Melissa Ortiz, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Melissa Ortiz, OTR/L

Melissa graduated from Florida International University in 2007 with a Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy. Melissa is a versatile therapist who has worked in both school and outpatient settings with children of all ages.

Melissa has many years of experience working with children with a wide range of needs but she especially likes working with children who have sensory needs. She specializes in finding ways to meet their needs through a child’s specific interests and play style. Melissa has also received training in the SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory) Approach to Feeding, which supports children with eating difficulties and their families.

Melissa is a bilingual (Spanish speaking), client-centered therapist who enjoys using her creativity and problem-solving skills to support her client’s individual needs. She loves making therapy fun for her clients. When she is not busy seeing her clients, Melissa enjoys crafts, exercising, being outdoors, yoga, dancing, cooking and baking. She lives with her husband and young daughter in Frederick, MD.

Contact Melissa:

202-123-4567
melissaW2G@gmail.com

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Debbie S.

I am certain that without you, he would still be labeled as a “struggling learner” and miserable and struggling in social situations. To say that we are grateful doesn’t seem enough.

Leslie P.

Your confidence in the treatments your practice offers went a long way toward our decision to bring our son to Way to Grow.

Henry B.

There are no words to convey what you have done for our son.

Ellen K.

You have been so patient and sweet (like fudge!) to our daughter. I don’t tell you enough how grateful I am to you for all of your hard work and wise advice.

Cathy A.

You have accomplished unimaginable success with both our boys. I don’t know what we would have done without you. Your wisdom and guidance has been a gift to me that I will always cherish.

Adrian P.

The team really understood trauma and attachment and they were there to be supportive. Barbara has proven to be a wealth of information on so many levels and she is constantly sharing her knowledge to help me understand my daughter better and how her nervous system works. It's obvious that this is her passion.

Katie J.

At Way to Grow, I truly feel like I am a part of my daughter's team. From the very first consultation, I knew they took my concerns seriously. They took her history, listened to everything we were dealing with, and looked at the whole picture.

Erika R.

Whenever there is a new challenge, my therapist always has an idea of where to start and the best way to approach it. I love that I not only know what we're working on at the moment and why, but I know where we are trying to go and how we plan to get there.

Robert H.

At Way to Grow, they have a great way of taking the goals we are working on at the clinic and making them easily accessible at home so we can work on things more than just once a week.

Erika R.

It brings me comfort knowing that Barbara and the Way to Grow team work collaboratively. If for some reason Barbara is out of the office, I have no problem seeing another therapist because I know that they communicate and whoever is stepping in knows exactly what we're working on and why and is aware of the nuances that make therapy sessions successful for my daughter.

Sam V.

We have had nothing but positive experiences with each and every person we've worked with at Way to Grow. I feel like my daughter is treated less like a patient and more like a member of their family.

Check out INTEROCEPTION, Barbara's new e-book.