Zoe Raffard
Clinic Director | Occupational Therapist
Zoe received her Masters in Occupational Therapy and Diploma in Infant Development/Supported Child Care from UBC. Her area of focus was studying children with autism, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), ADHD, and other areas of neurodiversity. She has pursued additional training in sensory-processing and mental health. Zoe has worked as the school OT at preschools and private schools. She is now delivering educational programs to schools and organizations to promote inclusion.
Building community is something that is very important to Zoe. Over the years she has assisted children with therapeutic horse-back riding lessons, been a Girl Guide leader, and volunteered with mental health organizations, crisis lines and women's shelters. Recently, she was a snowboard instructor and kayak-guide in adapted sports programs.
Zoe facilitates her clients and their family to engage with their environment through a natural, sensory-based experience based on their own interests (child-led). While using a playful developmentally appropriate approach to support learning of new motor skills. Therapy needs to be fun in order to be functional. Zoe grew up in Vancouver and experienced firsthand the wide variety of activities available year-round. As a mother of a young child herself, she is actively informed of local resources to help children and families better cope with our busy lives and ever changing environments.
Zoe is a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT), and the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC). She is on the Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) list.
Zoe works in the clinic 10:00 am - 2:30 pm Monday through Friday. Her caseload is currently full for ongoing treatment clients. She will have occasional availability for assessments, consultations, and education
Marta Canaan
Occupational Therapist
Marta graduated from Florida International University with a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. While studying OT, she worked with children with special needs in summer and day camps, and as a home care attendant for a child with cerebral palsy. She has extensive experience in OT working with children who have Autism, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, LD, developmental delays, among others. She worked in a therapeutic preschool program and co-owned a multi-disciplinary pediatric therapy practice in Brooklyn. There she provided private OT treatment sessions and assessments, NYC Early Intervention services, and related OT services for children in the public school system. When Marta first moved to Canada, she worked student support worker for the Vancouver School Board providing support and accommodations for children with disabilities before getting her Canadian OT licence.
Marta has taken courses over the years to provide instruction with the Handwriting Without Tears program, Brain Gym, Social Thinking curriculum, Therapeutic Listening, Astronaut Training Protocol, sensory diets, and Sarah Ward's executive functioning approach. She is an iLs trained practitioner and uses the CO-OP approach for children with DCD. Marta speaks Spanish fluently and knows basic sign language. Marta tries to help children develop ways to cope with sensory differences, learn self-regulation strategies, and acquire desired functional skills through evidence-based play-based interventions. She believes in empowering each and every client to be their best self while also appreciating their unique strengths and passions.
Marta is a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT), and the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC). She is on the Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) list.
Marta works Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Her caseload is currently full, she has a waitlist for in-person therapy.
Ellen Au
Occupational Therapist
Ellen is dedicated to her clients and has invested in the education necessary to provide the appropriate interventions to help clients and their families reach their goals. She completed her Masters in Occupational Therapy in 2019 at the University of Sydney, Australia. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Health Sciences with a minor in early learning from Simon Fraser University, and a Rehabilitation Assistant Diploma. Ellen has a passion for continued learning about the Occupational Therapy field and is always reading about new evidence based client-centred therapies that she can implement to help her clients succeed.
Ellen has almost a decade of experience working with children and teens in various settings and with multidisciplinary teams. Over the years she has helped children with many different diagnoses and varying levels of learning disabilities. A few of her previous jobs include leading play therapy sessions at a respite hospital in Australia, running groups for early intervention school readiness at a private clinic, and doing 1:1 sessions. Ellen is constantly pulling from her experience to adapt or modify for new, innovative interventions. Her favourite part of the job is celebrating the small but big wins as a client works towards their goal.
When she’s not working, you will find Ellen playing Ultimate Frisbee or out with her run club. She is an active individual and enjoys spending time outdoors and experiencing nature. She also loves to hang out with friends, enjoys pastries and coffee, and traveling to new places to experience different cultures and food.
Ellen is a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT), and the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC). She is also registered with the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP)
Ellen works in the clinic on Sundays and Mondays. her coaseload is almost full, so put in your request soon.
Angie Garces
Occupational Therapist
Angie is an occupational therapist who completed her Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) at the University of British Columbia. During the MOT program, she did her research on the mental health of parents of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and their concerns on how DCD impacts their child's mental health. She had the opportunity to present these findings at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists and DCD-14 conferences. Angie also holds her bachelor’s degree in Child and Youth Care and her diploma in Early Childhood Education.
