Meet Our Occupational Therapists
Nickie Meyer
Clinic Manager/OT Lead
OTR
Nicolette (Nickie) Meyer, MS, OTR is a licensed Occupational Therapist who received her Master’s of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Mary in 2013. She also graduated with a minor in Psychology. During her graduate year within the Occupational Therapy program she traveled with a group of OT students to complete medical based missions within Guatemala. Nickie’s pediatric experience includes a variety of settings such as private outpatient clinic, preschool- middle school, home-based Early Intervention, and aquatic therapy.
Nickie has always had a passion for working with children which started with a job completing family support and respite care for children from ages 3 to 18 years old within the home. She enjoys working with children of all ages and ability levels and has experience treating many diagnoses including, but not limited to, developmental delays, prematurity, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Inrauterine Stroke, a variety of genetic disorders, torticollis, sensory processing disorders, ADHD, and Autism.
Her professional interests currently include early intervention, neuro-developmental treatment (NDT), feeding, aquatic therapy and sensory integration therapy. Post-graduate education has included sensory integration in aquatic therapy and baby treatment based on NDT principles.
Raised in Mandan, ND but currently lives with her husband in Denver, CO. Her interests include spending time with family and friends, snowboarding, enjoying the outdoors and traveling.
Rosemarie Helton
OTR/L
Hi, my name is Rosemarie (Rosey) Helton. I have been an OT since 2002. I am a native Coloradan and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Occupational Therapy and Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in infant and child development. I started working in an outpatient pediatric clinic as well as adult inpatient acute care and rehab. In October of 2007, we moved to Las Vegas, NV for me to work in the local school district as an Occupational Therapist. I also worked in an outpatient pediatric clinic, pediatric home health and school-based telehealth. In 2013, we returned to Colorado and I took some time off to stay home with my family. In 2019, I was ready to return to OT and decided to pursue a position in early intervention. Since joining the team here at Milestone Pediatric Therapy Services, I have been welcomed with open arms and have found my true passion in working with families and children in the early intervention setting. I truly love building a rapport with both the children and the families. I have a special love for this time in a child’s life as well as the family. I enjoy looking at the whole child, focusing on the families needs and working from where the child and family currently are in the developmental process. I love the challenge and reward of finding a strategy, resource or solution for each specific child and situation. I have additional training in the areas of autism, sensory processing/integration/
Emma Flanagan
OTR
Emma Flanagan, OTR was born and raised in Western NY. She received her Bachelors degree in Physical Education and Health from Slippery Rock University in PA, where she also played lacrosse all 4 years and was voted Co-team Captain her junior and senior year. Emma went on to earn her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University, graduating in December 2015. She completed her fieldwork in an outpatient pediatric facility in Florida and at a skilled nursing facility in Aurora. Emma enjoys working in a variety of settings and is currently working in Early Intervention, at a school with grades K-5 and PRN at a skilled nursing facility. She also enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and playing/watching any sports.
Michelle Strade-Notz
OTR/L
"Chelle" has 22 years of experience and has recently relocated from California to Colorado. She has worked both in the clinic setting and in the early intervention setting. Chelle has experience with fine motor, sensory, feeding, visual impairments, infant massage and aquatic therapy. She has taken the Baby NDT course and a NICU Baby Feeding course. In her free time, Chelle enjoys kickboxing and spending time with her two dogs.
Kendra Vander Wal
OTR/L
Lauren Wexler
MOT, OTR/L
Lauren grew up near Chicago and received her Master’s in Occupational Therapy at the University of Missouri. Lauren figured out she wanted to be an OT at the age of 12 when she started volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding stable working alongside many different types of therapists. She worked as an EMT for several years before starting her journey as a pediatric OT. She works in both the clinic and early intervention settings. Lauren has experience targeting skills including: fine motor, feeding, self care, visual perception, social skills, sensory processing, behavioral and emotional regulation, and independent activities of daily living. Lauren enjoys collaborating with the child, family, and other professionals to develop family-centered care unique to each child. She enjoys being creative with treatment ideas and being silly in order to make therapy more fun for her kids. In her free time, Lauren enjoys hiking, camping, baking, cooking, playing roller derby, and skiing.
Kristen Brainard
OTR
My name is Kristen Brainard. I have been an OT since 2000. I started in a small private school setting called G.E.M.S. where I was the OT in the preschool and kindergarten rooms. It was a great first experience because I had 2 more seasoned OT’s who mentored me and answered my million questions everyday. In the summer of 2002, I decided to try something new and began to work in EI as an in-home therapist. That is where I have stayed ever since. I feel like I have found my home with this population. I love being so involved with the families and I think early intervention is just so important to setting a strong foundation for our kiddos. I have seen a wide variety of diagnosis in my almost 17 years in EI but have a definite extra soft spot in my heart for kids with Down Syndrome. I would say a few traits of my therapy style is to see the whole kiddo, not just my discipline, and to think outside of the box! What works for one kiddo might not work for another one. And have fun-we get to play with kids for a living and we know they learn best when they are having fun! Personally, I have been married 20 years to my husband Mike. We have a 16 year old son named Jack and a 13 year old daughter named Sydney. We also have 2 dogs, Maci and Lola
Emily Kaczmarski
MOT, OTR/L
Emily is an Occupational Therapist from Chicago, IL. She graduated from Western Michigan University with her Master's in Occupational Therapy and Bachelor's in Interdisciplinary Health Services. Emily knew early on that pediatrics was her passion. She loves partnering with children, their families, and their team to promote meaningful participation in their activities of daily life.
She began her career at a developmental preschool and transitional kindergarten in Chicago, IL. Here she gained valuable experience working with a variety of children with developmental differences using principles from the DIR® Floortime approach and Sensory Integration framework to reach client-centered goals. She transitioned into the school-based setting after moving to Colorado. Within the school-setting, she gained experience creating educational programs for her students that focused on improving fine motor, visual motor, and executive functioning skills necessary to complete academic and daily life tasks. She also has worked with children and other therapists in group settings focusing on social skills, motor planning, sensory processing, handwriting, and executive functioning. In her spare time, Emily can be found rock climbing, hiking, camping, and gardening!
