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Our Team

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About Our Team

At New Horizon Therapy, our goal is to empower patients to meet their full potential. We offer speech and language therapy for children and adults plus occupational therapy, orofacial myofunctional therapy, dyslexia assessment and treatment, social skills, feeding therapy, and telehealth options to the children and adolescents of the Southeast Valley and surrounding areas.

Led by Armida Carr, M.S., CCC-SLP, our team of seasoned professionals provide individualized services that will foster positive communication experiences, enrich family relationships, and achieve healthy child development and adult rehabilitation. We believe our families are just as much a part of the therapy process as our staff. We provide caregiver consultation and education following each session, as well as offer parent classes to increase the opportunities for your child to thrive in their everyday environments.

Thank you for trusting us with the care of your children, parents & grandparents! We love what we do – we promise.

Armida Carr

SLP, Founder Bilingual

Armida Carr is the founder and owner of New Horizon Therapy. Armida holds a MS from Arizona State University, is licensed by the State of Arizona, and is certified as a Speech Language Pathologist by the American Speech-Hearing and Language Association (ASHA). As a bilingual speech-language pathologist, Armida has extensive experience with both the pediatric and geriatric population in providing monolingual and dual-language therapy. She holds certifications in Orofacial Myology Disorders, SOS Approach to Feeding, Myofascial Release and Hanen Parent Training “It Takes Two to Talk” in addition to providing individualized services to address speech and language disorders. Armida has been practicing speech and language therapy for 13 years and is driven to ensure that each of her patients receive the best quality treatment and care.

Wife to husband (Geoff Carr) and mom to (3) 1 daughter/2 sons, Ms. Carr appreciates time spent with family. Together they travel and simply enjoy one other’s company at home. On her off time, Armida also practices Summits yoga, which is known as a combination of Bikram and Vinyasayoga. She loves to hike, read, may also be spotted at a nearby café where she enjoys a delicious cup of coffee and a tasty, (organic) sweet roll.

Natalie Gonzales

Office Manager/Billing Administrator

Natalie holds a certificate in medical billing and has extensive experience working in the medical setting. In her time at New Horizon Therapy, she has excelled in her duties of patient customer service, billing, payment processing, and financial counseling. She also is fluent in both English and Spanish, which has been very beneficial in our clinic. Natalie has been a great addition to our team and always goes above and beyond what is asked of her.

Natalie was raised in California but calls Arizona home. Natalie enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, and being outdoors.

Natalie has also discovered a passion while working at New Horizon Therapy and has realized how much she enjoys helping kids and their families.

Joselyn Martinez

Occupational Therapist Assistant

Joselyn was born and raised in Southern California. She worked as a paraprofessional in an elementary school upon moving to the Valley of the Sun. For three years, she worked in the schools where she discovered her love for Occupational Therapy. Through her experience in accompanying children to OT appointments, Joselyn observed how improving their self-esteem led to a greater level of independence and motivation to achieve everyday activities. Joselyn graduated from Pima Medical Institute with an Occupational Therapy Assistant degree. She has extensive experience in a post-acute setting with geriatrics but her passion is working with the pediatric population. Joselyn became an Advanced Level 1 Mentored Clinician in Sensory Processing Disorder through the STAR Institute. Joselyn obtained feeding therapy certification from Get Permission Institute. She has continued her education with training in Astronaut Protocol, Primitive Reflex Reintegration, Handwriting Without Tears program, and emotional regulation programming including “The Zones of Regulation” and “Superflex Social Thinking”. Joselyn is also trilingual in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Joselyn enjoys her trips to the beach, eating delicious food, and spending time with her husband and fur babies.

Lori Roberston

Speech Language Pathologist Assistant

Lori was born and raised on the west coast, in CA. She received her first degree, a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from NMSU; and second, Bachelor’s of Science in Communication Disorders from ASU; 10+years working in speech. We love her passion for STEM and Robotics; she serves as a mentor for FIRST: For Inspiration & Recognition of Science and Technology, a robotics non-engineering non-profit for LAUNCH Team Robotics K-12.

Ms. Robertson’s favorite quote is “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.” from Winnie the Pooh movie.

Rachel Mahon

Rachel was born and raised in Kansas City. Rachel began her journey by earning her Bachelor’s in Human Biology with minor studies in Psychology and Applied Behavioral Science. After finishing her Master’s Degree at the University of Kansas Medical Center in May of 2020 she relocated to Phoenix Arizona to enjoy the sunshine and adventure spots!

Rachel’s professional background includes work with individuals across the lifespan. She has worked with children for over a decade in various capacities. She gained clinical experience with medical placement within inpatient hospitals at Truman Medical Center, Olathe Medical Center, and Honors Health inpatient rehab. Rachel’s outpatient experience included neurorehabilitation and consultation with neurodegenerative conditions. Since joining New Horizon Therapy over 3 years ago Rachel has acquired additional training and successfully gained status as Primitive Reflex Clinical Specialist with Evergreen Certifications.

In her down time, Rachel stays active and enjoys volunteering with dogs in shelters. One of her favorite quotes is also one of ours, and is a credo we live by: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” –Maya Angelou

Eileen Ryan

Eileen Ryan is a Speech-Language Pathologist and is very excited to be a part of the New Horizon Therapy team! She graduated from Arizona State University in 2008 with a MS in Communication Disorders. Eileen is also licensed by the State of Arizona and is certified as a Speech Language Pathologist by the American Speech-Hearing and Language Association (ASHA). She has a wide range of experience working with young children and school-aged children with a variety of speech and language disorders in the pediatric clinic and school settings. Eileen also has extensive experience working with adults from 18 years of age to 99 with acquired neurological disorders in the clinic setting as well as skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. She had the distinct privilege of working with Veterans at the Arizona State Veterans Home. Eileen strongly believes that every individual, young and not so young, deserves to have a voice to be able to communicate. She provides individualized services to ensure each client receives the highest quality of treatment and care.

