Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy Services:
Sensory Regulation
When children have sensory processing issues, an Occupational Therapist supports the child and family by working to develop an understanding of the needs of the child. Everyone is different; learning the strategies to help a child will allow them to be successful.
Fine Motor
Working on the small muscles of the hands and fingers, with the eyes. These skills help to enable us write, grasp small objects or fasten up clothing! As an Occupational Therapist we can support your child to learn skills to help with crafts, writing letters/numbers and engaging within the classroom with confidence!
Picky Eating
Eating can add so much extra stress within a family. We are here to support you with the STEPS+ process by Katja Rowell and Jenny McGlothlin, as well as the SOS feeding protocol! This has allowed us to be well rounded and look at the situation with what is function in your family dynamic!
Self-Care
Are there tasks that you do with your child daily that you would like them to start doing independently? This may be things such as potty training, dressing, brushing their teeth or eating. Having an Occupational Therapist support your child in this can help them build the skills through tips and tricks allowing them to feel great doing these tasks every day!
Our Occupational Therapists:
Teanna Matchett
Teanna is our lead occupational therapist and owner of Ascend Pediatrics. She has always loved being on the go and going onto the next challenge! Her love of working with families and children came about during her community pediatric placement at Inn from the Cold, a family homeless shelter in Calgary, Alberta.
She loves to look at the big picture and ensuring we are taking a team approach to meet the full needs of the family! Teanna has specialized training within picky eating, and loves to work within sensory processing, self-care, mental health and emotional regulation skills. When supporting kids in these areas, she loves to dive into the process and build strong function skills and build confidence within themselves. Teanna has worked with many different families and disabilities over the years, making her experience diverse!
On her time off, Teanna is often spending time with her two dogs - Levy & Lexy! She can be found with friends and family enjoying the outdoors, either hiking, sitting on the patio, or on those cold Alberta days enjoying a good Netflix binge!
Danielle Monagle
Danielle is a calm and creative occupational therapist who began her career in Northern Alberta, serving diverse communities in urban and rural school settings. As her journey evolved, she expanded her focus to include providing services to children and families in their homes.
Driven by a deep satisfaction in working with children, Danielle discovered her passion for pediatric occupational therapy. She strives to create nurturing environments where families feel supported. Danielle prioritizes a client-centered practice and is dedicated to empowering families to achieve their desired outcomes through collaborative and personalized therapy.
She employs a play-based approach to promote skill development and specializes in fine and gross motor skills, self-care (including toileting and feeding), emotional regulation, and sensory processing. Witnessing the transformative effects of occupational therapy fuels Danielle's commitment to enhancing children's lives and promoting family well-being.
Outside of work, Danielle enjoys playing golf, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with family and friends.
Erin Thorson
With a strong passion for play, positivity and a client-centred therapy, Erin is a great pediatric occupational therapist! Throughout her occupational therapy degree, she completed multiple pediatric placements at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and with Teanna at her previous company Journey OT. Erin experienced the enormous impact that occupational therapy services can have on children and their families through these placements.
Erin is interested in play-based therapy and using creative methods to help children gain independence and reach their goals. She has a strong desire to help children develop fine motor, self-care, social and regulation skills that will help them flourish in their daily lives. The opportunity to empower children and their families through simple tasks of everyday life is what inspires her to work in pediatrics.
In her free time, she enjoys hiking, baking and playing with her family’s dog!
Emma Petty
With a passion for helping children and families achieve their goals in ways that feel fun, meaningful and empowering, Emma brings a warm, play-based approach to therapy. She believes in meeting children where they’re at and building on their strengths through play to support growth in motor skills, sensory processing and daily activities.
Since graduating in 2008 from the University of Alberta, Emma has worked in a wide range of pediatric and rehabilitation settings, including early intervention community practice. She has experience supporting children with a variety of developmental needs, and her clinical skills include sensory integration strategies, fine motor development and supporting self-care (including picky eating) and school readiness skills. Emma values collaboration with families and educational teams to create therapy plans that are engaging, individualized and practical for everyday life. Her career has also taken her into humanitarian work, where she applied her OT expertise to design inclusive rehabilitation services and improve access to assistive technology in crisis-affected settings around the world.
Outside of work, Emma loves spending time in the mountains, exploring remote places to camp in the summer and searching for fresh powder in the backcountry on her splitboard in the winter.
Kara Dobovich
Kara always loved working with children and in becoming a pediatric occupational therapist she feels fulfilled within her work! She applied to Occupational Therapy school with a desire to work with children and despite many great experiences in other fields, her desire was confirmed when she completed her final clinical school placement at Ascend. She enjoyed it so much, she didn’t want to leave!
She has a calm and relaxed, yet fun-loving personality that enables her to make great connections with the children she works with. Kara loves to support children in developing skills and strategies in a variety of areas including social skills, emotional regulation, self-care and sensory processing. She recognizes the importance of a family-centered approach and always strives to make therapy fun!
Apart from working with children, Kara enjoys living an active lifestyle. You can frequently find her in the mountains hiking, biking, or skiing. Off the mountain, she enjoys walks with her dog, getting in a good workout and spending quality time with family and friends.
Zoe Beliveau
Zoe first discovered her love for working with children during her initial pediatric placement in Occupational Therapy school. That experience sparked a passion that led her to pursue another pediatric placement, and ever since graduating she has focused her practice on supporting children and their families.
Zoe takes a family-centered approach, recognizing that while her me with each child is limited, their family and support network are central to their growth. She strives to coach and empower families, helping them feel confident in supporting their child’s development and engagement in daily activities. Zoe also uses a play-based approach and enjoys adapting activities to each child’s unique interests, making therapy both fun and meaningful.
Outside of work, Zoe enjoys running, reading, spending 5me with friends and family, and exploring Alberta’s beautiful hiking trails!