

Belem Acostsa, ST Bilingual

Belem comes to us with 6 years of experience in the public schools and pediatric clinical settings. In her off time, she is a Yoga instruc-tor for both adults and pediatrics. We are excited to have Belem on our team.

Casie McKamie, ST

Casie comes to us with 2 years of experience with pediatrics in school and outpatient settings. Casie is from Lubbock and gradu-

ated from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Wreck ‘em! She is a newlywed and the proud parent to a rescue golden retriever, Beau. Some of her hobbies in-clude reading, decorating, travel, and going to new restau-rants around Houston.

Brenda Garcia, ST Bilingual

Brenda comes to us with more than 6 years of experience with pediatrics in school, clinic and ECI settings. Two of Brenda’s passions are chocolate and dogs, in no par-ticular order. She has recently be-

gun house hunting in the greater Houston area.

Adriana Muzquiz, ST

and her husband wel-

comed their second son,

Victor Javier on Sept. 12th,

2012. He’s a perfect addi-

tion to their family!Victor Javier Hayden Marie

Houston Divisionmeet the houstoN divisioN staff

Sara Gomez, ST

Sara comes to us with 6 years of experience in the school setting and 4 years in pediatric home health. In her free time, Sara en-joys spending time with her fam-ily and reading. She has recently

taken up sewing as a hobby.

Jamie Lombardo and Maria Robinson — Marketing

Jamie is a diehard Texas Long-horn fan. Some of her hob-bies include: fishing, tennis, soccer, softball and spending time with her 3 precious nephews. Maria is originally from Louisiana but got to the great state of Texas as fast as she could. She is an avid reader of nonfiction and you can find her curled up with her Kindle on most days. Other hobbies include: spin class, yoga, fish-ing and spending time with family. She has a personal goal of completing her first 1/2 marathon in the Spring of 2013.

Shannon Bowling, ST

Shannon was our first therapist with T2K back in January. She came to us with 10 years of ex-perience in ECI, private practice, public schools and home health. Her professional passions include

building parent relationships, early intervention, and feed-ing. The LSU Tigers are near and dear to her heart since this is her alma mater. She enjoys spending time at home with her 3 cats and talking long distance with her family who live in New Mexico.

Barbara Wise, PT

Barbara comes to us with over 30 years of experience with adults and pediatrics. She is also a li-censed Massage Therapist. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, sing-

ing, music and spending time in the water.

Mina Iskander, PT

Mina did a student rotation with T2K and loved it so much he came on board after graduating. He is most proud of his new baby girl and his non-profit organiza-tion, Soaring Kidz, which provides

sports and recreational programs for kids with special needs.

Irma Riojas, OTR

Irma comes to us with 33 years of pediatric experience in home health and outpatient clinics. She has training in neurodevelopmen-tal treatment and pediatric splint-ing. She enjoys using Kinesio taping and very interested in developing therapeutic programs for kids with hemi-paresis. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, traveling and spending time with her family. She looks forward to mentoring other OT and COTA staff in the Houston Division.

Erik Garcia AOS/Staffer

Erik comes to us from the public school system where he spent 10 years in administration. He loves to travel around the world and spend time with his 2 fury companions-Louie and Charlie. Originally from

Monterrey, Mexico and moved to the US over ten years ago.

Naomi Fernandes, STA

Naomi comes to us with many years of experience with pediat-rics. She is originally from NOLA. In her free time, she enjoys spend-ing time with her family, traveling, reading and going to the movies.

24

25

East Texas DivisionKristy Easley, Full-time SLP, graduated from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio with a MA in Communication Dis-orders. She has 11 years of pedi-atric experience including outpa-tient, home health and the school

settings. Kristy also has several years of experience in management. She will cover ST services in the Tyler area as well as being a team leader for the East Texas division. Kristy enjoys spending time with her friends and family in her free time. Briana Singleton, Part-time SLP, graduated from Abilene Christian University in May 2009 with a MS in Communication Sci-ences and Disorders. She has worked previously in the pediatric outpatient and school settings. Bri-ana will cover speech therapy with patients in the Athens area. Briana likes to hang out with her husband, friends and family when she is off. She also enjoys cooking and swapping recipes with friends. Lindsey Stone, Full-time OTR,

transferred to Tyler from the Cen-tral Division. She has worked for THERAPY 2000 for 2 years. Lindsey graduated from UTMB in Galveston with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy and will

provide OT services for children in the Tyler, Jacksonville, Frankston and Palestine areas. She enjoys playing with her son and spending time outdoors in her free time.

