Our OTs

Dana Schmalzel

Occupational Therapist & Co-Founding CFO danaschmalzel@playwellcollective.org

Clinical Interests:

  • Mental health
  • Safe and Sound Protocol
  • Poly-Vagal informed care
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
  • Ayres Sensory Integration
  • Trauma-Informed Care for Foster and Foster-Adopt kids
More About Dana

Dana is a Fresno native and returned to the community after receiving her M.S. in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University. Her background includes working in both private practice and school-based pediatric settings, providing services to children with neurodevelopmental delays, sensory processing differences, and mental health diagnoses. Dana also has experience in psychiatric settings working with adults with depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and anxiety diagnoses. She incorporates these experiences and additional continuing education in Sensory Integration, Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), trauma, and feeding, into developing unique plans for individuals and groups. 

Dana’s passion for mental health and belief that therapy services are most effective when provided in a natural environment, inspired her to develop an OT community-based practice with her OT partner, Sarah. Together, they created Playwell Collective.  

Outside of work, Dana can be found in the sun, drinking lots of tea and coffee, and reading a copious amount of fiction books. She is frequently spotted walking or rollerblading around her neighborhood. Her friends and family are proof of the power of community. 

Sarah Chumley-Johnson

Occupational Therapist & Co-Founding CEO sarahchumley-johnson@playwellcollective.org

Clinical Interests:

  • Neurodiversity Affirming School-Based Occupational Therapy
  • Dyslexia/ Dysgraphia
  • Primitive Reflex Integration
  • Sensory Integration
  • Trauma Informed Care for Foster and Foster-Adopt Kids
  • Wellness through Chronic Illness- Patient coaching in POTS, Dysautonomia, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and more
More about Sarah

Sarah Chumley-Johnson is a licensed pediatric occupational therapist who has served children with diverse needs for her entire career, including autistic kids/teens, children with ADHD, genetic disorders, physical disabilities, and mental health diagnoses. Sarah’s professional passion is relationship and play-focused therapy for neurodivergent learners and kids from hard places. She also has a personal interest in serving individuals with chronic pain/fatigue after her own brush with chronic illness in 2017.

In her recent work, in collaboration with Goodfellow Therapy, Sarah developed a partnership with Fresno Mission and brought occupational therapy services to homeless families during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with coaching occupational therapy fieldwork students in trauma-sensitive interventions. Sarah holds a master’s degree from San Jose State University, along with many other specialty certifications/post professional education. 

Sarah is a wife, and mother of two bright and rambunctious kids. Sarah is a serial herbal tea drinker who is happiest riding her big purple beach cruiser with her family around her neighborhood. Advice given by her grandmother before her first child was born has continued to circle her experience as a mother and OT- “When a little one is upset, put ‘em in water or take ‘em outside”. Sarah believes in the sensory power of nature and art to help reset and connect families, and believes that the new parenting revolution includes an intentional family slow down, connecting practices and rested (and regulated) parents.

Megan Baxter

Occupational Therapist/ Clinical Feeding Specialist meganbaxter@playwellcollective.org

Clinical Interests:

  • Feeding Therapy
  • Lactation Support
  • Neurodevelopmental Treatment
  • Splinting
  • Parent Coaching
More About Megan

Megan Baxter moved to Fresno from southern California in 2014 after graduating from California State University, Dominguez Hills with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy. She has a background in working with children who have physical disabilities from her time at California Children’s Services in Fresno, Madera, and Merced counties. She also has experience with children with autism, ADHD, and a variety of developmental/mental diagnoses in both private practice and school-based settings. Megan quickly discovered a passion for feeding therapy and developed a specialty with kids who have sensory aversions, difficulty with weight gain, g-tube complications, and even infants who are struggling to latch or progress their diet. She has been trained in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), SOS protocols, lactation, and advanced swallowing courses. This has become a personal and professional journey for her as she welcomed home two sets of twins in the past five years. Outside of work, you can find Megan chasing too many toddlers, training for a run with her dog Piper, baking like she is a contestant on the Great British Baking Show, or finding a creative outlet with her eye behind a camera!

Marisa Walsh

Occupational Therapist marisa@playwellcollective.org

Clinical Interests:

  • Mental Health
  • Sensory Integration
  • Neurodiversity Affirming
More About Marisa

Marisa Walsh is a licensed occupational therapist who received her Master’s degree in OT from the University of St. Augustine in 2006.  She has experience working in community mental health, in-patient psychiatric facilities, outpatient clinics, home and school settings. Marisa has been able to bring her passion for OT to many families, kids and individuals across the numerous places she has lived. Occupational therapy has the power to be transformative. Marisa loves to develop therapeutic relationships with her clients/families in order to allow for those transformations. 

Marisa is a wife and mother to two great kids and one ill mannered dog. In her free time she can be found spending time with her family usually playing board games or enjoying nature by hiking/camping. Marisa has lived in 8 different states and loves to travel and explore. She is currently fulfilling a 4th grade dream of learning pointed pen calligraphy.

Maria Holgado

Occupational Therapist maria@playwellcollective.org

Clinical Interests:

  • Feeding
  • Ayres Sensory Integration
  • Primitive Reflex Integration
  • Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based (DIR) Floortime
More About Maria

Maria Holgado is a licensed and registered occupational therapist with 10 years of experience in pediatrics. Her experience ranges from working with neurodivergent children, to genetic disorders, to feeding and early intervention. Maria is passionate about providing support and education to parents/caregivers of children with a variety of abilities. Her goal is to help all children thrive in their environment and meet their potential.

 Maria earned her Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Loma Linda University and spent several years gaining experience and knowledge in multiple school districts and outpatient clinics within Riverside and San Bernardino counties before relocating to the Central Valley. She has taken courses in SOS feeding as well as Beckman Oral Motor. She is a devoted mother to 3 wonderful children and a wife. She enjoys reading historical fiction, science fiction and romance novels as well as practicing yoga, running, and baking.