Co-founder, Clinical Director, & Occupational therapist
Gina Yoo, M.S., OTR/L
Gina Yoo has over 20 years experience in pediatric occupational therapy. She received her Masters of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. She spent half of her career doing school-based therapy and early intervention, then later found her passion in clinic-based therapy, utilizing a more holistic perspective to include all aspects of the child’s life with emphasis on the family unit. Recognizing that children’s needs are complex and often overlooked, she founded Monarch Kids Therapy to create an environment that not only supports each child and family’s unique needs but also their overall health and wellness. She has extensive knowledge in child development and is highly skilled in assessing and treating children using a sensory integrative therapy approach that focuses on the nervous system and its impact on motor development, regulation, and attention. Not only is she certified in multiple therapeutic listening programs, but she also uses complementary treatment strategies in her therapy such as Social Thinking, Handwriting Without Tears, and Floortime principles.
Gina is passionate about understanding and identifying underlying causes for each child’s functional challenges and providing meaningful, enriched, therapeutic experiences that are highly effective in decreasing stress and increasing joy in the child and family’s life. She values the importance of the parent or caregiver role and provides invaluable guidance and resources to families who may be experiencing the uncertainty that comes with their child’s particular challenges. A student at heart, Gina continuously seeks out the most current research and learns from other disciplines to integrate best practice methods in her treatment. Outside of work, Gina enjoys creating culinary concoctions and exploring San Diego with her dog JJ. She also has a passion for living a healthy lifestyle and is always learning about ways to improve her overall wellness and longevity.
Co-founder, occupational therapist
Serli Vosghanian, M.S., OTR/L
Serli received her Bachelor of Science in Psychobiology from UCLA and her Master’s of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. Prior to pursuing a career in pediatric occupational therapy, Serli spent a few years as a research associate at a stem cell laboratory at UCLA where she was involved with various research studies on autism and spinal cord injury. Despite her interest in the science aspect of disease, she quickly discovered she would rather work face to face with people, specifically children, where she could make a direct impact on their lives. Through her education and training in the field of occupational therapy, Serli has worked with both adults and children with various diagnoses and needs, but she finds herself most drawn to the energy and fun of the pediatric population.
Serli uses a sensory integration practice framework with the understanding that many higher level skill deficits are due to underlying foundational sensory processing difficulties. She has a passion for using a holistic, client-centered approach to help children acquire the skills they need to thrive at their optimal potential and to empower families in supporting their children through that journey. She uses a child-led therapy approach that allows the child to direct the play while incorporating unique therapies based on the child’s specific needs. Outside of work, Serli enjoys cooking, baking, listening to audiobooks, traveling, spending time at the beach, and exploring San Diego with her family and Goldendoodle, Archie!
occupational therapist
Rachel Olsen, M.O.T., OTR/L
Rachel graduated from the University of St. Augustine with a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy and from San Diego State University with her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She is passionate about working with the pediatric population. Having been a self-proclaimed "sensory kid" herself, Rachel is committed to utilizing a sensory integrative approach, addressing underlying skill sets to support her client's regulation, motor development, visual perceptual skills, executive functioning skills, social skills, feeding skills, and overall sensory processing.
Rachel is certified in SOS Approach to Feeding and Integrated Listening System (ils) Focus system and has completed trainings for CLASI module 1 in Ayres Sensory Integration, various Vital Links courses (Auditory Defensiveness, Quickshifts, and Building Blocks), and the SPIRAL foundation webinar series. Her goal is to help her kids feel confident and reach their highest level of skill!
Outside of work, Rachel enjoys figure skating, attending yoga classes, going to the beach, playing with her kitten Chester, and reading.
occupational therapist
Chandler Bewley, M.S., OTR/L
Chandler graduated from the University of St. Augustine with a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy and has experience in both clinic and school-based settings. Chandler has always wanted to work with children. She is the second oldest of five daughters; growing up, she loved the chaos of a big family and finding ways to make babysitting fun for her younger siblings. With a desire to help others and spend time with littles, Pediatric Occupational Therapy was the perfect fit!
Throughout her career, Chandler has developed a passion for sensory integration and the positive impact it has on therapeutic outcomes for both the child and family unit. She strives to help children foster feelings of capability and confidence in order to increase independence and wellbeing. Through a sensory lens and play-centered approach, Chandler uses treatment sessions to help her clients improve self-regulation, attention, and motor skills. Her favorite part about being an occupational therapist is developing meaningful relationships with the children and families she works with and finding creative ways to make therapy fun!
