Meridian is a partner of the Family Connection Centre. To visit the FCC website, click the link below.
Sabrina joined the Kamloops team in 2015 and is now the Kelowna office manager. After graduating from University of Victoria with an undergraduate degree in Psychology, she set her sights on completing the Master of Occupational Therapy program at UBC. Sabrina is experienced in medical-legal functional capacity evaluations for both Plaintiff and Defence, and she’s been accepted to provide expert witness testimony in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Sabrina is also experienced in Return to Work services, equipment assessment and prescription, exposure therapy treatment for clients with PTSD and anxiety, as well as treating clients with chronic pain. Sabrina keeps active all year round with running, squash, curling, softball, golf and hiking with her family.
Qualifications and Memberships
Master of Occupational Therapy– University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – University of Victoria
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Progressive Goal Attainment Program (PGAP)
Matheson Functional Capacity Evaluator
P.I.E.C.E.S Certificate (Adult mental health)
Concussion Management
Areas of Practice
Case Management
Community Rehabilitation
Chronic Pain Rehab
Dysphagia
Functional Capacity Evaluation & Critiques
Cost of Future Care Assessments & Critiques
Post-Concussion Rehab
Seating Assessments and Prescription
Spinal Cord Rehabilitation
Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Work Hardening and Work Conditioning Programming
Job Site Visits and Job Demands Analysis
Return to Work Coordination
Ergonomic Evaluations
Progressive Goal Attainment Program Services (PGAP)
Residential care contract services
Exposure therapy (Anxiety/PTSD)
Orthopaedic
Lisa joins us from Charlottetown, PEI and is now working out of our Vancouver office! Lisa’s areas of interest are in stroke rehabilitation, cognitive communication, and augmentative and alternative communication. She’s found her passion in providing functional, client-centred speech-language therapy. She loves learning what is important to her clients and using this information to create personal and meaningful therapy goals that will benefit them in their everyday lives! Ask Lisa about her buttons.
Qualifications & Memberships
Master of Science, Speech Language Pathology – Dalhousie University
Bachelor of Science, Neuroscience – University of King’s College
Bachelor of Science, Physics – University of Prince Edward Island
Registered member of the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC
Registered member of Speech-Language and Audiology Canada
Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) for children under 6
Areas of Practice
Pediatric Services
Autism Services
Speech sound therapy (articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech)
Language therapy (expressive and receptive language skills)
Stroke and brain injury rehabilitation
Cognitive communication intervention (conversational topic maintenance, attending to others, memory, solving problems, planning etc.)
Reading and writing therapy
Fluency / stuttering therapy
Danielle brings experience in chronic pain, mental health, developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments to our Kamloops team. By way of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, she completed her Bachelor of Science – Biology at Acadia University and went on to complete her Masters in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University. A recent transplant to the Kamloops area and an avid runner and skier, she’s looking forward to exploring all that BC has to offer. She also states that she’s a major Harry Potter fan!
Qualifications and Memberships
Masters in Occupational Therapy – Queen’s University
Bachelor of Science (Biology) – Acadia University
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Prevention and Management of Elder Abuse – Certificate
Brief Action Planning Certificate
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training
Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) for children under 6
Areas of Practice
Case Management
Community Rehabilitation
Chronic Pain Rehab
Mental Health
Pediatric Services
Autism Services
Developmental Disabilities
Post-Concussion Rehab
Seating Assessments and Prescription
Spinal Cord Rehabilitation
Stroke Rehabilitation
Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Work Hardening and Work Conditioning Programming
Job Sit Visits and Job Demands Analysis
Return to Work Coordination
Ergonomic Evaluations
Universal Home Design
Meagan grew up in a small rural town in northern Alberta before moving to the big city to complete both her Bachelor in Recreational Therapy and her Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. Meagan has lived and studied abroad in both the UK and Japan. Her love of language has led her to study French, Spanish, Japanese, and most recently, sign language. She loves celebrating growth in her clients and building relationships with the families she treats. Outside of work, she can be found spending time with her son. She also enjoys keeping busy with martial arts, dance, yoga, and fitness.
Qualifications and Memberships
Bachelor Degree in Recreational Therapy, Concordia University, Montreal
Master Degree in Speech-Language Pathology, Dalhousie University, Halifax
Certification in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL)
Member of College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC
Member of Speech and Audiology Canada
Member of American Speech and Hearing Association
Concussion Management Workshop
Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) for children under 6
Areas of Practice
Pediatric Services
Autism Services
Speech sound therapy (articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech)
Language therapy (expressive and receptive language skills)
Social skills training
Reading and writing therapy
Fluency / stuttering therapy
Brook comes to us from Grimsby, Ontario and has her Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science of Language from McMaster University and her Master of Health Science from University of Toronto in Speech Language Pathology.
