Mississauga and Burlington

When Keiri was first interested in being a physiotherapist she was passionate about anatomy, and loved teaching. With increased experience and a few opportunities to see children, Keiri realized how inspiring and empowering it was to use play as a tool to make therapy fun and result in functional change. As her education and career progressed, she was consistently drawn in by making meaningful physical change and creating connections with children and their families.

Keiri enjoys treating using a very hands-on approach – sometimes trying things that might fail, and being pleasantly surprised with the response. She likes to challenge the kids and then give the families ideas and tools to be involved and push their kids without it seeming like therapy. Keiri is amazed by the children that she treats every day!

The decision to start Butterfly Paediatric Therapy with Michelle Hand was a work in progress over a few years, one that comes with no regrets. Having the business actually allows Keiri to treat kids on a regular basis, to make change, to impact families, to work alongside an amazing friend and therapists everyday, and now – going back to her original passion – to teach and mentor others.

Over her career she has found that what works best for her is an eclectic approach. Having different options and therapy approaches depending on the needs or sometimes even the moods of the child provides for more meaningful change. Keiri has taken her 8 week Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), has her Level 3 Cuevas Medek Exercise (CME), Paediatric Kinesiotaping, Functional Strength Training, Pilates for Neurological Impairments, Body Weight Support Treadmill Training and draws on these to create fun and functional treatment sessions.

Fun Facts About Keiri:

• If Keiri could be any animal, she would be an otter!
• If Keiri could only eat one food for the rest of her life it would be macaroni and cheese.
• If Keiri had a movie about her life, Anna Kendrick would play her role.

Burlington

Lisa is an experienced clinician who enjoys working with children of all ages and abilities, and her passion for helping her clients reach their functional goals shines through during each one of her treatment sessions.

Lisa grew up playing competitive hockey, and as a result became fascinated by the human body’s ability to move, adapt and repair. This fascination led her to complete both an undergraduate Honours Bachelor of Science Kinesiology degree, as well as a Master’s of Physiotherapy degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Since this time, she has completed her Level 1 and 2 Cueves Medek Exercises (CME) practitioner certifications. She has also taken continuing education courses related to infantile torticollis and plagiocephaly, infant and toddler motor development, paediatric scoliosis, pain in paediatrics and musculoskeletal soft tissue release. Most recently she has undergone further learning related to the assessment and treatment of concussions, taught by Shannon McGuire of Concussion Rehab Works Inc. Lisa is always seeking new opportunities to further her knowledge in order to provide effective care to her clients.

Lisa’s interest in paediatrics stems from her previous experiences both as a Summer Camp Counsellor and as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist where she worked with youth athletes of various ages and skill levels to help improve their performance in sport. Lisa continues to find joy in the paediatric population now working with infants, toddlers, children and adolescents on a daily basis. She has experience working with children with both neurological or genetic conditions, as well as musculoskeletal or orthopedic conditions. She loves coming to the clinic every day to see the smiling faces of her clients, while they work towards reaching their goals.

When not treating clients, Lisa has taken on a leadership role at Butterfly Paediatric Therapy, helping to mentor our physiotherapists and set them up for success. She continues to assist with the growth and function of our clinics on a daily basis to ensure families feel welcome and comfortable in our space as they enter the doors. Lisa enjoys spending time in the community making connections with other healthcare providers as well as educating families on our services and the importance of paediatric care.

Let’s Get to Know Lisa:

• If Lisa could teleport anywhere in the world, she would go to Hawaii.
• If Lisa was on a deserted island and her needs were met, she would bring a bicycle to explore and a boat to leave when she’s ready.
• If Lisa was a celebrity, she would be famous for her organizational skills – she loves a clean pantry!

Burlington

Cassandra is a passionate, energetic, and outgoing therapist who strives to make physiotherapy fun and engaging for all kids. Cassandra developed a love for exercise, health, and wellness at a young age through skiing, gymnastics, dance, wrestling, and baseball. Her involvement in sports sparked a keen interest in the body, human movement, and injury management, leading her to complete a Diploma in Physiotherapy Assistant at Humber College. During that time, a clinical placement where she helped empower children to reach their goals and achieve milestones sparked her interest in paediatrics. The clinical experience gained through her placements led her to complete her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology at Lakehead University before pursuing a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Science, followed by a Master of Science in Physical Therapy at Queen’s University.

