Lani Hessen, OTR/L -- Pediatric Occupational Therapist, Clinic Director

Before founding Kidspace in 2005, Lani spent 5 years at California Pacific Medical Center's Child Development Center. She has post-graduate training in Advanced Therapeutic Listening and the Perceptual Enrichment Program, and works with children of all ages and ability levels. Lani received her master's degree in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt College in 1999.

Kelly Hevenor, OTR/L -- Pediatric Occupational Therapist,Co-Director of Kidspace-SF

Kelly is an occupational therapist who has been working in the pediatric field for 8 years. Since graduating from The Ohio State University, she has worked in a variety of settings including clinics, schools, and home-based therapy around the country. Prior to moving to San Francisco in August, Kelly ran her own home-based pediatric practice in Scottsdale, Arizona. With continuing education in Sensory Processing and Regulation, Therapeutic Listening, ALERT Program, Handwriting Without Tears, and NDT principles, Kelly treats children of all ages and skill levels with a holistic approach to maximize learning and development.

Lise Carter, OTR/L -- Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Lise has been practicing occupational therapy for 10 years and has a pediatric background of 8 years. Since graduating from University of New England in Maine, Lise has worked in various settings across the country including home-based, school, clinic and aquatic therapy for pediatrics. She founded an aquatic therapy business in Vermont as well as traveled into the bush villages of Alaska to provide occupational therapy for Alaskan native children. Lise has extensive experience working with children with fine motor and gross motor delays, visual motor and perceptual difficulties, sensory integration disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and developmental delays. With continuing education in Sensory Processing and Regulation, Aquatic Therapy, Therapeutic Listening, Handwriting Without Tears, ALERT Program, and NDT principles, Lise enjoys treating children of all ages and skills levels.

Michelle Foosaner,PT -- Pediatric Physical Therapist

After graduating from UCLA, Michelle earned her master's degree in Physical Therapy at UC San Francisco. Through her professional experience at Stanford's Lucille Packard Children's Hospital, Movement Discoveries Pediatric Therapy Center, and the Bright Minds Institute, she has developed her expertise in assessing and treating a wide range of developmental challenges, including neuromuscular, behavioral, and genetic concerns. She specializes in helping kids develop age-appropriate motor skills, improving core strength, muscle tone and coordination, and addressing gait abnormailities and motor fluidity.

Dr. David Grisham, OD, MS, FAAO -- Optometrist

Dr. Grisham has served as a Clinical Professor and Senior Lecturer at UC Berkeley School of Optometry for over 30 years. He has taught courses in Binocular Vision Diagnosis and Management, Strabismus (eye turns) and Amblyopia (lazy eye), Pediatric Optometry and Learning Disabilities. For 20 years he was Chief of the Binocular Vision and Visual Skills Clinic at UCB. Dr. Grisham has distinguished himself by publishing over 30 research articles and coauthored a major internationally recognized textbook, Binocular Anomalies: Diagnosis and Vision Therapy, 4th edition. A recognized expert in Binocular Vision and Vision Related Learning Problems, he is a Diplomate in Binocular Vision and Perception with the American Academy of Optometry and an Associate with the College of Optometry in Vision Development.

Joanie Hooper, OTR/L - Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Joanie is a graduate of University of Southern California Occupational Therapy Program. She worked for more than 8 years in adult acute rehabilitation specializing in stroke and brain injury as well as other neurological disorders. She worked in a variety of other service area such as home health and school-based therapy. For the past two years she was the lead occupational therapist for Camp Bennett a 3 week summer camp for children who have suffered strokes. This camp utilizes a constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT). She is certified in Neuro-Developmental Treatment. Joanie has been a member of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Cliff/Dive/Marine Rescue Unit for more than 12. She is passionate about and teaches disaster preparedness for both adults and children with special needs.

