Our Team

We continue to be committed to providing the highest quality of services to our clients and their families and to improve the level of understanding of sensory integration dysfunction in the community via education.  APT staff continues to pursue continuing education opportunities in order to remain on the ctting edge of occupational therapy treatment.  


This is who we are:

Sharron Donnelly

Occupational Therapist

  

Sharron Donnelly is a co-founder and the owner of Advanced Pediatric Therapies.  Sharron has extensive training in a multitude of areas related to pediatric occupational therapy and child
development and believes that an eclectic approach allows more individualized, holistic treatment tailored to each unique child, family and situation.  Sharron holds a certificate in Infant Toddler Health from Portland State University.
  Sharron has had the opportunity to be mentored by leading clinicians in the field of pediatric occupational therapy.  Her direct mentors include Sheila Frick, Patti Oetter, and Julie Wilbarger.  She has also received extensive mentoring with Beth Osten in the DIR® approach.  Sharron has a passion for learning in order to provide the most effective, current and meaningful therapy services possible to children and their families.  Sharron feels committed to ensuring that her staff has a high level of training from her mentors as well.

 

Sharron has her Master’s in occupational therapy from Washington University in St. Louis and has worked in a variety of settings including Early Intervention, schools and private practice.  Sharron also holds a certificate in Infant Toddler Health from Portland State University. Sharron is certified in administration of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test and has trained extensively on sensory processing disorders.  She is a Registered Interactive Metronome trainer and has experience in Auditory Integration Training, Listening Fitness and SAMONAS.  Sharron is trained in many relationship based approaches and has completed her certificate in the DIR Model and the Foundational Capacities of Development, a certificate in Early Start Denver Model, and training in Project Impact. She has extensive knowledge in using DIR/Floortime as a treatment model.  She also has training in Social Thinking by Carol Gray, Qigong Sensory Massage, and Integrated Listening Systems.


Currently, Sharron teaches nationally and internationally for Vital Links to train other professionals in Therapeutic Listening™.  In fact, APT is a national mentor site on this therapeutic intervention.

 

When not working, Sharron enjoys spending time with her two boys, reading, travelling,
and running.

 

 



Melissa Kunkle

Occupational Therapist

 

Melissa received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated with honors. Melissa has always felt passionate about working in pediatrics and loves getting to know each child and their unique strengths.  Melissa is dedicated to working with children with sensory processing related challenges.  Melissa has advanced training in DIR/Floortime, the Therapeutic Listening™ Program, Vestibular Activation, SOS Approach to Feeding, Social Thinking®, and various sensory intervention techniques.

 

She is a certified Interactive Metronome provider, has completed the USC Sensory Integration Continuing Education Certification, and is a STAR Institute for SPD Level 1 Advanced Mentored Clinician. Melissa strongly believes in treating the whole person and enjoys working towards a child's goals using a team approach between the therapist, child, family, and other care providers.

 

In her free time Melissa enjoys cooking and baking, playing music with family and friends, spending time outdoors, and exploring the ever growing food and arts community in the Pacific Northwest.

Malea Castellanos

Occupational Therapist

 

Malea graduated from Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon with her doctorate in occupational therapy.  She has always loved working with children, including volunteeering at camps for children of all abilities.  During graduate school, she had the opportunity to work with the nonprofit organization, Go Baby Go, which provides adapted fun and functional transportation options for children with limited mobility.  This work allowed her to travel abroad and teach other therapists about the importance of early mobility.  Her travels served to strenghten her passion for pediatric care and the value of play for children of all ages and abilities.  Malea is trained in sensory integration techniques and strives to provide collaborative and evidence based care.

 

Malea was born in Portland, Oregon and has lived here for the majority of her life.  In her spare time, Malea loves cooking, reading, trying new restaurants, and exploring the Pacific Northwest with her husband and dog. 

Justinne Stone

Occupational Therapist

 

Justinne received her doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon.  Justinne has a passion for kids and has worked as a therapy assistant at an occupational therapy clinic for four years prior to graduate school.  Justinne has had the opportunity during her fieldwork experience to work at Camp Yakety Yak and Providence Children's Development Institute and also worked as an OT at an outpatient pediatric clinic.  Justinne strives to work collaboratively with kids and families to ensure that therapy is fun, evidence-based, and fits the unique needs of each child, their daily routines, and occupations.