During her time in the physical therapy program, she pursued opportunities to gain more clinical experience in paediatrics. Cassandra has worked with paediatric clients throughout multiple settings including remote northern communities such as with the company Firefly in Red Lake, Ontario. She gained clinical experience in assessing and developing creative treatment sessions for children with various common conditions and feels that being a part of life-changing treatment is incredibly rewarding.

Cassandra is motivated and excited to continue to increase her knowledge through continuing education programs to deliver the highest possible care to children. She has already completed courses in Neurodevelopmental Therapy (NDT), toe walking, and vestibular treatment. She is excited to join the Butterfly Paediatric Therapy team and help children reach their maximum potential through play-based physiotherapy sessions.

Question and Answer with Cassandra:

• If Cassandra could have a superpower, it would be teleportation.
• If Cassandra was on a deserted island and her needs were met, she would bring a book and a stand-up paddle board.
• If Cassandra was a celebrity, she would be famous for motivational speaking.

Mississauga

From a young age, Elina has been fascinated by the human body’s ability to adapt and react, and was intrigued by the concept of exercise as medicine. This led her to complete her Master of Science in Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto, following the successful completion of her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at McMaster University, determined to pursue a career in paediatric physiotherapy. Elina’s passion for physiotherapy lies in watching her clients transform into more independent and confident versions of themselves.

To further her learning, Elina completed an internship at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital on the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team. There, she had the opportunity to deliver creative and engaging treatments to kids with varying brain injury diagnoses. She also completed an internship at a private paediatric clinic, where she prepared and delivered engaging play-based physiotherapy interventions for clients with gross motor/developmental milestone delays, gait abnormalities, torticollis, plagiocephaly, and a variety of other conditions.

Elina’s treatment style is straightforward and honest. She uses humour and empathy to guide her clients to achieve their and their families’ therapeutic goals. Showcasing her commitment to life-long learning, Elina is currently a doctoral student in Rehabilitation Sciences at KITE-Toronto Rehab-University Health Network, with a collaborative specialization in Neurosciences, at the University of Toronto. Her research involves studying balance and mobility in children and adults with non-neurodegenerative conditions, such as cerebral palsy.

Learning About Elina:

• One thing that Elina could not live without is Ginger Ale.
• If Elina could live in any country, she would live in Switzerland.
• Elina’s hidden talent is that she used to be a competitive ballroom dancer, and even performed half-time shows on Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. These days she is far too shy to dance in front of others!

Mississauga

Sandy has always been fascinated and interested in the science and movement of the human body which steered her to choosing physiotherapy as a career. She was interested in sports science but during her training she was exposed to working with babies and children with medical, surgical, orthopedic, neurological and genetic conditions in a variety of different settings which changed the trajectory of her career path. It was very rewarding and Sandy quickly found that her interest and passion was being directed towards paediatrics with a special interest in paediatric neurology.

In order to pursue her career in paediatrics and to have a well-rounded approach, Sandy’s continuing education includes being trained in Neurodevelopmental Therapy (NDT), Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME) Level I and II, paediatric kinesiotaping, core stability, infant mental health, early intervention, Task Specific Electrical Stimulation (TASES), General Movement Assessment certification and Certified Infant Massage Instructor by the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM).

Sandy is constantly seeking new ways and approaches to helping and treating the babies and children who are in her care in order for them to be the best that they can be.

What May Surprise You About Sandy:

• If Sandy could have a superpower, it would be to have photographic memory.
• One thing that Sandy could not live without is chocolate.
• Sandy’s hidden talent is that she can sing!

Burlington

Madeleine is a Physiotherapy Resident with the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario. Madeleine is energetic, caring, and passionate about using her creativity to ensure every child she works with not only strives to meet their goals but has fun in the process. Madeleine has always been passionate about working with children. Her passion began while spending several summers working outdoors at YMCA overnight camps as a Camp Counsellor, Leadership Trainer and then as a Waterfront Director. When she wasn’t at camp, she spent her free time competitively swimming and dancing, or going on active adventures with friends/family.

Her passion for moving continued into her career path. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo, she obtained a Master of Science in Physiotherapy at Leeds Beckett University in England, UK. She then became certified to provide acupuncture through McMaster University’s Neurofunctional Medical Acupuncture Program.