In Brook’s spare time, you will find her shopping, watching the Toronto Raptors or taking ballet classes. Brook enjoys building lasting relationships with clients and families and seeing clients develop their skills in a way that allows them to do the things they want to do every day.
Qualifications & Memberships
Honours Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science of Language from McMaster University
Master of Health Science from University of Toronto in Speech Language Pathology
Member of the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC
Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) for children under 6 (supervised)
Areas of Practice
Pediatric Services
Speech sound therapy (articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech)
Language therapy (expressive and receptive language skills)
Stroke and brain injury rehabilitation
Dysphagia assessment and intervention
Cognitive communication intervention (conversational topic maintenance, attending to others, memory, solving problems, planning etc.)
Social skills training
Reading and writing therapy
Voice therapy
Fluency / stuttering therapy
Laura earned her Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences in Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College, before going on to complete her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at Western University in London, Ontario. Growing up in Kelowna, Laura was excited to move back with her husband to the Okanagan after living in the greater Toronto area. As an OT, Laura loves being in a position where she can work with a variety of different client groups and get to help empower and enable each of them to make changes in their lives, big or small. She also loves that she works with such a great, supportive team that always makes coming to work so much fun. In her spare time, Laura loves to play and watch basketball, tennis, and pickleball, spend time with her family and unwinding with a great movie.
Qualifications and Memberships
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy – Western University
Honours Bachelor of Applied Health Sciences (Athletic Therapy) – Sheridan College
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) Certificate
ANOVA: Trauma and Sexual Assault Disclosure Certificate
Areas of Practice
Case Management
Community Rehabilitation
Chronic Pain Rehab
Post-Concussion Rehab
Seating Assessments and Prescription
Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Ergonomic Evaluations
Long Term Care and Complex Care contract services
Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) for children under 6
Deb is a systems and pediatric therapy consultant for Meridian. She has run Mountain View pre-school in white rock BC for over 20 years. In her spare time, Deb does yoga and memorizes world geography.
Qualifications
Can name the capital of every country in the world
After that first one who needs to read more?
Coming from the most easternly point in Canada, Kelly was born and raised in the beautiful province of Newfoundland. After High School, she completed her Bachelor of Kinesiology with Honours at Memorial University. She then moved to Halifax to complete her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie University. Kelly seeked a new and exciting adventure and drove across Canada to now live in the active city of Kelowna. In her pass time she now enjoys running, skiing, exploring the Okanagan, finding new coffee shops, and facetiming with her cat, Frank!
Kelly is passionate about working as an Occupational Therapist and enjoys collaborating with her clients and their families to support them achieve their goals.
QUALIFICATIONS
Master of Science – Occupational Therapy (MScOT) at Dalhousie University
Bachelor of Kinesiology (BKIN) (Honours) at Memorial University of Newfoundland
Member of the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC)
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)
AREAS OF PRACTICE
Pediatrics
Kelly grew up in rural Manitoba which she left after high school to spend time backpacking across Europe. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from University of Calgary then moved to Australia and enjoyed spending time travelling and living in the sun. Kelly returned to Manitoba where she completed her Master of Occupational Therapy at University of Manitoba. She recently moved to Kelowna to enjoy all the sights and activities beautiful BC has to offer.
Kelly is passionate about supporting children and their families using a strengths-based, neurodiversity affirming approach.
Outside of work, you can find Kelly hiking, travelling, spending time with friends and family or at the beach!
Qualifications
Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Calgary
Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of Manitoba
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Areas of Practice
Pediatrics
Jessica earned her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Brock University before completing her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Queens University. Originally from Vancouver Island, she loves to be outdoors doing activities such as hiking, cross country skiing and swimming. Jessica loves that being an OT allows her to build meaningful therapeutic relationships with her clients and help empower them to achieve their goals!
Areas of Practice:
Autism Services
Pediatric Services
Qualifications:
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy – Queens University
Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology – Brock University
Member of Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT)
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) Certification
Motivational Interviewing Level I Certification
Mandy has always had a passion for working with people, and received her Rehabilitation Aide Certificate in 1997. Over the last 20 years she has worked with people of all different ages and abilities as an Education Assistant, Community Support Worker and Long term Care Aide. She also took her passion for people to the United States and Zambia where she did volunteer work for 1 year. Mandy also works as an rehab assistant and SLP assistant on our pediractic team, helping children meet their goals and reach milestones. In her free time Mandy enjoys playing soccer, doing Zumba and spending time with her husband and children.
