Michelle LaMotte
Michelle LaMotte OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist and is co-owner of Stepping Stones. She has practiced primarily in pediatrics since graduating from the University of Toronto in 1997. She specializes in the treatment of medically fragile infants and children, feeding and swallowing disorders, sensory integration difficulties and neurological impairments. Michelle has advanced certifications in Sensory Integration and Praxis Testing (SIPT Certified), Neurodevelopmental Therapy, Kinesiotaping, Vital Stim, dysphagia management and restrictive feeding. In her down time, Michelle is a soccer mom to three wild girls, loves cross-fit, cooking and skiing.
Samantha Birrell
Samantha is a Pacific Northwest native, born and raised in Bremerton, WA. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Washington, she moved to Spokane to enter Eastern Washington University’s Master of Occupational Therapy program. When she is not working, Sam can be found chasing the sun, exploring the great outdoors, hiking, climbing, and backpacking with her dog, Dahlia.
Brandon Roberson
Brandon grew up in a military family living all over the world before settling in the Pacific Northwest. He received his bachelor’s degree at Eastern Washington University and a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy at Touro University Nevada. Brandon has been a pediatric occupational therapist since 2015. Hiking, snowboarding, boating, traveling and attending sporting events (Seattle Sounders, Seattle Mariners, Tennessee Titans) are some of the pastimes he enjoys with his wife, daughter and two German Shepherds.
Ashley Agen
Ashley was born and raised in Spokane, receiving her Bachelors in Psychology from Gonzaga University and Masters in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Washington University. Ashley began her career working at Sacred Heart Medical Center with adults and adolescents with various neurological and physical dysfunctions. When not at work, Ashley enjoys traveling, hiking and camping with her husband and yellow lab Gus.
Brett Hoblin
Brett grew up in Cheney, WA and received both his undergraduate and Masters in Occupational Therapy from Eastern Washington University. He works closely with Spokane ParaSport to adapt toy cars for early childhood mobility and environmental exploration. In his spare time he enjoys building furniture and house projects. For recreation he loves snowmobiling, snowshoeing/hiking, fishing, and boating with his wife and goldendoodle/lab/springer spaniel mix named Thor.
Ben Miller
After exploring multiple career fields Ben discovered Occupational Therapy and found it fit wonderfully with his passion and life experiences. Graduating from Spokane Falls Community College in 2019 he is excited that he has the opportunity to work cooperatively with children and their families. Finding creative ways to utilize therapeutic play to improve how each child participates in their world has been of the most satisfying aspects of his job.
When not working Ben enjoys spending time with his wife Tami and their dog Samson. Some of his hobbies include tennis, swimming, and reading great books.
Laci Garcia
Laci was born and raised in Spokane, and received her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science at Eastern Washington University. Laci completed her Master of Occupational Therapy at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. She moved back to the Northwest from the desert to begin her career as a Pediatric Occupational Therapist. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, being outside, CrossFit, and cooking.
Alison Carriger
Alison Carriger, OTR/L, is a pediatric occupational therapist who was born and raised in the Greater Spokane Area. She has previous experience as a medical assistant, surgery coordinator, life enrichment guide, and freelancer auditing pathology reports. Alison received her Undergraduate and Master of Occupational Therapy degree from Eastern Washington University. When not working, Alison enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, dog, two cats, and chickens. She likes exploring the outdoors, venturing, doing crafts, building things, and volunteering. Alison is active, loves playing sports, and has a slight obsession with water (rain, lakes, river, ocean, etc.).
Emmy Elsom
Emmy is a Certified Occupational Therapist (COTA) having graduated from the SFCC OTA Program in 2014. Since graduation, Emmy has worked primarily in acute care specializing with neurological and medically fragile patients and diagnoses as well as spending a year doing home health OT. Emmy also completed one of her long-term fieldwork rotations when in school, working with the mental health population using sensory integration strategies. She also stays closely connected with the SFCC OTA program assisting with classes and as a member of the Advisory Board/Admissions Committee. When not working she enjoys spending her time with her husband, toddler daughter, dogs, friends, and garden.
Stephanie Rose
Stephanie has been a pediatric COTA since 2014. She was inspired to join the practice of OT after observing the impact occupational therapy had on a close family member. She is driven to deliver interventions working in close collaboration with each individual child’s support system. Her treatment approach combines Developmental, Individual-differences, Relationship model/ Floortime, sensory integration strategies, and reflex integration. She believes in play based interventions and establishing a strong home program for her clients. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children as well as tending to their farm. 
Katie Zornes
Katie is a mom of two boys, originally from Port Angeles, WA. She graduated in 2019 from Spokane Falls Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant program. Katie enjoys working with kids from all ages and collaborating with caregivers and parents to create a strong play-based home program. When she is not working, she loves adventuring with her kids outdoors.
Kristina Smith
Kristina was born and raised in Spokane and graduated from Eastern Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. She has experience working with patients of various ages, from early intervention to geriatrics. In her free time Kristina enjoys going to the lake, being outdoors, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
Emily Markham
Emily grew up in Spokane and studied Psychology in her undergraduate years at the University of Idaho. She completed graduate school for Occupational Therapy at Eastern Washington University. Emily enjoys hiking, going on road trips, working on house projects, finding local coffee shops, and spending time with her husband and cat, Phoebe.