Outside of work, Chandler loves playing pickleball, practicing yoga, traveling, and spending time with her husband and daughter.
Speech language pathologist
Janelle Snyder, M.S., CCC-SLP
Janelle received her B.A. in Human Development from California State University San Marcos and her M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from Idaho State University. She has extensive experience working with the pediatric population in a clinic setting. Janelle has experience working with children with delays and disorders in articulation, phonology, apraxia, receptive/expressive language, pragmatic language, and fluency. She is trained in TOTS (Tethered Oral Tissues Specialty) as well as in Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention.
Janelle believes that each child has their own unique way of learning and strives to tailor therapy techniques and strategies to best fit the needs of each individual child. She is passionate about working with the pediatric population and their families to positively impact their communication skills at home and in the community. Outside of work, Janelle enjoys spending time with her family, reading a good book, and crafting home décor items.
Speech language pathologist
Vanessa Burkett, M.S., CCC-SLP
Vanessa graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. After graduating, Vanessa worked as an in-home and school-based Behavioral Therapist for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and related disorders. She then went on to earn a Master of Science Degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Redlands in 2015. Vanessa has extensive experience working in a pediatric clinical setting. Her clinical experience includes assessment and treatment of children with disorders in receptive and expressive language, articulation, phonology, apraxia of speech and related motor planning, fluency (stuttering), and feeding. She is a member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and is PROMPT Level 1 Trained. She is also trained in TOTS (Tethered Oral Tissues Specialty) and Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention.
Vanessa loves working with children of all ages and backgrounds. She emphasizes a family-centered, team-based approach that incorporates multiple therapeutic methods from varying theoretical backgrounds in order to meet each individual child’s specific needs. Her approach is child-led and utilizes natural, play-based activities in a comfortable and supportive setting to target functional communication needs. Outside of work, she loves spending time with her family and dog Bubba, playing board games, reading, and eating delicious food.
Speech language pathologist
Meagan Doherty, M.S., CCC-SLP
Meagan is a licensed speech-language pathologist who holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). Meagan graduated with a Bachelors in Human Physiology from Boston University and a Masters of Science in speech-language pathology from Worcester State University. She has over 10 years of experience working in pediatrics.
Meagan has experience working in many different settings including private and public schools and outpatient rehabilitation. She has a passion for working with children with developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, and complex communication needs. She has experience evaluating and treating children in the areas of receptive and expressive language, social language, feeding disorders, fluency, literacy, and articulation/phonology. She has completed the SOS Approach to Feeding and Talk Tools Level 1 as well as training in Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention. She also has training in the Wilson Reading System, an instructional program used to help struggling readers. Meagan is passionate about building strong relationships with her clients and families and providing individualized child-centered care. Outside of work, you can find Meagan running on the beach, traveling, or spending time with her pup Ella.
speech language pathologist
Chloe Lazarus, M.S., CCC-SLP
Chloe received her Bachelors in Human Development from California State University San Marcos in 2016. She later graduated with a Masters of Science in speech-language pathology from Northern Arizona University in 2020. Chloe is a licensed speech-language pathologist who holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
Chloe has extensive experience working with Early Intervention and children with a variety of disorders and diagnoses, including receptive and expressive language disorder, articulation disorder, phonological disorder, apraxia of speech, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She is PROMPT Level 1 Trained and trained in treating and evaluating Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders [OMDs]. Chloe enjoys working with children of all ages and implementing a holistic approach to her treatment with a multidisciplinary team. She is passionate about growing and learning from continued education to better provide for the families she works with.
Outside of work, Chloe loves spending time with her family, finding new places to eat, and going to the beach!
Office Manager & Front Desk Administrator
Davis Kuhlman
Davis is our office manager and front desk administrator here at Monarch Kids Therapy. She is a personable, warm, and high energy member of the team who is excited to meet and greet everyone who walks through the door! She can assist you with checking in, scheduling, billing, and answering your questions.
Davis has received her Bachelor’s Degree with a focus on developmental and abnormal psychology. With her work experience in applied behavior analysis (ABA), administrative support in a therapy setting, volunteering with children, and her in-depth knowledge of Star Wars fun facts, she loves talking and connecting with all the kiddos who come to Monarch.
Outside of work, she loves reading, cooking, sports, beach time, hiking, and traveling!