Meilani has 22 years of experience in occupational therapy, the last ten of which have been focused on treating children in school-based and inpatient/outpatient hospital settings. Since graduating from San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in 2001, Meilani has worked in a variety of settings including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home-based, early intervention, and school setting in San Francisco. She traveled as an occupational therapist for two years all over the United States prior to meeting her husband in Washington, DC in 2006. In 2008, Meilani and her family moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for Meilani’s husband’s job. In Malaysia, Meilani used her knowledge in occupational therapy to mentor occupational therapists in Kuala Lumpur, where she volunteered at a children’s clinic to help treat underserved children with cerebral palsy, learning disorders, and other neurological conditions.

Meilani has her Certified Autism Specialist Certification through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). Meilani also has her advanced certification in Physical Agent Modalities (PAM) and has used this to treat patients who have had a stroke. Meilani has participated in continuing education programs in Sensory Processing and Regulation, the ALERT Program, the Zones of Regulation, the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol, Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia, and the Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI), , and Handwriting Without Tears. She recently took courses on The Sequential-Oral-Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding, Autism Across the Spectrum, and Executive Function and Self-Regulation.

Meilani has used her knowledge in all settings to treat children of all ages in order to increase a student’s learning and abilities. Meilani has two teenage boys, ages 16 and 14. Meilani enjoys hiking with her family during her spare time. Most weekends, she is juggling to watch her boys play football, soccer, and/or baseball!

Peter is a dedicated physical therapist with a doctorate from Samuel Merritt University. As a Chinese American native of San Francisco, California, Peter brings a unique blend of cultural insight and professional expertise to his practice.

With a solid foundation in both clinical care and business operations, Peter has honed his skills to ensure optimal outcomes for his patients. His hands-on experience in management and strategic planning fuels his passion for building a therapy company that serves as a beacon of empowerment and support for children and families alike.

Driven by a vision of inclusivity and success, Peter is committed to creating an environment where every child can thrive and every parent feels empowered. Join Peter on this transformative journey at Build Learn Thrive.

Sarah Gragnani has been practicing pediatric Occupational Therapy in San Francisco for 12 years. She graduated from The University of Sydney, Australia. Sarah has experience working in the school-based setting and with the 0-3 years population with leading therapeutic groups, conducting individual therapy sessions and running summer camp programs.

Sarah currently works with the Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco. Sarah has experience working with children on fine and gross motor delays, difficulties with visual perception and visual motor skills, sensory processing difficulties and with various diagnoses including Autism Spectrum disorders and Developmental Delays. Sarah has continuing education in the Handwriting Without Tears Program, the Alert Program (How Does Your Engine Run?), Sensory Integration, Pediatric Yoga and Oppositional and Defiant Behaviors.

In her spare time, Sarah likes to take her own two kids on adventures in the Bay Area, grow vegetables in her backyard and loves to travel!

Amanda holds a bachelor degree in Human development from University of San Diego California and a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from the Dominican University of California. She has both clinical and non-clinical experience working with children with a variety of disabilities focusing on developmental, sensory processing and motor coordination issues. Amanda has recently been certified in the ConTiGo approach and is a practicing nature based therapist.

Amanda uses a strength based and holistic approach during sessions and understands that parents are the number one advocate for their child. She believes in creating engaging and dynamic therapy sessions that not only target specific goals but also ignites a child’s natural curiosity and joy in learning.  Through a combination of play based activities, sensory integration strategies and parent communication , Amanda strives to make therapy sessions enjoyable and meaningful experience for children and their families.

When Amanda isn’t working you can find her reading outside in a hammock, reaching new heights in bouldering, eating her way through the city or hiking with her partner and Corgi.

Bailey is an occupational therapist and feeding therapist with a creative and playful approach to improving children’s skill and independence. She earned her master’s of Occupational Therapy from Dominican University of California in San Rafael. Since joining the professional occupational therapy field, Bailey has provided services to families in-home, in-clinic, and virtually. Bailey has started her journey with feeding therapy with the SOS feeding approach and has plans to continue this journey with other continuing education units in the future.

