Lisa graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and received her masters degree in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt College in Oakland California. She completed an internship at the VA hospital in West Los Angeles, working with veterans with Chronic Schizophrenia, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Bipolar Disorder and other psychological disorders. Lisa also completed an advanced internship in hand therapy at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. She then went on to work for 5 years on the acute rehabilitation unit at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, San Luis Obispo where she specialized in treating clients with traumatic brain injury and stroke and during this time obtained an advanced certification in neurodevelopment treatment (NDT). Her passion in the area of neurology led her to the study of sensory integration and this changed her career path. She built the first Pediatric Therapy Solutions clinic at her home in 1999 with Laura Cooper. Simultaneously, Lisa obtained advanced certification in Hand Therapy and certification in sensory integration evaluation and treatment. She went on to complete certification in Therapeutic Listening and has completed numerous education hours in Pediatrics and Sensory Regulation/Modulation. Lisa, her husband and their children live in San Luis Obispo.
Laura Cooper has always been drawn to work with children. She was raised in San Luis Obispo, and completed an undergraduate degree in psychology from UC Santa Cruz, then becoming a credentialed Montessori teacher and taught in Portland, Oregon for five years. She received her masters in occupational therapy from Samuel Merritt College in Oakland, California, and returned to San Luis Obispo to work in an adult rehabilitation setting, and then specialized in pediatric practice, working for California Children’s Services with clients aged 0 to 21 years with a variety of neuromuscular conditions. In this setting, she was able to work side-by-side with her mother, a pediatric physical therapist. During this time, she studied oral motor techniques, splinting, therapeutic ball coursework, treating babies with neurodevelopmental treatment and other developmental treatment approaches. In 1999, she joined Lisa Moreno in private practice, obtaining her specialty training and certification in Sensory Integration and Praxis Testing as well as certification in Therapeutic Listening and continuing education with a focus on Pediatrics and Sensory Regulation/Modulation. She feels extremely lucky to live in San Luis Obispo with her husband and their child.