 

Justinne moved to Oregon from British Columbia, Canada in 2018.  In her spare time, Justinne enjoys exploring, traveling, reading, photography, and spending time with her husband and family. 

 

Tamar Nevo

Occupational Therapist

 

Tamar graduated from Haifa University, Israel, in 1995. Since then Tamar has been practicing occupational therapy in a variety of pediatric settings in the US and in Israel.  Tamar uses a holistic approach combining different frames of reference with a focus on motor development, communication and sensory processing skills.  Tamar has extensive continuing education and is certified in NDT, DIR, SOS feeding, Therapeutic listening and more.

 

Tamar is a mother of three wonderful girls, and as a mother understands the importance of including the parents in the treatment process and working with them as a team.  She is also a Pilates trainer and trained as a Personal Life Coach.

Tamar loves traveling the world, hiking, backpacking and camping with her family. She tries to always make time for running and exercising.  In her free time Tamar enjoys reading and spending quiet family time at home.

Cara Snell

Occupational Therapist

 

Cara received her Master in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Washington University in Spokane, WA. Cara has had a passion for working with children since a young age and began pursuing Occupational Therapy seriously in high school. She has a background in Developmental Psychology and believes that families are an integral part of the therapy process. Cara strives to increase her knowledge, in order to make herself a better Occupational Therapist. As the mother of two young girls, Cara understands the importance of working with each family to help support their family function. She has had training in the SOS Feeding Approach, Aquatic Therapy, DIR/Floortime, Therapeutic Listening™ Program, Interactive Metronome, and various sensory intervention techniques. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings but feels her passion is to work with families and children in outpatient pediatric sensory integration settings.

 
Cara enjoys spending time with her family outdoors, playing the piano, reading, and baking. She enjoys anything active and encourages her family and those around her to live an active life in their community.

 

Jenny Alvarez

Occupational Therapist

 

Jenny received her BS in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, in 1997, where she graduated Cum Laude. For the last 20+ years, she has worked primarily with children in a wide variety of settings.  This has included owning her own private practice, working in public and private schools, early intervention, hospital acute care, ICU and outpatient clinic, and home care.  She lived and worked in The Netherlands for 4 years, providing OT services to children from around the world. 

 
Jenny has had a great deal of advanced training in Sensory Integration, SPD, 
Handwriting Without Tears, Therapeutic Listening, Vestibular Activation, sensory-based 
feeding interventions, The Alert Program, creating and implementing Social Stories, 
DIR, infant/child NDT and handling techniques.  She is currently working on being a 
certified Interactive Metronome provider. 


When she isn’t working, Jenny enjoys spending time with her husband and two girls.  
She enjoys traveling, skiing, reading, cooking and finding the best tasting food in town.  
Most of all, Jenny enjoys laughing and seeing the world through the eyes of the children around her.

Bonnie Carlson

Occupational Therapist

 

Bonnie received her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Virginia Commonwealth University.  Bonnie has worked in a variety of settings with both adults and children.  She worked in a large inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Boston, where she did a rotation on the pediatric unit.  Since that time, she has worked almost exclusively with children, both in an inpatient rehabilitation setting and in hospital-based and private outpatient clinics.  Her professional interests include working with children with congenital developmental delays, autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing dysfunction, cerebral palsy, obstetric brachial plexus injury, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and traumatic brain injury.  She has advanced training in neurodevelopmental treatment, sensory integration, Therapeutic Listening, Yoga Calm, DIR Floortime, Alert Program, feeding, splinting and treatment of upper extremity injuries.


She enjoys exploring Oregon, entertaining, traveling with her family, and exercising.  She is
married and has two sons, two dogs and three cats.

Briana Larson

Occupational Therapist

 

Briana received her doctorate in occupational therapy from Pacific University in Hillsboro, Oregon.  Prior to graduate school, she was an educational assistant working in a structured skills classroom for children with a variety of different diagnoses.  She completed her doctoral capstone at the Providence Center for Medically Fragile Children, which provides 24 hour care to children with complex and specialty medical needs.  Briana has always had a passion for working with kids and values a collaborative and strenghs-based approach to care.

 

Briana was born and raised in Portland, OR where she enjoys spending her summers camping and being on the water, riding wave runners and water skiing.  She loves to travel with her family and is a long-time member of Portland's Singing Christmas tree alongside her mom and sister.