Outside of work, Bailey enjoys being outdoors, hiking, reading with her cat, and playing soccer.

Jessica received her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Samuel Merritt University 2001. She has worked in different settings, including hospital and school based settings. She has worked with kids for the past 11 years, with varying diagnoses including ADHD, autism, developmental delays, sensory processing disorder, and genetic disorders. Collaboration is at the core of Jessica’s practice. She recognizes the significance of working closely with a client’s entire support network to ensure that therapy is tailored to the unique needs of the child.

When Jessica is not working, she enjoys traveling and trying out new foods in her native San Francisco!

Magie is a dedicated speech language pathologist who utilizes evidence-based treatment interventions. She has experience working with individuals of all ages who have autism spectrum disorders, articulation disorders, expressive/receptive language disorders, acquired neurogenic communication disorders, cognitive linguistic impairments, and etc.  Lily is passionate about working with individuals with special needs.  She has experience providing speech and language assessments and treatment under various capacities, including home-based early intervention, school-based services within Bay Area public schools, and clinic-based treatment for adult inpatient population within medical facilities.  Lily completed her B.A. in Sociology & Chinese at University of California Davis, M.A. in Chinese at San Francisco State University and M.S. in Communicative Disorders at California State Eastbay. She is native to San Francisco and enjoys attending conferences/workshops for continued education and traveling during her breaks.

Rachel has been a physical therapist for the past 12 years and has been working exclusively with children for 5 years. It’s tough to say who likes playing with the toys and blowing bubbles more: Rachel or the children she is working with! When she is not working, she enjoys camping, working on her campervan, biking, or seeing live music.

Lily is a dedicated speech language pathologist who utilizes evidence-based treatment interventions. She has experience working with individuals of all ages who have autism spectrum disorders, articulation disorders, expressive/receptive language disorders, acquired neurogenic communication disorders, cognitive linguistic impairments, and etc.  Lily is passionate about working with individuals with special needs.  She has experience providing speech and language assessments and treatment under various capacities, including home-based early intervention, school-based services within Bay Area public schools, and clinic-based treatment for adult inpatient population within medical facilities.  Lily completed her B.A. in Sociology & Chinese at University of California Davis, M.A. in Chinese at San Francisco State University and M.S. in Communicative Disorders at California State Eastbay. She is native to San Francisco and enjoys attending conferences/workshops for continued education and traveling during her breaks.

Markenya, aka “Ms. B”  is a special educator, specializing in early intervention,  preschoolers/transition to kindergarten/kindergarten age groups. She has been teaching for the last nine years, and currently in a PHD program at San Francisco State University. She currently teaches at a special day class with SFUSD. She enjoys working with children to learn peer interactions, being creative, and outdoor activities that help kids grow and develop.

Joseph is a speech-language pathologist with a strong background in supporting students with diverse communication support needs. With over four years of experience, he specializes in providing tailored, evidence -based interventions to help individuals improve their communication abilities. His passion especially lies in supporting school-age students, as well as students with complex communication needs who utilize alternative-augmentative communication (AAC). He strives to make communication accessible for all his clients and has extensive experience in both individual and group therapy in both in-person and virtual settings, focusing on enhancing speech, language, and social communication skills. He is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where his clients feel empowered. By staying updated on the latest  speech, language , and hearing sciences research and AAC technology, Joseph ensures that his clients receive the best tools and strategies for success. His approach is compassionate, evidence-based, and client-centered, helping his students grow to reach their full potential.

Courtney is a passionate pediatric physical therapist who has over 7 years of clinical experience. She graduated with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy in 2017 and became a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy in 2021. She has worked in a variety of settings including outpatient, acute care, home health and also has experience with telehealth therapy services. She specializes in Early Intervention but has worked with children ages birth to 21 years old with a wide range of medical diagnoses and developmental delays.
Courtney’s favorite part of her job is empowering parents to know they are making the biggest difference in their children’s lives in addition to giving each child the confidence they need. Courtney currently lives in California with her two rescue dogs. She enjoys being active, hiking and spending time with her friends and family. In the next 5 years, she hopes to do a mission trip to Central America to serve underprivileged families and children.