About Us
Get to Know TCS!
At TCS, our mission is to improve the physical and emotional health and well-being of our community by providing affirming therapeutic intervention and truly inclusive enrichment programming. We envision a community where each individual is valued for their unique perspecitves and strengths, regardless of disability, neurotype, or socioeconomic status.
TCS was founded in October 2019 by Andrea Gibson, autistic occupational therapist, and a small Board of Directors. The clinic was quickly forced to navigate the pandemic, but was still able to experience growth in 2020. From the beginning, we prioritized providing quality services to all in need, regardless of financial means. As the only independent clinic in the immediate Harrisburg area accepting medical assistance, it quickly became clear that there was a great need for our services. Since opening, we have grown every year and our team and programming has expanded. In 2024, we are now a team of 8 therapists and a certified teacher. Our programs now include an inclusive preschool, numerous affirming group programs for neurodivergent children and youth, parent coaching, and individual occupational, speech, and specialized feeding therapy. All clinicians center lived experience, utilize responsive, trauma-informed approaches, and value neurodiversity.
By the Numbers
2020:
Number of visits provided: 1154
Value of uncompensated care provided: $55,778
2021:
Number of visits provided: 3007
Value of uncompensated care provided: $158,291
2022:
Number of visits provided: 4034
Value of uncompensated care provided: $200,351
2023:
Number of visits provided: 5218
Value of uncompensated care provided: $229,215
What is uncompensated care, and how is this calculated?
When establishing our clinic, one of our primary goals has been to decrease barriers to accessing quality, neurodiversity-affirming care. In our field, this translates to accepting as many insurances as possible, including medical assistance and CHIP plans. Unfortunately, there is a significant cost to the organization when choosing to prioritize access over higher reimbursement rates. The numbers above represent the additional income we would have received each year if all provided services were paid in full rather than at discounted medical assistance rates.
Our Facility
A completely accessible facility just off of Carlisle Pike in Camp Hill, our comfortable environment features numerous private treatment spaces to suit a variety of needs. Children and adults alike are put at ease by our welcoming environment, which feels like a home.
Our Philosophy
We believe that just as your child is constantly growing and changing, so should our treatment strategies. As a clinic, we embrace our mission of lifelong learning and listening to lived experience to make sure that we are providing the best possible affirming care.
Therapists draw from experience, but also continuously further their own professional education. Our therapists are trained in a wide variety of updated treatment approaces, including DIR/Floortime, responsive feeding therapy, gestalt language processing, high and low-tech AAC, interoception, and trauma-informed care.
We prioritize access to quality care and accept many insurances, including some medical assistance plans.
We utilize a robust, fully HIPAA-compliant electronic medical records system, because we value your privacy and confidentiality. We also offer online self-scheduling and a client portal for your convenience.
Our Occupational Therapists
Andrea Gibson, MS, OTR/L Clinical Director
Andrea has a passion for helping children and adults reach their full potential. She especially loves working with neurodivergent children and adults, and additionally specializes in feeding difficulties. As an autistic adult herself, her treatment approaches are informed by her perspective as a member of the autistic community, the neurodiversity movement, and positive autistic identity.
Andrea believes in a family-based approach, and in conjunction with working with children she strives to empower parents to better understand and support their children in all environments.
She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and has presented at AOTA’s national conference.
Andrea is a Pennsylvania licensed, nationally certified occupational therapist. She earned an M.S. in Occupational Therapy from Misericordia University. She also holds an M.A. in International Development and Social Change from Clark University and a B.S. in Biology from Houghton College.
Emma Esteves, MS, OTR/L
Emma’s passion has always been working with
children. She has worked across settings with children of all ages from infants
to young adults. Her passion is helping kids to engage and participate in all
areas of life. Throughout the treatment process Emma uses a child-led play
centered approach, helping a child gain skills while having fun. She also
believes that parent/caregiver education and coaching are essential to the
therapy process to empower families to help their child grow and develop.
Emma is a Pennsylvania licensed occupational
therapist and is certified nationally by NBCOT. Emma attended Elizabethtown
College and received her undergraduate degree in Health and Occupation and a
Master’s in Occupational Therapy.
Brenna Shields, MS, OTR/L
Brenna enjoys working with children of all ages. It’s her goal to help every child feel successful through her use of child-led play-based interventions. She believes parents and caregivers are an integral part of the therapy process and encourages their involvement in sessions so they can be empowered to help their children engage in everyday activities and meaningful activities. She is a Pennsylvania licensed occupational therapist and is certified nationally by NBCOT. Brenna attended Misericordia University where she received her undergraduate degree in Health Sciences and a Master’s in Occupational Therapy.
