Who
We Are
The
School-Based Therapy Services division of Harris County Department of Education
(HCDE) in Houston, Texas is the organizational home of TxSpot. The division
supports the educational needs of struggling learners in and around Houston,
working in partnership with independent school districts and charter schools. In
2016, over 160 occupational therapy, physical therapy and music therapy
practitioners served students throughout and around Harris
County.
TxSpot content,
including responses to inquiries submitted through Ask TxSpot, is developed by
members of the leadership team of the School-Based Therapy Services Division,
featured below.
Meet
the TxSpot Staff
Carie Crabb, PT,
MS
Senior Director
Carie is a physical therapist with over
28 years of experience in school-based practice and early intervention.
She currently holds the position of Senior Director over School-Based Therapy Services at
Harris County Department of Education. Prior to serving as the division’s
director, she served as a School-Based Therapy Services manager for 12 years,
managing occupational therapists, physical therapists and music therapists in
suburban and rural school districts and an early childhood intervention
program.
Amy
Collins, OTR,
MOT
Manager
Amy has over 20 years of
experience as a school-based occupational therapist and manager. She has been
asked to consult with various school districts and educational service centers
across the state of Texas to
provide program evaluation and training. She has presented on a variety of
topics related to school-based practice at local and national
conferences. Amy has authored many articles, including one
regarding research on weighted vests in which she was Principal Investigator.
She serves as an editor for the Journal of Occupational
Therapy, Schools, and Early Intervention, has served on various AOTA
work groups, and is a reviewer for AOTA conference proposals.
Laura McFarland, OTR,
MOT
Manager
Laura has
17 years of service delivery and leadership in the field working in early
childhood intervention and in school-based practice. Laura joined the HCDE
School-Based Therapy Services management team several years ago and supports
both urban and rural school districts. She also coordinates school-based
fieldwork opportunities for occupational therapy and occupational therapy
assistant professional students. Laura has additional interests in adapting and
modifying materials and the environment to promote student success.
Melinda
McGouldrick, OTR, MOT
Manager
Melinda
has worked in multiple areas of practice over the past 30 years, always involved
in some aspect of the occupations and challenges of childhood and adolescence.
After many years as director of therapy services in acute care and
rehabilitation hospitals, she joined the management team at HCDE, developing an
appreciation for the role therapists play on the collaborative team in order to
optimize the participation of students in school environments.
Holly Shafer, OT, MOT
Manager
Holly has been an
occupational therapist for 22 years, the last eight of which have been in
school-based practice at Harris County Department of Education (HCDE). She
recently joined the management team for School-Based Therapy Services at HCDE.
Holly’s previous experience includes acute care, neonatal ICU, home health,
inpatient rehabilitation and skilled nursing. Holly embraces the
holistic approach on which occupational therapy is founded and incorporates that
perspective throughout all aspects of her professional and personal life. Her
areas of interest include mental health, Universal Design for Learning, and
mentoring OT students and new OT graduates.
Pam
Shaw, OTR
Manager
Pam has been an occupational
therapist for 31 years. She started her career working in a highly respected
rehabilitation facility where she developed her knowledge in the area of
seating/positioning and mobility. Pam took that knowledge and transitioned to
medical equipment sales where she used her expertise in the provision of manual
and power wheelchairs as well as custom designed seating systems to a variety of
hospitals and seating clinics throughout the Houston Medical Center and greater
Houston area. Pam has worked the last 9 years in school-based practice, serving
as a manager during 4 of those 9 years.
Janice
(Jan) Toyota OTR, MS
Manager
Jan has 40
years of occupational therapy experience working with children, youth, adults,
and families including many years in school-based practice and in early
intervention. Her other work environments have included hospitals,
rehabilitation centers, private practice and day care settings. She has served
as staff therapist, manager and director. She views the individual within the
context of their environment, family system and community.
Denice
Tucker, OTR
Manager
Denice has
over 38 years of
experience as both an occupational therapist and manager working in public
schools throughout Texas, but primarily in the Gulf Coast area. She promotes a
best practice model and supports both large and small districts/charter schools
to follow related services guidelines for both OT, PT and music
therapy.
Bernice Valenzuela, OTR
Manager
Bernice has 37 years
of experience working as an occupational therapist in the role of clinician
and manager. Her work experience includes inpatient mental health and
school-based practice. She enjoys collaborating and partnering with the various
school districts to meet the needs of their students.
Anne H. Watson, OTR,
PhD
Manager
Dr.
Watson has over 25 years of experience in school-based practice, including
management and special education coordination in five different states. She has
published articles about outcomes in assistive technology in a school setting.
Anne has also taught occupational therapy entry level masters students various
subjects including pediatric interventions and school-based
documentation. Additionally, she serves on the Roster of Accreditation
Evaluators on the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education
(ACOTE), is a
reviewer for the AOTA Specialty Conferences, and is a member of the AOTA State
Leaders Commission of Practice.
Janine Calmes, PT,
MS
TxSpot Support
Janine has over 40 years of experience
as a physical therapist in multiple settings including acute care,
rehabilitation, out-patient, home health, long-term acute care, skilled nursing
and now, school practice. She has worked in a gait and clinical motion analysis
laboratory where she had the opportunity to participate in many research
projects and to present at local and national conferences. She has co-authored
research articles, abstracts, and posters, some as principle investigator. Along
with her district service delivery assignment, Janine works behind the scenes
supporting TxSpot’s web design and content and serves as the physical therapy Coordinator of Clinical Education,
coordinating school-based field work experiences for physical therapy and
physical therapist assistant students.