Madeleine has always believed in the importance of spreading passion for active living. While completing her education, she worked as a ski instructor for individuals of all ages and various abilities. Her favourite aspect of this included volunteering with the Waterloo Regional Track 3 Program where she taught children with physical and mental disabilities how to ski. Outside of school and skiing, she volunteered to facilitate exercise programs for children struggling with obesity/diabetes, and physical disabilities.

Let’s Learn about Madeleine:

• If Madeleine could use rollerblades as her primary mode of transportation, she would.
• If Madeleine was only able to have one item of food to cook from for the rest of her life,
  she would choose a potato.
• Madeleine believes that dance parties can solve most problems!

Mississauga

Rima’s passion for working with children and youth emerged from her early roles as a dance class assistant, camp counselor and cooking school instructor. With a background in competitive dance, Rima pursued a Bachelor of Science in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph. Intrigued by the “non-traditional” and holistic perspective of Occupational Therapy, she furthered her education with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto.

During her academic journey, Rima strengthened her skills in paediatric care through a clinical placement at SickKids Hospital in the neurology, neurosurgery and trauma unit. Here, she learned to use play as a form of assessment and intervention. She also gained international experience at an intensive neurorehabilitation centre in Madrid, Spain, working with individuals of all ages and integrating traditional therapy techniques with evidence-based technology.

Throughout her clinical placements, Rima has gained knowledge in wheelchair seating and positioning, feeding, upper extremity neuromotor interventions, and guided discovery methods such as the CO-OP approach. Drawing on her two years of experience as a personal trainer and fitness coach, she also brings a solid understanding of biomechanics to her practice, helping individuals work towards their personal goals.

Rima believes in using a strength-based approach to build motivation and self-efficacy in clients. One of the many reasons Rima loves occupational therapy is because it emphasizes that well being can be achieved through small, meaningful steps. As often has been said, the little things are really the big things!

Rima is committed to providing high-quality, family-centred care. She is a lifelong learner who looks forward to continually expanding her knowledge and making a positive impact on the lives of the children and families she serves at Butterfly Paediatric Therapy.

A few fun facts about Rima:

• Rima finds joy in cooking and unwinding with rom-coms during quality time with friends.
• Her ultimate treat for a lifetime? Dairy Milk fruit and nut chocolate bars would be her top pick.
• While no longer engaged in competitive dancing, Rima indulges her dance itch with impromptu sessions while house cleaning.

Burlington

Emma is an enthusiastic new occupational therapy graduate excited to develop her Occupational Therapy skills with the clients at Butterfly Pediatric Therapy!

Emma completed her undergraduate degree at Brock University in Child and Youth Studies. After completing her undergraduate degree, Emma continued to Western University to pursue a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. Emma has a passion for working with children helping them learn new skills and achieving their goals. Emma has a strong background and passion for gymnastics and continues to pursue this passion through coaching athletes in the competitive program.

During her Master’s degree, Emma had opportunities to develop her knowledge with the pediatric populations during her clinical placements at the Thames Valley Children’s Centre in the Early Years program and at Pathways Health Centre for Children in School Based Rehabilitation Services. Emma values the opportunity to work with families and children being a part of their occupational therapy journey through creating fun, engaging sessions.

Through clinical placements, and during her Master’s degree, Emma has developed knowledge of Handwriting without Tears, Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach, Solution-Focused Coaching, and interventions for fine motor and handwriting skills development.

When Emma is not working, Emma enjoys taking her dog for walks, doing puzzles, spending time with friends and family and doing gymnastics. Emma is excited to be a part of the team at Butterfly and being a part of making a meaningful difference in clients lives!

A few fun facts about Emma:

• If Emma had a superpower, she would want to be able to fly
• If Emma could eat only one food for the rest of her life, it would be pasta
• If Emma were a celebrity, she would be famous for being a professional athlete.

Mississauga

Mr. Elias Salame holds a BSc in Occupational Therapy since 2004 from the Faculty of Public Health and a MSc in Neuropsychology since 2018 from the Faculty of Medical Sciences, both at the Lebanese University. He is certified in Sensory Integration from the University of Southern California, USA. He is also certified in the early childhood education curriculum High/Scope and in Cortical Visual Impairment, both from the USA as well.

He launched his career in 2004, in Kuwait, working in Paediatric Neurology initially at the Conductive Rehabilitation Institution, before moving to Hope School, where he was Lead Occupational Therapist for five years. He also worked in Community Based Rehabilitation with Palestinian and Syrian refugees, and his private practice furthermore covers adult neurology and elderly. Before moving to Canada, he was the Senior Occupational Therapist at the American Special Kids Clinic at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, AUBMC.

