Today we’d like to introduce you to Alyssa Engel.
Hi Alyssa, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Ever since I could remember, I’ve always wanted to work with children in some capacity. My career choice path started with teaching, then evolved to physical therapy, and then I finally discovered occupational therapy and my heart was set. I also spent a few years working at a local Girl Scout camp for a few summers while in college which helped grow my leadership skills and solidified that working with children was the correct career path for me. After graduating from my doctoral OT program in 2021, I worked at a couple different pediatric therapy clinics before branching off and starting my own practice with specialization in neurodiversity affirming care and specialty DIR-Floortime certification. I’m passionate about holistic support for neurodivergent kids that focuses on their strengths to overcome barriers, which leads to participation in life in a meaningful and authentic way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years back, even though looking back it was glaringly obvious, but because I was a girl in the 90’s and early 2000’s, I was often instead labeled as “too talkative”, “annoying”, “crybaby”, etc. Today I embrace my neurodiversity and the power that it gives me to understand the kids and families I work with, to be brave enough to take risks, and to work extremely hard for advocating for those I care about.
One of the other big struggles though is navigating the insurance process. There are so many nuances in the healthcare field that the general population doesn’t see which really act as huge barriers to so many people getting the care that they need and deserve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I am a pediatric occupational therapist!
Occupational Therapy can be a little confusing about what we do, but in essence, OT supports all people across the lifespan to be able to participate in “occupations”, which are all of the things we do that occupy our time, in a way that is meaningful. In pediatrics, that can look like supporting kids ability to help with care tasks, participate in school, engage in the community, have healthy sleep routines, socializing with others, and of course, engaging in meaningful play!
I started Cultivate Play, PLLC back in 2024 because there was a big disconnect between families looking for positive support for their child and therapy practices that are neurodiversity affirming in the middle TN area. Cultivate Play is a mobile occupational therapy practice, meaning that we bring the therapy to you! It allows for skill development in naturally occurring contexts, which helps with carryover throughout life instead of being housed only in a therapy clinic.
I am also one of the few certified DIR-Floortime providers in the area, which is a developmental and relationship based approach that can be used with all children, but is often used with autism. Instead of focusing only on external behaviors, the DIR-Floortime approach builds skills from the bottom up (holistically) using meaningful play, interactions and relationships while honoring unique differences.
One big thing that makes my practice different, is that I don’t use “rewards” or “reinforcers” when working with children. I’ve found (and supported by research), that when you incorporate skill building into the play that is already intrinsically motivating to the child, they’re going to WANT to participate in that skill building, and often even recreate these challenges on their own after the therapist leaves!
Another specialty that I have is my knowledge and training in working with children who have a PDA profile. This is a neurodiversity profile that is often correlated with autism and ADHD that is being newly researched and requires a completely different approach than typical parenting approaches. The clinical name is Pathological Demand Avoidance, but the neurodiversity affirming community is working to rebrand it as Pervasive Drive for Autonomy.
It is currently just me, but I’m hoping to expand in 2026!
The biggest takeaway I would like readers to know is that there are people out there who truly GET your child and don’t only see them as a culmination of their “behaviors” or the data they can collect about them. When you find a therapist who truly sees and gets your family, life can become so much more meaningful again, even if it may look different than the way you originally envisioned your life to look.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love how diverse Nashville is becoming, but I do not like the traffic!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cultivate-play.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cultivate.play/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cultivate.play/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-engel-06064346
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@alyssaengel.otd