Qualifications and Memberships
Rehabilitation Aide Program –
Development Instructor Training Program
BCRPA Fitness Theory course
Occupational First Aid
Non-violent crisis intervention
Areas of Practice
Work Hardening and Work Conditioning Programming
Gym-Based Exercise Programs
Aquatherapy
Community Integration Programs
Post-Concussion Exercise Programs
Traumatic Brain Injury Programs
Complex TBI and orthopedic rehabilitation
Lifeskills & Return to Homemaking Programs
Walking programs
Speech Language Areas of Practice:
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Pediatric services (autism services, early language development etc.)
Speech sound therapy (articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech)
Language therapy (expressive and receptive language skills)
Stroke and brain injury rehabilitation
Dysphagia assessment and intervention
Cognitive communication intervention (conversational topic maintenance, attending to others, memory, solving problems, planning etc.)
Social skills training
Whitney is among the rare few who were born and raised in Kelowna. She successfully attained her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of British Columbia after completing her Therapist Assistant Diploma at Okanagan College and her Bachelor of Health Science at Thompson River University.
Whitney’s passion for occupational therapy comes from working with people and helping guide them toward achieving their aspirations and goals. Outside of work, Whitney loves being outdoors, whether that be hiking, camping or taking her dog for long walks. She also enjoys spending time with her partner, friends and family.
Qualifications
Master of Occupational Therapy – University of British Columbia
Bachelor of Health Science – Thompson Rivers University
Therapist Assistant Diploma – Okanagan College
Member of the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Angie recently joined the Kelowna team as a Rehab Assistant. She has spent the past 10 years teaching at Mountain View Preschool in White Rock, along with coaching girls youth soccer. She enjoys working with children and families to reach their goals. Angie is excited to jump in and experience all that the Okanagan has to offer.
Charlene grew up in Trail, BC and has recently joined the Kelowna team as a Rehab Assistant. She enjoys being able to work with a variety of clients, each with unique needs and goals. She finds helping people overcome their specific challenges rewarding. Charlene loves to get outside and enjoy all the Okanagan has to offer. You can often find her hiking, camping, swimming, or relaxing with family and friends.
Qualifications & Memberships
Therapist Assistant Diploma – Okanagan College
Areas of Practice
Pediatric Services
Occupational Therapy Programs
Speech Therapy Programs
Jan is Meridian’s RA/Kinesiology Practice Lead and Ergonomic Assessor. Her talents are infinite and stretch from recreation therapy to sawmill ergonomics. Other areas of expertise are traumatic brain injury, and vocational rehabilitation.
Qualifications and Memberships
Leisure Services Recreation Therapy Diploma – Mt. Royal College
Community Brain Injury Service Certificate – Okanagan College
PGAP – Progressive Goal Attainment Program Certificate
Matheson Work Hardening/Work Conditioning Course
Exercise and Fibromyalgia – DSW Fitness
BCRPA Weight Training Instructor
Matheson Ergonomic Evaluation Certificate Program
Matheson Essential Job Functional Analysis
Areas of Practice
Work Hardening and Work Conditioning Program
Job Sit Visits and Job Demands Analysis
Ergonomic Evaluations
Gym-Based Exercise Programs
Aquatherapy
Post-Concussion Exercise Programs
Traumatic Brain Injury Programs
Lifeskills & Return to Homemaking Programs
Walking programs
Progressive Goal Attainment Programs
Alex was born and raised in Adelaide, Australia. She wanted to experience life in another country and was particularly drawn to snow (so Vancouver was an interesting choice). She also wanted to see bears from a healthy distance.
Alex likes being on the coast, and enjoys the nature, cafes, and restaurants. She has recently discovered pumpkin spice lattes and these have come to dominate her morning routine and her wallet.
Alex got a Bachelor of Behavioral Science and then a Master of Speech Pathology from Flinders University.
Alex loves working with people. She loves that every day is different. She likes that SLP gives an opportunity to be creative and fun and that there is always more to learn.
Marisa completed her Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Psychology at UBCO before continuing on to complete her Masters of Occupational Therapy at The University of Alberta. Marisa began her work as an occupational Therapist working with Seniors and adults with a variety of different needs. Marisa has always been passionate about working with children, with a strong interest in sensory processing and executive functioning. In her spare time Marisa enjoys spending time with her family camping, hiking and working in the garden.
Proudly hailing from Calgary, Lauren journeyed westward to pursue a Bachelor’s in Human Kinetics from the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She returned to her hometown to complete her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of Alberta. Lauren’s passion lies in bridging the generation gap, as she enjoys working with both the young and the young at heart. When she’s not busy at work, you’ll find her soaking up quality time with family and friends, cheering on her hometown team, the Calgary Flames, and indulging in her love for movies and TV shows.