Since joining New Horizon Therapy in 2022, Eileen has shared her knowledge and skills by mentoring and supervising graduate student clinicians as they complete their fieldwork experiences. She enjoys working with student clinicians and learns as much from them as they do from her!

In her time away from New Horizon Therapy, Eileen enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, and sipping a good cup of coffee. One fun fact about Eileen is that she was once part of a flash mob!

Lindsey Woodruff

Born and raised in Chandler, AZ, Lindsey received a Post Baccalaureate in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Upon joining the team at New Horizon Therapy, she felt immediately “at home”. Lindsey is a compassionate and kind provider and appreciates the support our team shows one another. We appreciate her work ethic & integrity! Her passion for helping clients to feel comfortable and confident in their speech journeys is empowering for both she and the client!

In her down time you can find Lindsey walking her dog, drinking coffee and taking in a good book. She also loves to sing. Stop by and say hi to Lindsey!

Savannah Ayers

Savannah was born in Chandler, raised in beautiful Flagstaff Arizona. She earned her Bachelor’s of Speech and Hearing Science from Arizona State University. We’re so delighted to have Savannah as part of our team – we knew straight away by the hours she has devoted to volunteerism in classroom and child care settings, coupled with her education and experience, that she would be a wonderful addition to the New Horizon family! Savannah was recently certified by MeaningfulSpeech in the Natural Language Acquisition framework and gestalt language processing to support individuals who communicate using delayed echolalia (often called scripting).

When she’s not working you can find her participating in a variety of outdoor activities such as mountain biking and hiking. Next time you’re in, say hello to Savannah!

Favorite Quote: “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” -Maya Angelo

Anthony Moreno, COTA

Born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, Anthony was always wanted a career in the medical field and was passionate about helping others. He worked in food service before learning about OT.

Anthony attended Pima Medical Institute where he received my Occupational Therapy Assistant degree in May 2022. On his days off, he enjoys writing stories, playing video games with friends.

Favorite quote given by a communication teacher in college, “Practice makes Pattern”

Sarah Giedraitis, OT Doctoral Student

OT Doctoral Student

Sarah Giedraitis is an Occupational Therapy Doctoral student from Northern Arizona University. She is an Arizona native and is currently living in Mesa, AZ. Several months ago, she completed a fieldwork rotation with New Horizon Therapy and she is back for the next few months to collaborate on a capstone project. The project will focus on understanding/addressing challenging and disruptive behaviors exhibited by children and their impact on the occupations of the child and family members. The project will initiate with a survey that all parents/caregivers to which the topic is relevant are encouraged to take part. The survey will have 21 questions and responses will be anonymous. Data collected from the survey will be used to guide the development and collection of resources regarding addressing behaviors as well as burnout, mental health, and community building resources for parents/caregivers. Take the survey here!

Karla Carlos, SLPA

 

Karla was born and raised in Yuma, Arizona and moved to Phoenix in 2016 to attend Grand Canyon University where Karla received a bachelor’s in Advertising and Graphic Design. After graduating in 2020, Karla was introduced to the amazing world of speech therapy and dabbled in it for about 2 years before beginning her schooling at Northern Arizona University. Karla always had a passion for helping others, being creative, and teaching as a teacher’s assistant at an elementary school. After being introduced to speech therapy, Karla knew it was the perfect opportunity to combine all of her passions into one. Karla received her post-baccalaureate in Communication Science Disorders November 2023. Since joining New Horizon Therapy earlier this year, the team has been incredibly supportive by sharing their knowledge and welcoming Karla as part of the New Horizon family. On her down time, Karla enjoys finding trails to hike, cute coffee shops, and going on walks with her fur baby!

 

“In every job that must be done there is an element of fun!” – Mary Poppins

Kiana Clah, SLPA

 

Kiana was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona. She is originally from the Navajo Reservation in Northern Arizona.  Kiana earned her Bachelor’s of Speech and Hearing Science from Arizona State University in December of 2020. Before joining New Horizon Therapy, Kiana provided Speech and Language therapy in School based settings for 4 years and preschool clinic-based settings to clients with a wide range of communication impairments. As well as, provided academic tutoring services to Native American school-aged children one-on-one with students in the classroom or After-School Tutoring Program. Kiana is passionate about positively impacting the lives of children and their families as well as supporting therapists. In her downtime, loves playing or watching basketball with her family and friends, being outdoors, and reading a great book.

 

‘’There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.’’-  C.S. Lewis

Kieran Carr, Front Office Coordinator

 

Kieran Carr was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. With nearly a decade of experience as a Retail and Warehouse Manager, he brings a strong passion for serving both the community and patients to his role at New Horizon Therapy. He has managed large teams and overseen logistics for major brands, including Nike and Target.

 

Outside of work, Kieran enjoys playing soccer, a passion he’s had since childhood, and spending time with his wife, Nina, and their two beloved dogs, Churro and Bagel.

 

His favorite quote is: “You should enjoy the little detours. To the fullest. Because that’s where you’ll find the things more important than what you want.”

Samantha Clay

Office Coordinator

Sam was born in Michigan and moved to Arizona at the age of 16. She married her college sweetheart, and together they have two amazing kids. Before joining New Horizon, she spent most of her career in the dental field, working as a Dental Assistant and in the Dental Front Office. She came to New Horizon for a change and is so glad she did! Outside of work, she stays busy as a mom, shuttling her kids to sports and dance, taking her fur babies to the dog park, and enjoying a good book when time allows.

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

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