Straka Pediatric Therapies - Castle Rock

05/28/2025

Meet the team: Allison Claypool, MA LPCC

Allison’s journey into the world of mental health began after six meaningful years as a teacher. She earned her BA in Education from Northern Arizona University and recently completed her MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Northern Colorado. While she loved being in the classroom, she felt a strong pull to walk alongside people in a deeper, more personal way.

Now as a counselor, Allison brings that same mentality into her work. She leads with empathy and patience, believing that healing happens best in a space where people feel truly seen, heard, and safe. Her approach is centered around meeting each person where they are and supporting their growth at a pace that feels right for them.

Outside of the therapy room, Allison can usually be found soaking up time with family and friends, out in nature with her dogs, or catching live music. These simple moments bring her joy and keep her grounded—and that sense of balance is something she hopes to help others find in their own lives as well.

04/23/2025

It’s Occupational Therapy Appreciation Month! Let’s give it up for our fabulous OT team, who changes lives daily with the work they do! Thank you to Ms. Steph, Ms. Jamie, Ms. Ashley and Ms. Sara—we appreciate you all so much!! 🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙

04/08/2025

It’s officially that time… Summer group registration is now OPEN! Take a look at all the fun we have planned 😍

04/03/2025

Meet the team: Celeste Marcoux, MS, CCC-SLP

Celeste Marcoux attended Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech Sciences and Technologies 2017. She then attended Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts to complete her Master’s in communication Disorders in 2021. Celeste has worked in the pediatric setting with children from 14 months to age 21 years. She also has experience working ina school-based setting. She has worked with preschool age children to ages 18-21 years of age. Celeste’s continuing education includes hours in the areas of AAC, articulation/phonological disorders, apraxia of speech, receptive, expressive and social language delays and fluency. Celeste lives in Highlands Ranch and enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, hiking, golfing, gardening and playing with her two dogs, Lexie and Ryka!

03/13/2025

In the words of Pete the Cat, we’re rockin’ in our sparkly speech shoes! 👟🐱

03/10/2025

On Mondays, we rep Straka! 💙🩷🩵

03/06/2025

Having fun in physical therapy! Strong feet provide a solid foundation for your child to thrive in all of their athletic endeavors. This hard worker is strengthening his arch muscles so that he can perform single limb moves in his Taekwondo classes. In this PT session, he rocked these exercises:
1. Squats on a dynamic surface
2. Tandem stance
3. Marble pick up with toes
4. Static marching with light weight

03/06/2025

02/22/2025

Our Social Power group recently visited the Parker Ice Trail for a fun afternoon of ice skating! In addition to being a great way to get outdoors in the winter, ice skating can also promote the following skills:

-Praxis: Also known as “motor planning”, praxis is our ability to plan and perform new movements. When skating, we must develop and execute a motor plan to move forward, start and stop, and keep our bodies upright.

-Sensory regulation: Participating in activities that make our muscles work hard stimulates our proprioceptive system and often produce a regulatory effect as well as increases awareness of where our body is in space. In addition to this, fast sliding, gliding, and turning (and even falling down!) while skating stimulates our vestibular system, adding to the sensory benefits of this activity.

-Balance and coordination: The ice is slippery! We have to make constant adjustments to our base of support, posture, and speed throughout this activity to stay on our feet! We had access to some skate trainers to help with this too!

-Social participation: Exploring leisure activities with peers can create shared interests, promote collaborative problem solving, and establish bonds. From helping your friend up after a fall to racing around the track, ice skating is a great opportunity to build friendships while gaining new skills!

02/14/2025

💖Valentine’s Day Fun at Straka💖

This Valentine’s Day, we’re getting crafty while working on speech skills! 🖍️✨

🧡Craft Your Valentine Heart!🧡
✨ Target Speech Sounds: Practice saying sounds while decorating.
✨ Sequential Directions: Follow simple steps to make your heart masterpiece.
✨ Share & Answer Questions: Tell us about the person you’re giving it to!

This activity is a perfect way to target speech skills while spreading the love!

02/13/2025

Happy Galentines Day from some of your favorite Straka Gals! 💕

02/10/2025

Meet the team Monday: Ramona Rios, LSW

Ramona Rios received her Bachelors in Social Work from Eastern Mennonite University and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver. She worked for Denver Public Schools and for Southern Colorado Schools as a school social worker providing services to students in special education. She also has worked in agency settings providing counseling to children and young adults. Her area of interest includes play therapy which provides children with an opportunity to “play out” feelings such as cognitive, behavioral, and emotional challenges. Ramona has also provided small group counseling for social skills to young children and parent/caregiver support groups. In her spare time she enjoys being involved in her daughter’s school activities. She enjoys the outdoors with her family and friends.