Throughout his 18 years of experience, he helped create, establish, and organize several OT departments, created and furnished various sensory rooms, attended numerous workshops, and participated as a speaker in national and international conferences. He has published one article about Screen Exposure and Autism and participated in another one about adaptation of RITA-T (Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers) for the Lebanese population. Between 2012 and 2021, he held the position of General Secretary of the Lebanese Occupational Therapy Association (LOTA) and is presently the WFOT delegate member of the Lebanese Occupational Therapists Syndicate (LOTS).

Get to know Elias:

• If Elias could teleport to anywhere in the world, he would teleport to Thailand.
• If Elias were to eat only one food for the rest of his life, he would eat Sushi.
• If Elias were to be an animal, he would be a bird so he could fly!

Mississauga & Burlington

Kimberly is a dynamic and vibrant therapy assistant who strives to optimize and empower children and youth through meaningful and family centered activities and skill acquisition.

Kimberly received her Occupational Therapy Assistant and Physiotherapy Assistant diploma from Centennial College after completing her undergraduate degree in International Relations and History with a minor in Political Science from York University, Glendon Campus. After working at a few summer camps for children with complex neurological conditions, Kimberly knew she had to pivot away from where her undergrad studies had taken her and find a way to work with children and their families full-time in opportunities that enables life-enhancing skills, self-esteem, confidence and above all, fun!

Kimberly dove headfirst into her passion and worked for the Geneva Centre for Autism in their Group Services stream supporting children, youth and adults with Autism. Kimberly had the opportunity to have clinical therapy assistant placements in a variety of settings including hospitals, fast-paced clinics, school-based care and children treatment centers around the GTA. In her spare time, you can find Kimberly exploring the great outdoors, visiting the Toronto Zoo any time she can get; spending time at her local Orange Theory Fitness classes and searching the world for the next best donuts!

Burlington

Vania is a passionate and enthusiastic new Occupational Therapy graduate and is very excited to build her skills as an Occupational Therapist at Butterfly Paediatric Therapy!  Growing up, Vania has always had a passion for working with children. Whether it was being a summer camp counsellor or teaching kids how to play badminton, she knew she wanted to have a job where she could be helping children and their families. Vania completed her undergraduate degree at McMaster University in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour with a specialization in Mental Health. Shortly after, she began pursuing a Master’s degree in
Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto. There, she learned how she could use a variety of approaches and tools to help children achieve goals that are important and meaningful to them, and knew she was on the right career path!

During her time as an Occupational Therapy student, Vania developed her skills and knowledge with pediatric populations during her clinical placements at SickKids in the Neurosurgery unit and the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists with the School-Based Occupational Therapy team.  Vania values family-centred and strengths-based approaches – as well as the occupation of play! – when working with children and their families.  Through her clinical placements and education at the University of Toronto, Vania has developed knowledge on treatment approaches such as Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach, Zones of Regulation, and other interventions for feeding, handwriting, and fine motor skills development. She is eager to continue her learning and taking more courses for treatment approaches to add to her Occupational Therapy toolkit.

Outside of work, Vania enjoys playing fetch with her dog, having karaoke sessions in the car, trying out new cafes and restaurants, and spending time with friends and family. Vania is very excited to be a part of the Butterfly Pediatric Therapy team to meet clients and support them in doing what is meaningful and fun for them!

Fun facts about Vania:

• If Vania could eat only one food for the rest of her life, it would be macaroni and cheese.
• If Vania could teleport anywhere in the world, it would be to Japan.
• If Vania were to be an animal, she would be a capybara because they get along well with all animals and bathe in hot springs filled with oranges!

Mississauga

Andrea is a passionate and eager recent Occupational Therapy graduate, excited to begin this new chapter at Butterfly Paediatric Therapy!  Andrea completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto studying Health Studies and Biological Anthropology. Throughout her undergraduate career, Andrea participated in several research opportunities and projects that aimed to bring the young and young at heart together through intergenerational engagement. She has a strong passion for research and continues to work as a research assistant to give back to her community.

Andrea continued to Queens University for her Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy.

During her Masters degree, Andrea had the opportunity to have clinical placements in school- based rehabilitation in Kingston, ON and at Grandview Kids Treatment Centre. She was able to enhance her skills and knowledge in Handwriting Without Tears, emotional regulation approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and the Zones of Regulation, and interventions for fine motor and sensory challenges.