Kayla Barzee

Occupational Therapist

 

Kayla graduated from Pacific University with her Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy and she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California Santa Cruz.  Prior to her occupational therapy studies, she was an early childhood educator.  Kayla has experience working with children, families, and adults across educational, community, outpatient, and acute care settings in the Portland area.  She hopes to help her clients engage in meaningful activity as a means to develop, learn, and thrive!  Her interest areas include sensory integration, reflex integration, fine & gross motor development, sensory & behavioral strategies, and developing therapeutic relationships with her clients.

 

Kayla was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area, and enjoys traveling (to Disneyland especially!), baseball, baking and crafting, and spending leisure time with family, her boyfriend, friends, and her two tabbies, Buster & Posey!

Alyssa Muela

Occupational Therapist

 

Alyssa received her master's degree in occupational therapy from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California.  Alyssa has worked in a variety of settings, including skilled nursing and home health, with the bulk of her experience in pediatrics private practice and school-based settings. Her interest areas include social-emotional health, behavioral strategies, sensory integration, gross/fine motor development, feeding strategies/development, parent/caregiver training, and believes in building trusting relationships with kids and their families.

 

Alyssa moved to Vancouver, Washington from Southern California with her husband, three younger sons, and three dogs. She has a son attending college in Palm Desert, California.

Janet Kittleson

Occupational Therapist

 

Janet received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. She loves working with kids and families to help kids feel more regulated and successful. Janet uses the DIR/floortime model for social-emotional development, Zones of Regulation and/or Alert Programs for Self-Regulation, Social Thinking, and a variety of sensory integration techniques to promote self-regulation and engagement. She has training in Therapeutic Listening Program, SOS Feeding Approach, and advanced training in praxis and vestibular activation. She enjoys working with children and families using a strength-based approach to develop strategies for the child's needs and families' lifestyles to help them better succeed in daily life. She is a lifelong learner and always expanding her knowledge in evidence-based practices. 

 

In her free time, Janet loves having adventures with her husband and two kids or trail running with friends. She loves to read, bake, and get crafty at times. 

Sydney Sullivan

Occupational Therapist

 

Sydney was born and raised in Vancouver, WA. She received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Washington University in Spokane, WA. She was first introduced to OT at 4 years old when she began attending her younger brother's appointments at APT, which sparked her passion for going into pediatric occupational therapy. She has experience working with children and adults with a variety of diagnoses across outpatient, acute care, and home health settings. She believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to not simply survive but to thrive. Sydney strives to provide evidence-based and client-centered care.

 

Sydney enjoys baking, crafts, and spending time with her friends and family.

Nicole Obar

Occupational Therapist

 

Nicole was born and raised in Dallas, TX. She received her Master's in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman's University. She started her career at a children's hospital in Dalles and worked with children with various complex diagnoses, congenital conditions, developmental delays, learning difficulties, and feeding. She moved to Austin, TX and worked at a sensory-based pediatric therapy clinic focusing on child-led and play-based therapy, social-emotional skills, sensory integration, and feeding therapy. She has always loved working with children and values each child's unique personality. 

 

Nicole and her husband with their dogs recently moved to OR and are excited for all the experiences a new state brings! Nicole loves to spend time with family and friends, travel, and explore the outdoors with her husband and their pups. 

Kristi Waggoner

Practice Manager

 

Kristi was born in California, raised in Arizona, and moved to Washington where she has worked as a bookkeeper and in office administration for the last 25 years.  When she isn't working, Kristi loves spending time with her family, friends, and her many dogs.  She stays busy with early morning workouts, chasing her dogs, and reading a good book.

Cayla Murin

Office Manager 

 

Cayla is from Idaho and moved to Oregon after graduating from the University of Idaho with a degree in Exercise Science and Health. She spends most of her time hanging out with her partner Cody and dog Morty. In her free time, she enjoys exploring Oregon, cooking, and tending to her "growing" houseplant collection.

 

Sydney Duran

Office Coordinator

 

Sydney was born in Denver and raised in Vancouver. She has worked in administration in the medical field on and off for 9 years. She spends most of her time with her dog Max and cat Kiki. She enjoys houseplants, reading, concerts, and exploring WA wine country.

 

Oh to be a kid again... can you guess who these cute aspiring therapists grew up to be?

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