Our Speech-Language Pathologists
Meredith Bailets, MS, CCC-SLP
Meredith enjoys working with children and adults, but has primarily worked with preschool and school-age students. She loves to incorporate games, play, music, and movement into speech therapy sessions. Meredith values parent input and uses evidence-based strategies to help children achieve their goals while building on skills they already possess. Her goal is to provide effective therapy and collaborate with parents on strategies to promote carry-over of skills at home and in the community.
Meredith is a Pennsylvania licensed speech-language pathologist and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. She earned a certificate for Competent Learner Model Curriculum (CLM) Implementation from West Virginia University. Meredith earned her BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from La Salle University.
Valerie Chapman-Jones, MS, CCC-SLP
In her 20+ year career as a speech-language pathologist, Valerie has primarily worked in school-based settings but also has experience in early intervention. Her passion is Augmentative-Alternative Communication (AAC). Valerie has extensive experience with exploring, trialing, and implenting no-, light-, and high-tech AAC supports with children with a range of disabilities including cerebral palsy, genetic syndromes, autism, and apraxia of speech. Valerie’s goal is to help children with complex communication needs explore and find an AAC system that helps them become functional, independent communicators. Valerie believes that learning an AAC language system should be fun, not forced, and that speech therapy to teach AAC should focus on encouraging communication through novel, active language experiences. She also recognizes the critical role families play in trialing and implementing AAC to support their children.
Valerie is a Pennsylvania-licensed speech-language pathologist, has an Instructional Level II teaching certificate in speech and language, and maintains a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Valerie graduated summa cum laude from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education majoring in speech-language pathology. She received her Master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Valerie recently earned a Master’s level Assistive Technology certificate from Bowling Green State University. She is currently pursuing a second Master’s degree, a Master’s degree in Special Education with a focus in assistive technology, also from Bowling Green State University.
Elizabeth Harding, MS, CCC-SLP
Elizabeth has been working with toddlers through college age students for over 3 decades. She has provided therapy in a variety of settings in Alaska and Pennsylvania. Her goal is to discover your family’s interests and strengths in order to provide a creative, fun, responsive environment for everyone involved in your child’s therapy.
Areas of specialization and special interest include play therapy for children with autism, genetic disorders, and developmental delays and disorders. She has extensive experience in treating articulation, phonological processing disorders, apraxia, language, and stuttering.
Elizabeth is a Pennsylvania licensed speech-language pathologist and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She earned her BS in Communication Disorders and her MS in Speech-Language Pathology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania.
Emily Harvey, MS, CCC-SLP
Emily enjoys working with children and uses strengths-based approach in her speech/language therapy. She employs child-led play-based therapy methods and also incorporates her client’s interests. She believes speech/language therapy should be functional and focus on improving the child’s quality of life, through all stages – from giving them a form of communication for the first time through helping them be self-determined and work on goals to improve their self-confidence related to their communication. As an autistic adult herself, her treatment approaches are informed by her perspective as a member of the autistic community, the neurodiversity movement, and positive autistic identity.
She is strong advocate for neurodiversity-affirming speech/language therapy, and as such is well-informed in the use of neurodiversity-aligned practices with autistic clients, including presuming competence, valuing all forms of communication, empowering clients, and encouraging self-advocacy and self-determination. She is a level 3 Natural Language Acquisition Practitioner, meaning she is highly knowledgeable about gestalt language processing. She is trained in and serves as an advisory board member for the online training of the Neuro-Strengths Based Supports for Autism (NSBSA) Framework. She is also trained in Collaborative & Proactive Solutions, Story Grammar Marker, play-based speech therapy, and Dynamic Temporal & Tactile Cueing (DTTC).
Emily is a Pennsylvania licensed speech/language pathologist and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She earned a B.S. in Communication Disorders along with a minor in Spanish from California University of Pennsylvania and a M.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Pennsylvania State University. She also holds a graduate certificate of advanced study in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Our Thrive Preschool Teacher
Amanda Welty
Amanda is a Pennsylvania Level II certified teacher with experience teaching ages 0-16 in public school, cyber, and childcare settings. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Penn State and a Masters of Science in Education from Wilkes University. She has over 15 years of experience working with neurodivergent and disabled children, including her own son.
Amanda believes in a whole-child, play-based, and child-centered approach to education where all types of play and all forms of communication are valued. She enjoys incorporating children’s special interests into their learning experiences, along with music, movement, and sensory play. She also believes in the importance of partnering with parents/caregivers as a team to best support each child’s individual development and well-being. She is dedicated to ongoing professional development, and her professional interests include autism and ADHD, universal design, AAC, and trauma-informed teaching practices.
Amanda lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband, 6-year-old son, and rescue dog. In her free time she enjoys arts and crafts, thrift shopping, baking, birdwatching, yoga, the beach, and spending time with her family.