Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Mitcham, Amber Humphrey.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michelle, Amber. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Michelle: I am the Co-Owner of Open Door Pediatric Therapy (ODPT) and a Speech Language Pathologist. I am married to Andrew, our awesome IT guy, and have 3 little girls, Maci, Allie and Jane, and 2 Boston Terriers, Scott and Abby. Amber and I created ODPT to be a home away from home for children, parents, and therapist. We are all about Southern Hospitality and Expert Patient Care bundled into one. From our free snacks and coffee to our 30 minute a day all-staff Yoga time, I understand that it is the little things that make the days brighter. Our office is full of laughter and growth in every aspect. I take pride in watching our patients and staff members grow. We are all in this together. On my journey to become a Speech Language Pathologist, I went to undergraduate school at University of Texas and went to graduate school at University of Houston. I have been practicing since 2005. I really enjoy working with all pediatric patients, but children with Autism have a special place in my heart. I am trained in various behavior modification techniques and neuro-based language interventions. We consider ODPT to be “therapy forward” and are constantly learning the most current and efficient therapeutic interventions. ODPT is my baby and I am honored that so many people love and believe in our concept. I. Love. My. Job.
Amber: I am one of the Co-Owners of Open Door Pediatric Therapy (ODPT) and an Occupational Therapist. I am married to my incredibly supportive and loving husband Cole and have one daughter, Brinley. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to create a one of a kind therapy clinic with my best friend Michelle. We decided that if we worked hard enough and dreamed really big we could make this place an exceptionally unique and remarkable place for families and therapists alike. I have always loved working with children, especially children with special needs, and opening this clinic with Michelle has been the best decision I have ever made. I graduated with my Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. I went to undergraduate school at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Go Roadrunners! San Antonio has and always will be my home away from home. I have been practicing since 2011 as a pediatric occupational therapist. If there is one thing you should know about me it’s that I absolutely love to learn. I never want to stop learning and growing as a therapist and as a person. I have taken many advanced level training courses to increase my knowledge base and to further help my patients in the most effective way possible. I love learning about neuro-based therapy methods, reflex integration, sensory integration, oral motor interventions, feeding therapy, and techniques to improve attention and emotional regulation. I have fallen in love with reflex integration therapeutic interventions which include the Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration Method (MNRI) and Brain and Sensory Foundations from Move Play Thrive. I incorporate intensive sensory integration techniques, Brain Gym, and Handwriting without Tears into my therapy sessions. I had the unique experience of being a mother to a child with swallowing dysfunction, silent aspiration, and oral motor difficulties. It was challenging being a therapist and not having all of the tools to help my own daughter. During this difficult time in my life, I threw myself into getting as many certifications in oral motor and feeding therapy to better help my child and my patients. I walked away from this experience having a greater understanding of how parents feel when they come to us for therapy needs with their child. Getting the unique opportunity to sit on both sides of the fence was greatly rewarding. It has fundamentally changed how I approach therapy and my interactions with caregivers. I genuinely care about you and your child. We will get through this together as a team. I am here to help and I will do everything in my power to help you feel like your child’s cheerleader, coach, and advocate! Open Door Pediatric Therapy has been a dream come true for me. I have never worked at a place where I feel this happy every single day. I love what I do. I love helping families. I love that I get to be a piece of the puzzle in these wonderful children’s lives setting them on their journey to independence and happiness. I feel grateful every day that parents allow me the opportunity to work with their beautiful children. They make life worth living!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being first time business owners there was a lot of learning on the job. We had the therapist part down, but learning the ends and outs of the business side was a great challenge. We quickly had to learn finance, management, funding, taxes, rules and laws, insurance, billing, claims, quickbooks, marketing, and more. It felt like the list kept growing. There was no manual for starting your private practice. We were constantly spending hour and hours preparing for this dream we had. But, we were doing it. I would say learning the ends and outs of insurance was our hardest journey. The rules are always changing. Most offices have a person in house to deal with this. Amber and I wear all the hats: billing, HR, front, back, management, therapist, friend, and more.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Open Door Pediatric Therapy story. Tell us more about the business.
At Open Door, we approach therapy in a manner like no other. From our caregiver involvement, to our therapy rooms, we are Houston’s most unique clinic. We offer Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Feeding Therapy.
We are known for our unique therapy rooms. People seek us out for our Multi-Sensory Snoezelen Room & Fun Factory Sensory Gym & Theme Rooms. The Snoezelen room is specifically designed for individuals with autism & sensory processing difficulties. It’s a soothing environment with lighting, swings, textures, sounds, & aromatherapy. It is the zennest of the Zen. Our dynamic and highly interactive sensory gym rivals any playground. Zip lines, swings, & interactive fun means we can keep up with & challenge any child. We had you at zip lines, didn’t we? We also offer several other theme based rooms. Most of our therapy is floor-time based. Our various rooms allow therapy to be functional and carry over easily into the child’s home life & school life. Leave the table top work & the rote therapy styles behind.
Caregiver Appreciation and Involvement is also a pillar of our company. We want to see changes in children, but more importantly, we want parents to see changes in their child. We involve the parents & their support system. We take pride in giving the parents & caregivers the power. We like to say, we want to make *you* the therapist. In addition, we understand how stressful life can be for caregivers of any child. Balancing and coordinating therapies and schedules for a child with special needs is no small feat. We have two full body massage chairs, noise cancelling headphones, & refreshments to facilitate a peaceful state of mind. We tell them, “Let us take care of you while we take care of your child.”
No therapy clinic in Texas has our style rooms combined with our types of interventions.
Every day, all ODPT staff takes 30 minutes of our day to have wellness time. Whether it is Hatha Yoga or Cardio, it’s time to focus on positivity and ourselves so we can be the best therapists on the planet. You can catch some silly yoga pictures on our Facebook page.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I wouldn’t say luck had a role in Open Door. Amber and I always say the stars aligned for Open Door to come to light. We work very very hard to seeing it blossom. We know some amazing people and some amazing opportunities have come from our connections. Lesson: Be nice always, you never know who knows who or who will turn out to help you bug time later (even 15 years later!).
Pricing:
- Sessions at cash rate start at $80 for therapy and $250 for evaluations.
Contact Info:
- Address: 13325 Hargrave Rd, STE 250
Houston, Tx 77070 - Website: OpenDoorPT.com
- Phone: 713.352.8090
- Email: info@opendoorpt.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/opendoorpt
- Facebook: facebook.com/opendoorpt
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