Before completing her Master of Occupational Therapy, Angie worked one-on-one and in group settings with children who had varied needs as an Early Childhood Educator. It is here that she learned the importance of family-centered care and adapting the environment to meet a child's occupational needs. Through this experience, she became passionate about working as an occupational therapist who could support and guide families in accomplishing their meaningful goals. In her practice, Angie strives to create a safe and collaborative environment where children and families feel welcomed in the therapeutic process.
Angie completed the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) training on how to use the CO-OP approach with children who have motor challenges. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC). She is on the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP) list under supervision.
Angie works in the clinic on Thursday & Friday afternoons and Saturdays. Her caseload is currently full and she has a waitlist.
Alex Walcott
Occupational Therapist
Alex originally hails from Michigan and moved to Vancouver in 2021. She completed her MS in Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University and has worked all over the United States in school, outpatient, early intervention and acute pediatric settings. Upon immigrating to Canada, Alex successfully completed the SEAS program to transfer her occupational therapy credentials. Alex is a longtime advocate of neuro-diverse children and youth and has obtained additional training in providing child-led, relational therapy (known as DIR-Floortime) through the International Council on Development and Learning and has received additional training in providing trauma-informed care to vulnerable populations. She also loves leading groups and has previously facilitated feeding, adaptive sport, social sibling, music and improv, and much more!
Alex is fully licensed through COTBC and is on the Registry of Autism Service Providers (RASP) list.
Alex is accepting new client referrals for virtual sessions only at this time.
Kate Thomas
Occupational Therapist
Kate completed her Master of Occupational Therapy at the University of British Columbia, where she studied sensory processing patterns in children with developmental coordination disorder, and presented her research at the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists conference and Paediatric Update Symposium.
Kate started her career as an occupational therapist in mental health, and is passionate about creating a safe and welcoming environment for children to learn and play. Prior to becoming an occupational therapist, Kate spent six years supporting children with diagnoses of ASD, ADHD and DCD as a support worker and occupational therapy assistant. She enjoys getting to know each child and their unique strengths, and utilizing a family centred lens and collaborative approach to support children and families towards their goals.
Kate is a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and the College of Occupational Therapists of British Columbia (COTBC). She is on the RASP list for AFU, under supervision of one of our senior therapists.
When she’s not working, you’ll find Kate biking, hiking, reading a good book, and catching sunsets.
Kate works Thursdays, Fridays, and some Sundays. She is currently accepting new in-person and virtual clients.
Eunice Tan
Speech Language Pathologist
Eunice is a Registered Speech-Language Pathologist (RSLP) licensed with the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC (CSHBC). She is also a Clinical Educator who provides clinical supervision to SLP students from UBC.
Through more than 15 years of working in public health and private practice, Eunice has developed extensive clinical skills specific to preschool and school-age children. She is especially interested in speech sound disorders and apraxia of speech, fluency (stuttering), social communication/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
In addition to her Master of Speech-Language Pathology degree from the University of Alberta, Eunice has also completed training in:
PROMPT (Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets) Introduction Level - Intervention for children with moderate to severe speech sound disorders
More Than Words® - The Hanen Program® for parents of children with ASD or social communication difficulties
Licombe Program - Intervention for children who stutter
Delivering therapy through a play-based approach, Eunice firmly believes that children learn best through fun and play. A major part of her work is also educational, where she involves and trains parents to support their child at home. Family-centred care is fundamental in Eunice’s practice because she knows it takes a village to raise a child. She often partners with parents to collaborate with other family members, teachers, and other health professionals to provide coordinated care.
Eunice provides services in English and Chinese. She is fluent in Cantonese and speaks conversational Mandarin. Eunice expects to be listed as a Registered Autism Service Provider (RASP) shortly.
Eunice works at the clinic on Fridays. She is not accepting new clients at this time. She can supervise therapy assistants who work other days of the week. Priority for SLP clients come from current OT clients
Therapy Assistants
Klarissa Khong & Mikhaila Laano
Our TAs can work with OT, SLP and BC caseloads under supervisions of one of our clinicians. You must speak to your OT/SLP/BC to get approval for seeing a therapy assistant, to ensure appropriate fit. Klarissa & Mikhaila both have experience with young children, school-aged kids, and adolescents. They have worked in both clinic and recreation settings. They are also both students and are studying Kinesiology and Social Work respectively, before applying to OT & SLP programs.
Klarissa works in the clinic on Saturday mornings and can do nearby home/community visits after-school/evenings on weekdays. If your child could use support attending a leisure/recreation activity or learning transit routes, this is a great way to get hands-on, real-time support.
Mikhaila works in the clinic Saturday afternoons. Her focus is on speech, language, communication and social/play skills. She is excited to use sensory-based regulation strategies and executive function skills to help her clients get more out of their sessions.