Becky Vestfals, PRN OTR, re-ceived her Master’s in Occupation-al Therapy from UTMB in Galves-ton in 2011. Her experience, since graduation, has been with 2 local outpatient pediatric clinics. She

will cover OT in the areas of Tatum, Henderson and Kilgo-re. Becky enjoys cycling, wakeboarding and walking her dog when she is not working.

Kristin Giggleman, PRN, SLP transferred to the East Texas Divi-sion from the West Division. She has worked for THERAPY 2000 for 7 years. She graduated from North Texas with her Master’s in Speech Language Pathology and will serve

kids in the Pittsburg area. Kristin likes to spend time with her family, especially outdoors. She and her family are enjoying getting to know and getting involved in the Pitts-burg community.

Natasha Cline, Full-time COTA, received her Associate of Applied Science Occupational Therapist Assistant Degree from Panola College in 2011. Natasha comes to T2K with pediatric home health experience since graduation

and will provide OT services in the Henderson, Kilgore and Liberty City areas. Natasha states that she is very active in her youth group at church and teaches children aged 3-5 years on Sunday mornings. She and her fiancé enjoy walking her dog in the evenings. She loves the Ag-gies, reading and watching her nephew play sports.

Meredith Honeycutt, Full-time, Marketer, graduated from Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina with a BS in Sports Entertainment and Event Management. She has worked for the Muscular Dystro-

phy Association in East Texas for the past 4 ½ years and previously worked in Baghdad, Iraq as a moral, welfare and recreation coordinator for KBR-Halliburton. Meredith enjoys spending time in the lake boating, wakeboarding and tubing with her family in her down time.

east texas welcomes new emPloyees

meet the austin staffAlexis Vo, OT, grew up in the "Home of the Blues", Memphis, TN — home to Elvis and deli-cious Memphis-style BBQ. She is a fi rst generation Vietnam-ese American, originally born in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. She has loved traveling, and has touched

the waters of the Pacifi c Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Gulf Coast. She is dying to cross the Great Lakes off her bucket list. She discovered occupational therapy while studying abroad in France. She graduated earlier this year, earning a MS in Occupational Therapy at University of Tennessee Health Science Center, where she acted as Vice President of Academics for her class. Alexis has worked in Pediat-

ric Inpatient Neuro Rehab, Pediatric Outpatient, and now Pediatric Home Health. Her experience in healthcare has shown her that quality of life always is always worth fi ght-ing for.

Meredith Kapchinski, PT, com-pleted her undergraduate degree a Centenary College of Louisiana, where she was a member of the gymnastics team. There she dis-covered her interest of the medi-cal fi eld and the joy of working with children. She earned her Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Texas Tech University Health Science Center in May 2012, and has been work-

Central Division

Austin Division

meet CeNtral's New emPloYeesMy name is Jessica Minard. I am from Shreveport, Louisiana and at-tended the University of Arkansas (Woo Pig Sooie!) where I got my BS in Biology. I recently graduated from Texas Woman’s University in Dallas with my DPT! My supervi-sor is Theresa Hill. I look forward to getting to know all of y’all!

My name is Cameron Cousins (soon to be Cameron Hoverson as of November 3rd). I've been an SLP for about 2 years. I'm original-ly from Highland Village, TX. When I'm not working, I enjoy listening to live music and playing outside with my 2 Basenji-mix rescue dogs.

Hi! I amKirsten Selby. I am from the Houston area. I gradu-ated from Texas A&M (whoop!) in 2005 and completed my DPT at Texas Woman's University this past May. I'm excited to put all my schooling into practice and I'm so thankful to be part of the T2000

team! When I'm not working, I love spending time with my husband and relaxing at the lake.

My name is Courtney Quinn-Scott. I am originally from Miami, FL. I am an Army veteran and de-cided to get out to pursue a degree in PT. I received my BS in Kinesiol-ogy and my DPT from TWU. I am married and have an 8-month-old son, 17-year-old stepdaughter, and a 19-year-old stepson. Jerre was my TPTA mentor through-out the DPT program (and still is). He opened my eyes to the pediatrics realm and I am so happy that he did!! I look forward to meeting and working with everyone.

My name is Laura Hansen and I’m currently living in Denton, Tex-as. I graduated from TWU with my MOT in December, 2009. My un-dergrad was in child development, also from TWU. I worked at Den-ton State Supported Living Center for 2 and a half years, and while

I miss my patients I look forward to the opportunity to work with kids. I look forward to working with everyone!