Lindy Joffe, OTR/L -- Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Lindy completed her master's degree in occupational therapy at Columbia University in 1999. She has practiced continuously since that time in a variety of pediatric settings specializing in sensory integration. Lindy enjoys working with a range of ages, from early intervention to adolescents, even the occasional adult. She has taken a broad range of courses in sensory integrative principles, DIR/Floortime techniques, cognitive perceptual organization, and Masgutova Neuromuscular Reflex Integration Techniques, amongst others. Lindy has a particular interest in how the motor and sensory systems, particularly the visual-vestibular-auditory triad and underlying reflex systems, interact with cognitive perceptual skills to propel an individual's problem solving abilities in both three-dimensional and two dimensional-space. Lindy believes strongly in taking therapy beyond the walls of the clinic, working closely with the child’s team to ensure maximal carry over of therapeutic techniques into the child’s life. She has taught continuing education courses in both sensory integration and problem solving and currently teaches the course "Therapeutic Listening: Listening With the Whole Body" nationwide. Lindy also sees clients one day a week at the Full Circle Development Center in Oakland.

Richard King, MFT -- Developmental Psychotherapist

With over ten years experience at California Pacific Medical Center's Child Development Center, Richard has extensive experience working individually and in group settings with children facing a broad range of emotional and developmental challenges. In addition to his work with families and individuals, Richard leads many of the Social Skills groups and Parent Support Workshops at Kidspace.

Dr. Jeremy Shumaker, OD -- Optometrist

Dr. Jeremy Shumaker is a graduate of the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry. While trained to diagnose and treat myriad age-related eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts, Dr. Shumaker is particularly at ease with children and is skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of various childhood eye conditions. He has unique experience in vision therapy for deficient visual skills including tracking, focusing, and eye coordination. These conditions can often dramatically impact reading, learning, and athletic performance.

Noelle Southerland CCC-SLP -- Speech Therapist

Noelle earned her master's degree in Communicative Disorders at San Francisco State University in 2002. Her professional experience includes two years at a non-public school for severely emotionally disturbed children. Before becoming a private practitioner, Noelle also spent five years as a Speech Therapist in the Berekely public schools, where she worked with children of all ages and ability levels to address a broad spectrum of needs. Her expertise includes early intervention, receptive and expressive language delays, Autism and social-pragmatic disorders, school-age articulation disorders, and fluency/stuttering disorders. She is professionally certified in the Hanen "It Takes Two to Talk" program, and is also a member of AHSA, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Eric Vianelle, CCC-SLP -- Speech Therapist

Eric has 14 years of experience of providing in-home, in-classroom, and in-clinic therapy. He has worked extensively with infants, toddlers and school aged children with severe language disorders as well as children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Childhood Apraxia of Speech. His play- based, speech and language therapy has been influenced by his studies in DIR/Floortime, Hanen “It Takes Two to Talk”, as well as Art Therapy and Creative Movement for Children. Eric is also experienced with providing therapy for children with oral-motor delays. His training includes Integrated Manual Therapy for Myo-facial Release as well as the Beckman Oral-Motor Protocol.

Blair Wellington, LPC, MFT -- Child & Family Psychotherapist

Blair graduated from Princeton University and received her master's degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of San Francisco. She has extensive experience working with parents and children with developmental challenges, and has worked as a parent coach, child therapist and workshop-leader in Washington DC. She and her family recently moved back to San Francisco and she currently sees clients in downtown San Francisco - as well as providing counseling services at Kidspace and two local schools. She works from a cognitive-behavioral orientation, and also has extensive experience working with children with attachment and sensory integration issues. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and registered Marriage and Family Therapist.

Tonya Zohba Zimring, OTR/L -- Pediatric Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist since 2002, Tonya has worked with children from birth to school age in clinic, home and school settings providing individual and group therapy. Tonya has extensive experience working with children with fine motor delays, feeding difficulties, sensory integration disorder, autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, visual motor and perceptual difficulties, and developmental delays. She is certified to use Therapeutic Listening, Alert Program and oral motor techniques and is in the process of getting her Advanced Practice Certification through the California Board of Occupational Therapy in Swallowing Assessment, Evaluation or Intervention (SWC). Tonya received her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Pacific University in Portland, OR and Bachelors in Early Childhood Education at Naropa University in Boulder, CO.

John Hessen -- Business Manager

John is the co-founder and business manager of Kidspace. After working for many years as a communications consultant and real estate investor, John decided his wife's career was more interesting. Together they created Kidspace in 2005 to support Lani and other pediatric specialists in their vitally important work with kids. John & Lani are the proud and often exhausted parents of two very energetic boys.