Christine Giesbrecht, COTA/L

Christine is an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Thrive Therapy. She earned an A.A.S in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at CPCC in 2018. She has provided OT in schools across Charlotte to children from preschool to high school graduation and specializes in Handwriting Without Tears. Christine is passionate about providing OT to support children's development, education, confidence, and success. She thrives on building a connection with children and supporting them with skilled interventions to achieve success in the school setting and beyond. Outside of work Christine enjoys traveling, hiking, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her husband, two cats, and adventurous rescue dog.
Christine Giesbrecht, COTA/L
Headshot Coming Soon!

Meet The Rest of our team

Christine Giesbrecht, COTA/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Christine Giesbrecht, COTA/L
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
Mindy Scales, M.S., CCC-SLP
Headshot Coming Soon!
Mindy Scales, M.S., CCC-SLP
Lead Speech Therapist

Mindy is a seasoned Speech-Language Pathologist with over 25 years of experience supporting individuals across a wide range of ages, backgrounds, and settings in both education and healthcare.

Irene Salema
Headshot Coming Soon!
Irene Salema
Patient Care Coordinator

Bio Coming soon!

Genie Tucci, MS, OTR/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Genie Tucci, MS, OTR/L
MS, OTR/L

Genie graduated from Milligan University with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and has dedicated her career to supporting children in reaching their full potential.

Alexis Aldridge, MS, OTR/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Alexis Aldridge, MS, OTR/L
MS, OTR/L

Alexis is a pediatric occupational therapist with a Bachelor’s from UNC Chapel Hill and a Master’s from Lenoir-Rhyne University. She specializes in sensory processing, fine motor skills, emotional regulation, and feeding therapy, with an SOS Feeding certification earned in 2023.

Ashley Heiligenstadt, COTA/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Ashley Heiligenstadt, COTA/L
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Ashley is an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Thrive Therapy. She has a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from James Madison University and earned an A.A.S in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at CPCC in 2020.

Tori Southerland, M.S., OTR/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Tori Southerland, M.S., OTR/L
Owner & Occupational Therapist

Tori is the owner and primary Occupational Therapist at Thrive Therapy. Tori has over 10 years of clinical experience in various pediatric settings.

Michelle Pelletier, B.S., OTR/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Michelle Pelletier, B.S., OTR/L
Lead Occupational Therapist

Michelle has a bachelor's degree in Psychology, a master's degree in Education, and a post-baccalaureate certification in Occupational Therapy from Xavier University.

Susan Waters, COTA/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Susan Waters, COTA/L
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Susan is an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Thrive Therapy with 25 years of OT experience.

Logan Tafur, COTA/L
Headshot Coming Soon!
Logan Tafur, COTA/L
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant

Logan is an Occupational Therapy Assistant at Thrive Therapy.

Emily Cliber, CPC, CPB, CPPM
Headshot Coming Soon!
Emily Cliber, CPC, CPB, CPPM
Billing/Insurance Specialist

Emily grew up in CT but now lives outside of Richmond, VA. She has her bachelors in Business Administration and certification in coding, billing and practice management.

We're Hiring!

We are always looking to add to our dynamic team of therapists. See our open positions and apply today!

Ready to Join the Thrive Family?

We specialize in helping children develop essential skills for daily life, including communication, language, and social interaction; sensory processing and emotional regulation; fine and gross motor coordination; self-help skills like feeding and dressing; and visual-motor abilities such as handwriting—all through engaging, play-based therapy.