26

27

meet the new san antonio team memBers

Janet Moeller, LPT, joined THER-APY 2000 in August. She has been a therapist for 23 years and loves all sports.

Starla Sweda, OT, joined THER-APY 2000 in September. She has been a therapist for 43 years. She enjoys spending time with her 5 grandkids and enjoys home repairs as well.

Sabrina Ponce, AOS, joined THERAPY 2000 in August. She has a BS in Kinesiology and is currently in a pre-occupational therapy pro-gram. She has a huge passion for kids! Her plan is to attend OT school to become an occupational therapist.

She loves attending baseball, bas-ketball and football games. She is a big sports fanatic!

Bobbi Rucker, COTA, joined THERAPY 2000 at the end of June. She's been a therapist for 17 years.

ing in outpatient pediatrics since graduation. She is very excited to be making the move into pediatric home health. On the weekends, you will find Meredith and her husband cheering on the Aggies!

Kathy Clapsaddle, Division Director, M.S., CCC-SLP, has worked as a therapist, a univer-sity instructor, a professional de-veloper and an educational leader. She is considered to be a therapy geek by those that know her well. She has always worked in pediat-

rics in multiple settings. Kathy loves trying to figure out the puzzle of children with autism and severe communica-tion impairments and has significant expertise in assistive technology.

JohnVargas,AOS, StaffingCo-ordinator, has 10 years in cus-tomer service and 5 years in the home health field (primarily hospice). He has been in every position in a hospice, from the receptionist up to the administra-tor. This includes systems trainer and consultant for new/struggling offices. John loves the medical industry and found it has and continues to fulfill his professional, personal goals and needs.

Michelle Coulter, PT, was born and raised in a small town in the Northeast Texas panhandle. She became interested in becoming a physical therapist when she finally, after years of shoulder disloca-tions from cheerleading and gym-nastics, went to a PT—the ONLY

PT in town! Michelle attended the University of Texas for undergrad, during which she worked as a PT tech for 2 years at a private, out-patient pediatric clinic in Austin and with the University of Texas Autism Project. She earned her Doctorate in Physical Therapy this past May from Texas Woman’s University in Dallas and has since worked in in-patient adult neuro rehab, out-patient pediatrics, and is ex-cited to now be working in home health pediatrics!

Ashley Fairleigh, SLP, has been an SLP for over 12 years and has worked in many sectors of the industry. She’s worked in the outpatient setting, school setting, home health setting, the hearing health setting, as a licensed hear-ing aid dispenser, and as a surgi-cal rep for Cochlear Americas. Her primary interest is in working with children with hearing loss and educating professionals on hearing loss.

San Antonio Division

She loves to help people. She says, "I'm a caregiver, that's what I do!" She loves to travel but hardly has any time.

Jill Olsen, OTR, joined THERAPY 2000 in September. She's been a therapist for 6 years. She loves working with kids and the elderly. She loves being a mommy to her almost two-year-old baby and she enjoys travelling.

Sandra Diaz, COTA, joined THERAPY 2000 in September. She's been a therapist for 8 years. She teaches children’s ministry at her local church. She was born in west Texas then moved to Or-ange County in 1987. She attended COTA School in Santa Ana. She moved back to Texas in

2007.

Lisa Espinosa, MOT, OTR, joined THERAPY 2000 in August. She has been a therapist for 9 years. In her spare time she enjoys exer-cising, painting and gardening.

Rebecca Mastrovich, PT, joined T2K back in July. She has 8 years of experience as a physical thera-pist. She loves her job and loves being able to help children. She also loves spending time with her

daughter and her fi ancé.

Tammy Godfrey, MS, CCC-SLP, started with THERAPY 2000 in August. She completed her in-ternship last year, so she is just getting started in her career.

Cindy McMillan, MA, CCC-SLP came to T2K in July. She has 15 years of experience in the fi eld. Working out is a daily event for her. She instantly becomes en-thralled like a two-year-old when she passes by the television to watch a movie-except horror movies. She loves camping, reading and doing newspaper puzzles like sudoku, ken ken and word jumble.

Caren Cuellar, STA, Bilingual, joined the T2K team back in July. She has a BS in English Commu-nications with a concentration in Public Relations. She then got a second BS in Communication Dis-orders from Our Lady of the Lake in 2012. This is her fi rst year of

doing speech therapy and she plans to go back for her MS in Speech Pathology. She has done several marathons involving running and biking (MS 150 and the "Rock 'n' Roll Marathon").

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THERAPY 2000

2535 Lone Star Dr.

Dallas, TX 75212