Outside of occupational therapy and research, Andrea enjoys spending time with her family and dog, as well as rock climbing and reading during her spare time.

A few fun facts about Andrea:

• One of Andrea’s life goals is to renovate a van and road trip across Canada with her dog
• Andrea’s favourite food is French fries, and she even worked at a French fry shop to fuel her love for fries.
• Andrea loves spending time with her nieces and nephews

Mississauga

Lori is a passionate Speech – Language Pathologist who comes to us from the East Coast. After graduating from St. Thomas University in New Brunswick with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology, she pursued her Masters of Clinician Science in Speech- Language Pathology at Western University.  Empowering and supporting families is important to Lori and she loves the opportunity Butterfly affords her to focus on this.

Lori is passionate about ensuring children have the absolute best start in life by utilizing their strengths to expand their communication skills. She enjoys working with children and their families and has experience in a number of areas including language development, social communication, stuttering, speech sound production and reading skills. Lori has a keen interest in motor speech difficulties and has taken a number of continuing education courses in this topic area in addition to being PROMPT certified. An avid reader, literacy is another passion of Lori’s and she is trained in the ‘ASCEND Smarter Intervention Structured Literacy Approach’ to help support struggling readers.

Get to know Lori:

• If Lori could only eat one food for the rest of her life, it would be french fries! Extra fun fact: she grew up in the French Fry Capital of the World.
• If Lori had to compare herself to a Disney character, it would be Rapunzel due to her long hair.
• Lori is embarrassed to admit the movie “Scooby Doo Zombie Island” scares her, but her sisters agree!

Mississauga

Marika is a Speech-Language Pathologist with an undergraduate degree from Laurentian University and a master’s degree from Western University, both in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. Marika has previous experience working as a school-based SLP, which helps her better understand the skills children need to succeed in school and how best to navigate the system of school supports. She is now loving working in private practice where she can spend more time focusing on each individual client and family, and working directly with parents and caregivers. Marika loves supporting autistic clients and their families and learning about each individual child’s unique interests, strengths and challenges. She has taken the “Meaningful Speech” course where she learned more about the “other” natural way of developing language (Gestalt Language Processing). She truly enjoys applying what she’s learned in this course to better understand her clients who learn in this way, and to help them continue to build on the language they have already acquired. Getting to know each child and their unique style of communication is one of Marika’s favourite things about working at Butterfly!

Fun Facts About Marika:

• If Marika could have a super power, it would be teleportation! She has never been a fan of cars and highways and would love to never have to drive again.
• If Marika was on a deserted island and her needs were met, she would also bring her cat Jiji (who she could never live without) and a hula hoop or aerial hoop.
• If Marika was a celebrity, she would be famous for her aerial hoop skills.

Burlington

Jessica received her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Western University. She has had many opportunities throughout her studies and years at Butterfly to work with children of all ages with a variety of communication difficulties including: speech sound disorders (articulation), language delays, fluency disorders (stuttering), and motor speech disorders. Jessica’s passion especially lies within early language learning and articulation therapy! She also believes wholeheartedly in family-centred care. She is passionate about helping children find their way to successful communication and loves to watch each of her clients find their voice and spread their wings!

Get to know Jess:

• If Jess could be an animal, she would be an octopus because she loves being in water, and octopi are extremely flexible and adaptable.
• If Jess could only eat one food for the rest of her life it would be pasta! She loves carbs, especially pasta.
• If Jess could live anywhere in the world, she would live in Slovenia! She was able to travel there recently and loved it so much, she would love to go back!

Mississauga

Kelsey is a passionate Communicative Disorders Assistant. She received her undergraduate degree from Western University and completed her Communicative Disorders Assistant program at Durham College. Kelsey is dedicated to helping individuals improve their communication skills and overcome any difficulties they may have in expressing themselves or understanding others. Kelsey has experience working with children of all ages, who have experienced a wide range of communication challenges, including speech and language delays, articulation and motor speech disorders, and fluency disorders.

Get to know Kelsey:

• Kelsey’s silliest talent is that she can fold her tongue into the shape of a clover! Only around 15% of people can do this!
• Kelsey couldn’t live without her chapstick. Specifically, Burt’s Bees Lip Balm (with Vitamin E & Peppermint)
• Kelsey is most like Belle from Beauty and the Beast as she is constantly seeking new knowledge and opportunities like Bell, and she is not afraid to define what she believes in.