Bachelor of Human Kinetics – University of British Columbia (Okanagan campus)
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy – University of Alberta (Calgary campus)
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Dana was born and a raised in Northwestern Ontario on the rocky and lake-filled Canadian shield. She obtained a Bachelors Degree in Social Work from the University of Manitoba and spent several years working and traveling to places like South Korea, China, Central America, and Borneo. Dana returned to school in 2016 to earn a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Alberta. She enjoys working with a diverse population of clients, with a focus on pediatrics. Dana works from a strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming perspective.
Bachelor of Social Work
Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) for children under 6
Motivational Interviewing Level 1
Areas of Practice:
Ergonomic Evaluations
Allyson was born and raised in Kelowna. After moving to Ontario to complete her masters, she couldn’t be happier to be back on the West Coast. Allyson loves all things outdoors – hiking, biking, skiing, running – you name it! She is excited to be joining the Meridian Rehab team and to grow in her skills as an Occupational Therapist.
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Born and raised in Vernon, BC, Ava is thrilled to return to the beautiful Okanagan valley after completing her Master of Occupational Therapy at UBC Vancouver.
Prior to her Master’s, she earned a Bachelor’s in Human Kinetics at UBC-O, laying the groundwork for her commitment to the field of rehabilitation.
Ava’s professional journey has been marked by a keen interest in pediatrics, complemented by a rich background in aquatics, and experience lifeguarding and teaching swimming lessons.
With a genuine passion for the Okanagan lifestyle, Ava finds joy in exploring the region’s natural beauty. Outside of the office, you’ll often find her immersed in activities that celebrate the great outdoors, or playing team sports. Whether she’s swimming, playing volleyball or ringette, embarking on a scenic hike, or snowboarding, Ava embraces the diverse recreational opportunities that the Okanagan offers.
Bachelor of Human Kinetics – University of British Columbia (Okanagan campus)
Master of Occupational Therapy – University of British Columbia (Vancouver campus)
Member of the British Columbia College of Occupational Therapists
Member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Areas of Practice:
Pediatric services
Autism Services
Caroline grew up in Northern BC (Prince George). Following high school, she eagerly headed to Vancouver Island where she completed her Bachelor of Science in kinesiology at the University of Victoria, and also fell in love with exploring the outdoors. Caroline’s education continued when she decided to make the trek to Ontario to complete her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Queen’s University. While she had fun exploring a new part of Canada, she is very happy to be back in BC where she belongs. As an OT, Caroline’s professional passion lies in forming genuine connections with clients and collaborating as a team to achieve their goals. Beyond work, Caroline enjoys being a foodie, lots of beach days, and travelling as much as she can!
Elisa was born and raised in Kelowna. She moved to Calgary after high school to complete her BA in Linguistics, and later graduated with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy in 2017. She began her career as an Occupational Therapist in Calgary, and was thrilled to move back home to the Okanagan in 2019. Elisa has always been passionate about working with children, with a strong interest in sensory processing, mental health and executive functioning. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, going for walks and hikes, and enjoying the beautiful Okanagan weather.
Elle grew up in Kelowna, which she describes as a beautiful place about which she has complicated feelings. After completing her degree in microbiology, Elle moved to Vancouver and got a diploma in Linguistics and a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from UBC Vancouver.
Elle’s expertise in Microbiology may seem irrelevant (and in most ways that is true); however, like any hard-science degree it instilled in her a love for learning how things work and a keen ability to buckle down and not fail. Elle’s linguistics diploma was instrumental in building her understanding of the foundations of speech, language, and communication.
In her personal life, Elle loves mundane, repetitive tasks, which is why she wanted to be a dentist when she was younger. But she was also in a band, so she keeps you guessing!
Elle loves working as an SLP. In particular, she loves working with kids and being able to make a positive change early in people’s lives. She also loves finding ways to make speech therapy fun.
Qualifications
Areas of Practice
Improvement occurs in accordance with two principles of change:
Because of these principles, we build therapy teams that consist of experts and of those closest to the child. Our teams consist of:
The structure of our teams ensures that change occurs beyond the therapy room. As a member of your child’s therapy team, you will receive coaching and instruction from the therapist on how to work with your child between therapy sessions on the identified goals, and you will be provided with a detailed home plan after each session. Consistent, regular practice of the principles and skills learned in each session will yield greater and long-term improvement/change for your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Call us at 250-542-3089. Refer to the “Contact us” page for more options.
Contact the Meridian office to which you would like to make a referral. Contact info for each office can be found under “Contact Us” on the main menu bar at the top of this page.
Meridian also offers assessment services such as functional driver evaluations, and adult therapies such as kinesiology. Check out our Services home page to find out more.
