Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Alvarez.
Amanda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
From a very early age I knew I wanted to one day work with children. In college, a friend who was hearing impaired inspired me to explore speech-language pathology. In my early years as a clinician at a pediatric practice I was fortunate to work with professionals across disciplines — speech, occupational and physical therapists among them. That collaborative approach taught me that to make a lasting impact, it’s essential to address the whole child. I also realized that while many children did very well in individual therapy, they had a hard time carrying what they learned into real-world situations like the playground, birthday parties, or playdates. I was inspired to found ICT and build a multidisciplinary practice where we offer not only high-quality individual therapy, but also social groups. Our groups allow children to practice what they learn in individual therapy with peers, which then helps them carry new skills into the real world. Today I’ve built an integrated approach and a dynamic team, with the goal of helping children successfully communicate, play, learn, make friends, and reach their full potential.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenges I’ve encountered are similar to those experienced by anyone trying to build an exceptional practice: Finding the best people, the best space, the best approach. After nearly 20 years of learning from both challenges and successes, I feel confident I’ve built a place where every child and family gets the highest-quality treatment available. Overcoming challenges (and celebrating successes!) makes you stronger and better at what you do.
Integrated Children’s Therapy – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As I mentioned earlier, our focus on bridging the space between individual therapy and real-world success through the use of social groups is unique. I think our staff and network of child development professionals with whom we collaborate would say that we’re highly team-oriented. We prioritize open communication amongst the family and all professionals working with a child, which helps us work together efficiently and effect true, long-lasting changes. Lastly I’d say that aside from being highly-skilled, our team has a lot of heart. Whether we’re seeing children at our facility, running camps, or working in schools, we do it with enthusiasm and a true love of what we do.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Many years ago a mother of a child I was working with told me that of any goal she could think of for her child, what she wanted the most was simply for him to have a friend. To me, friendship is at center of childhood, along with playing, learning, and connecting with others. What all of those hallmarks of childhood have in common is communication — something so many children with developmental challenges struggle with. I’ve worked hard to build a practice that helps all children experience the joys of childhood and prepares them thrive beyond it. In fact, our motto is “Helping Kids be Kids.” So I always think fondly of that mother’s comment all those years ago. It still inspires me today.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2103 Coral Way Suite 720 Miami, FL 33145
- Website: www.integratedchildrens.com
- Phone: 305-443-2022
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: integratedchildrenstherapy
- Facebook: Integrated Children’s Therapy LLC
- Yelp: Integrated Childrens Therapy, LLC
Image Credit:
DP3 Studio, Anna Zilberberg
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