Our Story
Individually...
Individually...
Mary Lou Gagnon OTR/L
is an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience working with
children in both clinic-based and school system practice. She also holds a
degree in Elementary Education and taught in private and public school settings
prior to choosing to stay at home to raise her two children. Mary Lou was
a founding member of the Danvers Special Education Parent’s Advisory Committee,
serving 8 years as the president. During this time, she also served on
the Massachusetts Regional Advisory Board for Special Education and volunteered
at the Office for Children compiling resources for after school activities for
children with special needs.
After many years of working long hours as a stay at home mom, her husband urged her to slow down to pursue her interest in Occupational Therapy. Mary Lou returned to school and found her passion in this field, first in adult rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, then in outpatient therapy and pediatric practice.
Mary Lou has a strong commitment to continuing education. She has advanced training in sensory processing and is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. She is a provider for Integrated Listening Systems and the Advanced Brain Technologies therapeutic listening programs and is a certified provider for Interactive Metronome. She is trained in Brain Gym, Musgatova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration, and Myofascial Release. Mary Lou has advanced training in Cranial Sacral Therapy for adults and children, serving as a teaching assistant for the Upledger Institute.
Mary Lou has been a visiting instructor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Salem State University teaching Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Clinical Reasoning and Professional Judgment courses. She has presented on Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, The Impact of Disabilities on Family Quality of Life, Using Movement to Enhance Classroom Performance, and Sensory Integration in local schools. In 2012, Mary Lou found new joy in her occupational therapy practice when Linda invited her to join forces to create Peer Projects - Therapy from the Heart. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, walking her dog, and doing yoga.
After many years of working long hours as a stay at home mom, her husband urged her to slow down to pursue her interest in Occupational Therapy. Mary Lou returned to school and found her passion in this field, first in adult rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, then in outpatient therapy and pediatric practice.
Mary Lou has a strong commitment to continuing education. She has advanced training in sensory processing and is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. She is a provider for Integrated Listening Systems and the Advanced Brain Technologies therapeutic listening programs and is a certified provider for Interactive Metronome. She is trained in Brain Gym, Musgatova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration, and Myofascial Release. Mary Lou has advanced training in Cranial Sacral Therapy for adults and children, serving as a teaching assistant for the Upledger Institute.
Mary Lou has been a visiting instructor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Salem State University teaching Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Clinical Reasoning and Professional Judgment courses. She has presented on Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, The Impact of Disabilities on Family Quality of Life, Using Movement to Enhance Classroom Performance, and Sensory Integration in local schools. In 2012, Mary Lou found new joy in her occupational therapy practice when Linda invited her to join forces to create Peer Projects - Therapy from the Heart. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, walking her dog, and doing yoga.
Linda Murphy M.S., CCC-SLP,
CEIS has been working with individuals, ranging from infant to
adulthood, for over 20 years. She obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics
from Boston College in 1993 but after working for two years with adults with
developmental disabilities in supported work and residential settings, she
discovered her true passion and pursued a Master’s Degree in Speech Language
Pathology from Emerson College. Linda began her career as an SLP in Early
Intervention. There she gained experience working within a variety of natural
environments, working as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing service
coordination for families, and acting as senior supervisor to the speech
language pathologists on staff. Linda has completed additional graduate courses
in infant/toddler development and vision impairment, is a Certified Early
Intervention Specialist, and recently received formal training in PROMPT.
Consideration of the whole family and thinking about how to make therapy meaningful across settings have remained priorities for Linda since her beginnings in EI. This led her to Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI), and in 2007 she became an RDI Consultant. She brings this clinical expertise to all sessions and is dedicated to educating others on the powerful ways of thinking and being that RDI emphasizes. Linda has published several articles in Autism Spectrum Quarterly Magazine on these topics, and is writing a book with Michelle Garcia Winner and Think Social Publishing to be released in 2014.
In addition to providing therapy, Linda regularly provides trainings to parents and professionals on topics near and dear to her heart such as RDI, dynamic communication, Social Thinking®, and how to create authentic, sustained peer interactions. She founded Peer Projects in 2005 upon starting a social pragmatics group for preschoolers at Emerson College. Though initially started out of the back of Linda's car, Peer Projects has grown to offer a range of services provided by highly skilled and dedicated clinicians who have worked closely with Linda over the years. She is thrilled to now be partnered with Mary Lou and Therapy from the Heart, and continues to learn from her team members every day. When she is not working, Linda is kept quite busy at home with her family life and two young, energetic boys!
Consideration of the whole family and thinking about how to make therapy meaningful across settings have remained priorities for Linda since her beginnings in EI. This led her to Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI), and in 2007 she became an RDI Consultant. She brings this clinical expertise to all sessions and is dedicated to educating others on the powerful ways of thinking and being that RDI emphasizes. Linda has published several articles in Autism Spectrum Quarterly Magazine on these topics, and is writing a book with Michelle Garcia Winner and Think Social Publishing to be released in 2014.
In addition to providing therapy, Linda regularly provides trainings to parents and professionals on topics near and dear to her heart such as RDI, dynamic communication, Social Thinking®, and how to create authentic, sustained peer interactions. She founded Peer Projects in 2005 upon starting a social pragmatics group for preschoolers at Emerson College. Though initially started out of the back of Linda's car, Peer Projects has grown to offer a range of services provided by highly skilled and dedicated clinicians who have worked closely with Linda over the years. She is thrilled to now be partnered with Mary Lou and Therapy from the Heart, and continues to learn from her team members every day. When she is not working, Linda is kept quite busy at home with her family life and two young, energetic boys!
Coming together...
In November 2012, Mary Lou and Linda partnered to form Peer Projects - Therapy from the Heart, thereby bringing their clinical skills, varied areas of expertise, and talented teams together under one roof. After having many opportunities to work together informally, Mary Lou and Linda found that they shared many values in working with families such as the importance of including families as much as possible in treatment, maintaining the quality of their work by not becoming too big, and providing a space for families to come and feel comfortable. They both also believe in meeting children where they are, accepting them for who they are, and helping them to become the best that they can be. They hope that together their team will be able to meet a variety of needs.
In November 2012, Mary Lou and Linda partnered to form Peer Projects - Therapy from the Heart, thereby bringing their clinical skills, varied areas of expertise, and talented teams together under one roof. After having many opportunities to work together informally, Mary Lou and Linda found that they shared many values in working with families such as the importance of including families as much as possible in treatment, maintaining the quality of their work by not becoming too big, and providing a space for families to come and feel comfortable. They both also believe in meeting children where they are, accepting them for who they are, and helping them to become the best that they can be. They hope that together their team will be able to meet a variety of needs.