Meet Our Therapists

Kate Pingel, MA OTR/L

Founder and Occupational Therapist

Kate has been practicing pediatric occupational therapy for 16 years.  She knew from a young age that she wanted to spend her life helping children, and it has been her passion ever since to learn new ways of doing this.  In 2002, Kate earned a BA in Psychology with a focus on Development from Smith College.  In 2006, she earned her MA in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California, where she had the privilege of learning from a number of leaders and innovators in the field.  In the years since then, she has worked in a range of pediatric therapy settings, including schools, outpatient clinics, and home-based therapy.  She has advanced training in a variety of areas, including sensory integration (including administration and interpretation of the SIPT), neurodevelopmental therapy (NDT), fine motor development, handwriting interventions, feeding therapy, and pediatric yoga. 

 

In creating Little Oaks Therapy Center, Kate's goal has been to create a neuroaffirming, family-centered practice that supports the unique needs of each child through highly individualized, creative, and effective therapy solutions.   She believes in genuine collaboration with parents that incorporates their unique values, needs, and priorities.  She has a passion for connecting with children, seeing their strengths as individuals, and breaking hard challenges into small, manageable chunks.  Her approach is playful, empathetic, creative and flexible. When she’s not at the clinic, she loves cooking, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her kids and husband.