Meet Miss Melissa
Melissa Pueschel COTA/L
Melissa was born in Anchorage, Alaska and returned back to Florida at a young age where she grew up and completed her schooling. She attended Polk State College and graduated in 2019 with her degree in Occupational Therapy and became NBCOT certified in the same year.
Melissa worked as a rehab tech in a large hospital throughout school and worked at Amazing Kidz helping with the front desk after finishing her clinicals before her board exam. Melissa has been with Amazing Kidz since 2018 where she completed a clinical rotation and continued to remain with Amazing Kidz. Since graduating, Melissa has worked at the number one ranked hospital in Tampa working with pediatrics and adults ranging from critical care to outpatient. She has also continued to grow with Amazing Kidz. Melissa is now full time with Amazing Kidz and has always felt like this was her true home.
Melissa has been involved with the Autism Speaks committee in Tampa the last 3 years and is trained in Handwriting Without Tears. Melissa is very passionate about working in pediatrics and helping each child achieve their greatest potential. She strives to meet the needs of her patients and their families.
Outside of the treatment room, Melissa enjoys spending time with her dogs, loved ones, and going to the beach.
Provide children the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential, enhance the lives of the families we touch, strengthen the communities we serve.
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Meet Miss Amber
Meet the Therapy Team
Vision:
Occupational Therapy
Meet Miss Becky
Becky Turner, MA, CCC-SLP
Becky is a Florida native, born and raised on the beautiful beaches of the Florida panhandle. She spent the last 10 years living in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois and is beyond excited to be back “home” in the Sunshine State. Becky received her Master’s Degree (2005) in Communicative Disorders from the University of Central Florida. She knew at a young age that she wanted to pursue the field of speech-language pathology. She firmly believes that no matter the age, the best gift she can give is to help others communicate with their families and loved ones.
Becky has experience working with both children and adults in numerous settings, such as home-based therapy, private clinics, inpatient and outpatient hospitals and skilled nursing facilities. She is experienced in evaluating and providing treatment in a variety of areas including, but not limited to, ASD, articulation, expressive and receptive language, fluency, oral motor dysfunction, sensory processing disorders and both sensory based and structurally rooted feeding difficulties. Becky has worked as an early interventionist, a traumatic brain injury specialist, CFY supervisor, feeding specialist, and therapist mentor. She has lead several school-age social language groups utilizing the Superflex curriculum and has been trained in the use of Interactive Metranome, SOS feeding therapy, Beckman Oral Motor Therapy and several cognitive-communication treatment techniques.
Becky strongly believes that each patient is unique; therefore, takes an individualized approach with each patient and their treatment plan. She sees the importance of working in conjunction with her patients, their families, other professionals, and schools to develop and implement treatment programs to best serve her patients and facilitate carryover of skills into their everyday environments.
Outside of the treatment room, Becky enjoys going to the beach and being outdoors with her family and friends. Traveling, crafting and shopping also bring a smile to her face.
Courtney Hersch PT, DPT
Courtney is a born and raised Floridian, growing up in Fort Myers, FL. Courtney moved to Gainesville, FL to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology with a minor in Disability in Society, followed by her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Florida.
Courtney always knew that she wanted to work in the pediatric population. Growing up, Courtney volunteered and worked at various places supporting children including daycare, preschool and overnight summer camp. While at University of Florida, Courtney was selected to be an INSPIRE Grant Recipient, where she received specialized training with Occupational and Speech Language Therapists to work with children ages 0-3 years old.
Courtney has gained experience treating children of all ages in an outpatient setting. Courtney has worked with a variety of diagnosis (including but not limited to): Autism Spectrum Disorder, Torticollis, Cerebral Palsy, Toe Walking, Genetic Disorders, Developmental Delays, and Orthopedic cases.
Outside the treatment room, Courtney enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, her family/friends and her cat, Spooky. She loves traveling, being active (including walking, hiking, biking), crocheting, and spending time with loved ones.
