Marissa-Li Haggard, MOT, OTR/L

Marissa grew up near Austin, Texas. In high school, she began volunteering at a special place called C.A.M.P., which is a summer and year-round respite camp for children and adults with various abilities. She discovered her love for occupational therapy while spending time as a buddy for an camper and connecting with his family. She went on to earn her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. While at Baylor, she worked as a a nanny for a family with an autistic child and a therapy tech at a pediatric outpatient clinic, which further confirmed her desire to pursue a career in occupational therapy. She then moved to Dallas, Texas to pursue her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman's University. During her time in Dallas, she continued to nanny for families of children with various abilities, and this has shaped her practice due to a better understanding of family priorities and dynamics.

Since obtaining her Master's degree, Marissa has worked in a variety of settings, including pediatric outpatient, schools, early intervention, and home-based settings. She is a strong believer of using child-led, play based methods to connect with each child and make every interaction fun. She believes every child is capable of achieving their goals, and it is the therapist and family's role to find the child's strengths to improve function in daily activities. She has her sensory integration certificate through USC, and loves to help family's understand their child's sensory needs and strategies to help with regulation. She also is a certified PLAY Project Consultant with an emphasis on using specific sensory input and strategies to help with overall engagement. She has experience in working on mealtime challenges related to oral motor development, sensory processing, and behavior. 

In her free time, Marissa enjoys hiking, traveling, and eating good food.