Burlington

Holly is a wonderful Communicative Disorder Assistant. She graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor’s degree in Speech and Language Sciences. She then pursued a post graduate certificate program in Communication Disorders from St. Lawrence College in Kingston. After graduating Holly worked in a private clinic where she had the pleasure of working with a large range of clients with varying levels of need and diagnosis. She then accepted a job in the Halton School Board where she worked with students with pragmatic goals as well as students on trials for AAC devices. Holly thoroughly enjoys working with children and youth and giving them chances to shine. The sessions she provides are always engaging and she works hard to incorporate the child’s interests to best foster generalization.

Fun Facts About Holly:

• If Holly could be any animal, she would be a duck as they are a superior animal that can swim, fly and run!
• Holly’s silliest and rarest talent is that she can peel a banana with her toes.
• The song “Starlight” by Taylor Swift best describes Holly.

Mississauga

Jhanvi is a Speech-Language Pathologist with a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science of Language from McMaster University and a Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Toronto. She is a recent graduate and is excited to begin her career at Butterfly! She has had many opportunities throughout her studies to work with children of all ages with a variety of communication difficulties including: language delays, speech sound disorders (articulation), fluency disorders (stuttering), and social communication disorders. Jhanvi’s passion especially lies within early language learning! She is passionate about helping children achieve successful communication through their strengths and abilities. She is a strong advocate for multimodal communication and family-centred care.

Get to know Jhanvi:

• If Jhanvi could be any animal, she would be a panda because she loves her naps as much as they do.
• Jhanvi’s superpower would be teleportation so that she can travel the whole world.
• Jhanvi is a big bookworm! If given the opportunity, she can read 3+ novels in a day.

Mississauga

Krupa graduated from the Youth and Children studies program at Wilfrid Laurier University with a large focus on Child Psychology in 2018. Krupa’s interest to work with children stemmed at a much earlier point in her life. She is a trained Indian Classical dancer and has graduated from the dance form known as Bharatanatyam, in the year 2014. In high school, Krupa began volunteering and eventually teaching children at Sri Sanskriti Dance Academy. This sparked immense interest in pursing a career in Youth and Children studies. Working with individuals from the ages of 4-40 has helped Krupa gain a lot of perspective on gaging, working alongside, and learning about this age group. Krupa has thoroughly loved every bit of the experience. She has always seen herself working with children with exceptionalities and realized she wanted to dedicate her time to working with individuals on the spectrum.

Krupa had various opportunities during her undergrad career to participate in Community Service Learning programs where she spent most of her semesters volunteering with the school boards. Post-graduation, Krupa was keen on specializing and really getting to know the autism population. She began this venture when she first volunteered at ErinoakKids. This helped enhance and solidify her love for this field, which then prompted her to educate herself further.

She graduated from the Behavioural Sciences program at Humber and worked as an ABA therapist for several years with a wide range of various different client profiles. Gaining that experience was beautiful. This path paved her next journey, which then brought her to the Speech world. Krupa took another leap of passion and is now a Communicative Disorders Assistant (CDA). She recently graduated from the CDA program at Georgian college this past August.

Krupa is inspired to grow and build her career further as a CDA at Butterfly Paediatric Therapy, she looks forward to offering clients with the utmost support and can’t wait to see them all reach their full potential! As she enters the world of speech, she’s extremely excited to provide therapy for individuals that require assistance with their communication skills, speech and language delays, fluency disorders, articulation disorders and so much more!

Fun facts about Krupa:

• Krupa grew up for four years in Lusaka, Zambia and spoke a few words of Swahili as a child.
• Krupa’s a music junkie, you can find almost all genres on her spotify playlist!
• Her all-time favourite movie is the 1965 classic, “The Sound of Music”.

Mississauga

Riley was first introduced to Butterfly at age 11, while accompanying a family whose children were receiving therapy at Butterfly. These visits in her early teen years inspired her to pursue an education in Kinesiology at Western University, which provided the foundation of education in healthy living practices. She enjoyed studying about the connection between exercise and nutrition to physical and mental health, and she continues to build upon this learning today. Having always loved being around children of all ages and varying needs, Riley spent many years volunteering at McMaster Children’s Hospital in the Child Life Unit and in school settings. She is happiest when supporting and learning from children. They keep her grounded and offer a perspective that often helps her make sense of the world around her.