- Amazing Kidz Therapy provides premier pediatric therapy services to children from birth to the age of 18.
- Quality care and customer experience are the cornerstones on which we are founded.
- Every child is unique and deserves services that reflect the same in order to maximize their independence within all of their natural settings, including home, school and play.
- Support families through care, education, and resources that enhance the lives of those we touch.
- Passionate about strengthening the variety of communities that we serve.
Kathleen Pici, OTR/L, CAS
Kathleen attended Utica College of Syracuse University where she received her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Occupational Therapy in 2002. While obtaining her degree, Kathleen worked as a Community Integration Specialist with children, assisting them assimilating within a variety of environments to expand their social skills and community involvement.
Kathleen has specialized training in Hand Writing Without Tears®, Rhythmic Entrainment Intervention, Interactive Metronome, Orthotic Contracture Management and Seating and Positioning. Kathleen is a certified Autism Specialist with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards. In addition, she is a certified trainer in Spaced Retrieval cognitive strategies. Kathleen is incredibly passionate and enthusiastic in her work within the pediatric population. Her experience spans evaluating and treating a variety of populations including (but not limited to) Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorders, Behavioral Disturbances, Down Syndrome, Selective Mutism, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, ODD, ADHD, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Torticollis and congenital neurogenic motor disturbances. Kathleen approaches her treatment with a client centered, individualized approach for each patient and family with the understanding that each child and family is unique and deserves their treatment to be tailored to their specific needs. Her evaluation and treatment is centered around the whole child to ensure that all needs are addressed to allow the child to maximize their development and thrive within their multitude of environments.
Outside of the office, Miss Kat enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, time with friends, participating in various charity organizations, cooking, crafting, and reading. She loves to travel, especially to places that have a beach!
Speech Therapy
Mission:
Amber Hernandez, MA, CCC-SLP
Amber received her Masters Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from University of Central Florida (2011).
While she currently lives in the Riverview area, she has also worked and lived in Orlando and Arkansas. Amber has worked in the school system, at skilled nursing facilities, at private practices, and in the preschool setting. Working in different settings has afforded her a wide range of experiences.
Amber is experienced in providing treatment to many areas of the speech and language field, including but not limited to, ASD, AAC, Apraxia, Articulation, Expressive and Receptive Language delays, and early language development. She has worked with numerous AAC devices and enjoys implementing visual communication into most of her therapy sessions. Amber believes that it is very important to involve families in the treatment plan to ensure carryover to all aspects of the child's life. She also feels that it is important to look at the whole child when evaluating and treating, including any related disciplines to ensure the child's treatment plan is tailored to their specific needs. Amber enjoys collaborating with other disciplines and has experiences working with a wide range of other professionals.
Outside of the treatment room, Amber enjoys spending time with her husband and family. She has 2 dogs, 3 cats, fish, and lots of plant babies that keep her busy at home. Amber enjoys a balance between lazy days at home and outdoor activities. She loves to go to the beach, boat, and be close to the water.
Physical Therapy
Meet Miss Kat
Meet Miss Samanatha
Samantha Jennings, MS, CF-SLP
Samantha is native Floridian from the beautiful Marco Island, FL and currently resides in Tampa, FL. Samantha received her master's degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of South Florida. Samantha was inspired to become a Speech-Language Pathologist at a young age when she volunteered at a camp for children with special needs. She continues to attend the camp yearly as an adult staff member as it was a driving factor in her career choice.
Samantha has treated a variety of disorders and patients in the pediatric outpatient setting including: language learning disabilities/delays, articulation disorders, phonological disorders, AAC users, pragmatics (social skills), Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, and other genetic conditions. Samantha strongly believes in a patient centered therapy approach to maximize the benefits and functionality of communication for all of her kiddos.
Outside of the treatment room, Samantha enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, reading, cooking, and traveling.
Meet Miss Courtney