Lauren Larson
Lauren grew up in Spokane and loves being a PNW native. She attended Western Washington University for her undergraduate studies and completed graduate school for occupational therapy at Eastern Washington University. In her free time Lauren loves playing board games with friends and family, crafting, painting wall murals, hiking, and visiting national parks!
Ty Nelson
Ty grew up in Tacoma, WA, and has lived in the Pacific Northwest most of his life. He served in the United States Air Force Reserve as an aerospace medical technician for six years while accomplishing his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science degree from Eastern Washington University in Cheney, WA. Following his undergraduate studies, Ty attended the University of Mary in Billings, MT, where he received his Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree. During his graduate studies, he had the opportunity to acquire specialized knowledge of and experience with aquatic-based pediatric therapy and adolescent-based treatment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While not working, he enjoys hiking, trail running, skiing, gaming, watching movies, cooking, and eating at new restaurants.
Susie Bennett
Susie is a COTA/L who graduated from SFCC in 2019 and has spent her career in outpatient and home health pediatrics as well as within the school systems. Susie uses a family centered, play based approach while building on each child’s strengths to help them reach their full potential. She has experience in the development of fine motor skills, sensory integration, DIRFloortime and social/behavioral treatments. Susie loves spending time with her family including her three kids and husband doing anything outdoors – backpacking, traveling and gardening are some of her favorites.
Krista Baker
Krista grew up in a military family and has lived in several different states before landing in the PNW. She graduated from Washington State University in 2018 with a degree in Psychology, then went on to graduate from the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Spokane Falls Community College in 2021. Krista has always had a passion for working with kids and strongly believes in the power of play-based interventions. When not working, she spends most of her time procrasti-baking and sharing her baked goods with her neighbors and friends. She also enjoys skiing, spending time at the lake, spontaneous road trips, and goat yoga!
Emily Haley
Emily is a COTA/L who was born and raised in Tri-Cities, and moved to the greater Spokane area to attend Eastern Washington University (Go Eags). She graduated from EWU with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology in 2019 and went on to graduate from the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program through Spokane Falls Community College in 2022. Emily has always loved working with kids and is passionate about sensory based strategies. When not working she enjoys spending time with her husband, friends and dog. She also enjoys skiing, playing tennis and traveling.
Kendra Zita
Kendra is a Washington native who soaked up some sun as she completed her undergraduate at the University of California, San Diego. She then moved back to Washington to complete her Masters in Occupational Therapy at Eastern Washington University. In her spare time, Kendra can be found traveling, hiking, checking out the local farmers market, or cozying up with a good book.
Jessica Estelle
Jessica is a COTA/L that grew up in Spokane, WA and is the oldest of five kids. She discovered her love of occupational therapy attending her brother’s OT and ST sessions growing up. She graduated from Spokane Falls Community College in 2017 and has been practicing in pediatrics ever since. Jessica’s interests include birth-3, reflex integration, visual motor integration, fine motor and more. In her free time she loves to spend time with her two children and husband. When she is not working, Jessica loves to bake and go rock climbing!
Breanna Warner
Breanna was born and raised in Spokane. She graduated from the Occupational Therapy Assistant program through Spokane Falls Community College in 2023. In her free time, you can find Breanna spending time with family and friends, doing yoga, and reading a good book.
Samantha Eugenio
Samie was born and raised in Spokane, WA, but just moved back from living in Boise, ID the last two years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Eastern Washington University and decided to continue her education, graduating from the Spokane Falls Community College COTA program. Samie enjoys working with children of all ages and collaborating with caregivers to achieve goals as a team. In her free time, Samie enjoys spending time relaxing at the lake, playing card games with her family, working on her new house and spending time with friends. She is also a huge Gonzaga University basketball fan.
McKenzie Ford
McKenzie grew up in Eatonville Washington but moved to Cheney to receive her Bachelors in Exercise Science and Masters of Occupational Therapy from Eastern Washington University. Mckenzie’s interests include sensory processing, emotional regulation, social/play skills, visual perception, aquatic therapy, fine motor and more. While not on the clock, she enjoys playing with her german shepard Maui, traveling, reading, photography, playing tennis and line dancing with friends.
Kyle Croft
Raised on a steady diet of PBS Kids and blanket forts, I bring playful, creative energy to therapy—because learning and growing should be fun. I believe in meeting kids and families right where they’re at (often literally on the floor) and helping them find joy and pride in every little victory.
“When I’m not working, I’m probably thrifting, playing outside, wrangling my Great Dane Hudson, or plotting my next chaotic DIY project. I love this job because I get paid to play all day—but mostly because I love cheering families on as we grow, learn, and figure things out together.
Sera Almeida
Sera was born and raised in Spokane, WA and has stayed in this area to raise her family. Sera graduated from the COTA program at Spokane Falls Community College in 2016. She has always enjoyed working with kids; working in childcare settings, as a nanny, and in various pediatric therapy settings. Sera loves working with families to build strong bonds between children and their caregivers. She especially enjoys helping children tackle fine/visual motor skills, handwriting, picky eating, sensory processing, emotional regulation, social/play skills and ADLs. In her free time she enjoys spending time and going camping with her husband, two kids and two huskies. When she is not working, Sera likes to dabble in the occasional DIY craft.
