MEET OUR THERAPISTS

Ashley Romero, M.S., CCC-SLP

Owner and Speech-Language Pathologist

Ashley is native of New Jersey. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in Hearing and Speech Sciences and Public Relations. Prior to becoming a speech-language pathologist, Ashley worked in an ABA-based school in New Jersey where she worked with Pre-K and elementary aged children on the autism spectrum. This is where she discovered her passion. Ashley went on to earn her Master’s Degree in Speech Language Pathology from Florida Atlantic University. While completing her Master’s, Ashley continued to provide ABA therapy and completed the requirements to become a BCBA (certification pending).

Prior to founding Bridging the Pieces Therapy, Ashley worked in a variety of settings including charter and private schools, hospitals, and outpatient clinics. She is motivated to provide successful therapy that is enjoyable to her clients and family. She is also a PROMPT-trained therapist.

Ashley is a licensed speech-language pathologist and is credentialed through the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA). She has a passion for helping children improve their speech and language skills to promote effective and functional communication. She is also a proud mom to two children, Atlas and Aria.

Heather Engel, M.S., OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Heather is a licensed and registered Occupational Therapist who holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree from the University of Florida and a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from Florida Gulf Coast University. Since graduating in 2015 she has served children from infancy through school-age with neurological, chromosomal, and developmental delays. She has experience working within various outpatient and hospital settings, including neonatal intensive care and early intervention programs. Her specialty areas include infant and toddler development, school-related skills, handwriting, feeding, and sensory. Specific diagnoses include autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, developmental delay, and sensory processing disorder. Heather focuses on an interdisciplinary approach of parents, teachers, therapists, and medical professionals for success in everyday environments and routines

Lauren Piccione, MOT, OTR/L, ASDCS

Occupational Therapist

Lauren is a New Jersey native and a licensed and registered Occupational Therapist, holding a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Florida and a Master of Occupational Therapy from Nova Southeastern University. As an Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist (ASDCS), Lauren is dedicated to delivering personalized, strength-based, and neurodiversity-affirming treatment strategies. Lauren enjoys following the lead of her clients through play to meet the goals of each client and their family, ensuring they reach their maximum potential in school, home, and the community. Lauren has established and maintained relationships with various schools and other health professionals to ensure a whole-body approach to ensure her client’s overall well-being and functional ability. Lauren prioritizes building meaningful connections, believing that strong relationships with both families and clients are the foundation of successful therapy.

Hanna Eugenio, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Hanna is originally from Tallahassee, where she earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Science and Disorders and her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Florida State University. She has experience working with children of all ages in various settings. Hanna also has five years of experience conducting research within the field of communication science and disorders. She is a coauthor of one published research article and is currently contributing to other articles within the field. Hanna is a Natural Language Acquistion Trained Clinician for gestalt language learners. During her graduate career, Hanna moved to South Florida to complete her final clinical internship at Bridging the Pieces. She loved the clients and team so much that she officially moved down to join the Bridging the Pieces family.

Krista Nichols, M.S., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Krista is a native of Florida. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida in Communication Sciences and Disorders and her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Albizu University in Miami. She has worked in a variety of settings such as PPEC, school, daycare and clinic. Krista enjoys providing services to early intervention populations and has experience collaborating and providing parent coaching to families. She has worked with many Autistic clients and strives to provide Neurodiversity affirming care through relationship-based learning and child-led play. She enjoys collaborating with Occupational Therapy to ensure that clients are regulated and ready to learn, prior to providing speech and language services. Krista is passionate about helping children to use their voices to advocate for themselves and their needs

Marissa Mendez, M.S., CF-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist- Clinical Fellow

Marissa is a bilingual clinical fellow who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Florida International University. She spent four years as a dedicated teacher before transitioning to her role as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) during her graduate studies. She has experience serving children from infancy through school-age, as well as adults, in a variety of settings including schools, private practices, and inpatient hospitals. Marissa has experience working with a range of disorders, including articulation and phonology disorders, receptive and expressive language delays, and autism spectrum disorder. She is dedicated to providing client-centered care and building meaningful relationships with clients and families.

Desirae Garnett, MS, OTR/L

Occupational Therapist

Desirae is originally from Scranton, Pennsylvania and moved to Florida in 2021. She graduated from Misericordia University with her Master’s Degree in occupational therapy. She has experience working with children across many settings including home-based, PPEC, school-based, and outpatient. She has a passion for helping children of all ages and abilities do all the things they need and want to do as independently as possible. She uses child-led play to address functional goals in the areas of sensory processing, fine motor/visual motor skills, attention, activities of daily living, reflex integration, and executive functioning.