Laurie Sanzana

I feel that being an Occupational Therapist truly is my life passion and calling. I have always enjoyed working with children, being creative, and problem solving. These characteristics are the core on which I have developed my clinical skills as an OT.

Growing up I was always interested in art, but not sure how to make that into a career. In high school, my mom, who was a nurse, suggested that I should explore Occupational Therapy and once I did, I knew that was the perfect combination of helping people and combining my creative mind.
Professionally I have had the opportunity to experience working in a variety of settings. While studying Occupational Therapy, I worked as an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist, teaching children with Autism and their families the skills needed to learn, communicate, and function in life.

After graduating with my B.S. in Occupational Therapy from Concordia University of Wisconsin-Mequon, I moved to New Mexico and began working in the school systems. Several years later, I was married and moved back to the Midwest, continuing as a school based OT in Illinois. Throughout those 12 years, I had the opportunity to work with children from Kindergarten up to High School. I specialized in sensory integration, assistive technology, and of course handwriting, but from the perspective of functional vision.

After having my own child and watching him move through each developmental phase, I was interested and excited to work with the birth to three population, which led me to The Therapy Tree, LLC. I have learned a wealth of skills and knowledge from those around me and I am honored to use those to help the families who come to the clinic.

In addition to the traditional therapeutic modalities generally used by Occupational Therapists, I have sought out additional modalities to be able to address any roadblocks that a client may experience. These modalities range from attachment therapies (such as Theraplay that helps build rapport between child, parent, and therapist within a caring environment), energy psychology approaches (such as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), QiGong, and Quantum Touch to break through fears and facilitate a deep state of sensory regulation), and finally, manual therapy techniques (such as Zero Balancing, Craniosacral therapy and Myofascial Release to address body restrictions and pain).

Having the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals such as physical therapists, speech therapists, and counselors is a unique benefit at The Therapy Tree that I truly feel helps the client achieve their maximum potential of growth and development!

Personally, I feel every life experience teaches me something unforgettable that helps me grow not only as a person but also as a therapist. My senior year of high school, I was an exchange student in Chile which was the start of a bilingual life…I just did not know it at that time. This amazing experience taught me I could accomplish anything life puts in front of me.

Ironically, years later I met my husband in New Mexico, who is Chilean and only came for a short stay in the US. I moved with him to Chile for a year, got married, and then came back to the US. Many years later, we were blessed with our son who was adopted from Guatemala. Again, life gave me the blessing to live in Guatemala for 9 months to take care of our son while the adoption was in process.  I am grateful to have been given these opportunities to develop the skills needed to communicate with the Spanish speaking population in a therapeutic setting and directly support their needs.

When appropriate, I share what life has taught me as well as my experience working as an OT to assist families in the best way possible for their child’s growth and success. I am proud to be a part of The Therapy Tree’s team of therapists and am honored to work with the amazing families and children who are part of The Therapy Tree “family.”