When Riley isn’t spending her free time with friends and family, she is exploring the outdoors with her loveable corgi, Bunker.

She is excited to be a part of the Butterfly team, so that she can help support the amazing  therapists who are helping children reach their absolute full potential.

Get to Know Riley…

• If Riley could teleport anywhere in the world, she would tour all of Europe in one go!
• If she were on a deserted island but all needs were met, the two things she would bring would be her dog and a live band that takes song requests.
• Her rarest and silliest talent is that she can nap anywhere.

Mississauga

Mira is a Social Work student from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University) and is looking to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy. Mira has been working towards her MScOT in Occupational Therapy since Grade 11 when she discovered the career. She felt that it strongly aligned with her own values and skills. She has always been eager to work with children and families to ensure they receive the best quality of care, particularly children with dis(Abilities) as she worked with Community Living Mississauga as a support worker in the summer so that she could make the environment fun and inclusive for all.

Mira has extensive administrative experience as she worked at a personal injury firm for over 3 years. She truly enjoys supporting communities and people to ensure their goals and needs are met.

In her spare time, Mira enjoys trying out new restaurants and going on bike rides with friends.

Mira is excited to be a part of the Butterfly Team, where she can develop and harness her skills to support children and families.

Get to Know Mira…

• If Mira could be any animal, she would be a frog, so that she can chill on a lily pad all day.
• If she could live anywhere, it would be in Switzerland!
• If she could have superpowers, it would be to have telekinesis powers like in the movie Matilda!

Burlington

Emmy is our energetic and friendly Client Experience Coordinator at our Burlington location. Emmy graduated Humber College from the Legal Assistant program and has a background in both the Legal and Finance industry.

Emmy is thrilled to be part of the Butterfly team and is eager to learn, meet and support all the staff, kiddos and their families, while they work with their dedicated therapists to reach their individual goals.

As a mom of three boys, Emmy loves spending time with her kids and is passionate about exploring new places, foods, and sharing experiences as a family!

Get to Know Emmy…

• If someone were to play Emmy’s role in a movie about her life, it would have to be Tiffany Hadish or Awkwafina.
• The song that best describes Emmy, would be “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”.
• If she could choose to be a single age for the rest of her life- she wouldn’t choose! Emmy recognizes that each year, she has grown, learned and gained experience, and she doesn’t take this for granted (Even though her bones and muscles may beg to differ!).

Mary has been part of the Butterfly family for over 5 years and she is continually impressed by the genuine interest by all the therapists to not only help the children reach their full potential, but also for the support that the therapists provide to all members of these children’s families and to each other. The fun, innocent, and courageous spirit of the children that enter Butterfly is what helps Mary thrive in helping Butterfly run seamlessly.

In the five years at Butterfly, her position has changed to meet the needs of the clinic and she is currently the Financial Officer.

Mary enjoys staying active by hiking, gardening and weight training.  She loves the outdoors and will jump on an ATV or snowmobile the first chance she gets.  In her spare time, she enjoys cooking dishes from different parts of the world and traveling in order to learn about new cultures and traditions. She keeps her mind engaged by writing and by reading not only for personal pleasure but to learn new things in the world of tech, AI, finance and innovation.  Her goal is to use more of her time to volunteer at various organizations.

Get to Know Mary…

• If Mary could eat any food for the rest of her life, it would be a very authentic Italian pasta with fresh tomato sauce, mushrooms and chicken (obviously with warm garlic bread on the side).
• Mary’s hidden talent is karaoke!
• The Disney character that Mary is most like, is the Fairy Godmother- she is always there to help people in their lives, often at times when they thought their problems could not be solved.

Danica graduated in Social Services from Sheridan College. She completed placements at Youth Assisting Youth and in Childhood Education in multiple childcare centres. Ever since high school Danica has loved working with children, whether that be face to face or behind the scenes. Danica has always had an interest in working in a paediatric setting but never had an opportunity until finding Butterfly.

Danica loves being around positive individuals who are also passionate about helping children. She finds fulfillment in seeing happy families and knowing she can enhance their experience from behind the desk.

Some fun facts about Danica:

• If Danica could teleport anywhere in the world, she would go to South Korea, Spain and Japan.
• Time travel would be Danica’s superpower.

The one thing Danica can not live without is music, she listens to music 24/7, loves playing instruments and singing!