Meet Doctor Marielly Mitchell, OTD, OTR/L, SIPT, SWC | Entrepreneur and Doctor of Occupational Therapy

We had the good fortune of connecting with Doctor Marielly Mitchell, OTD, OTR/L, SIPT, SWC and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doctor Marielly, how does your business help the community?
Each of my business ventures is deeply rooted in a desire to improve life for the parents and children in my community, especially as rates of neurodivergence rise. I’ve always seen occupational therapy as a means of helping people reach their full potential and it’s so fulfilling to support parents and their children through that journey, whether through Nanny Academy or TheraPlay LA.

Through my work, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing firsthand just how transformative therapeutic services can be time and time again, especially for children whose potential is just waiting to be unlocked with the right support. So many of the children we see find their voices and their independence here; it’s such a beautiful thing to witness. It’s also heartwarming to see the way my team of therapists and nannies provide both emotional and developmental support for the families we see in a way that unfolds so organically. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching children take off and thrive right before your eyes.

In my quest to ensure children receive the services they need regardless of socioeconomic status, I recently started a nonprofit organization called Art of Healing to help underprivileged families afford occupational and speech therapy services. My hope is to expand that nonprofit in the coming years and reach as many families as possible.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
TheraPlay LA is a therapeutic one-stop-shop that goes above and beyond traditional OT or Speech services. We’re the first pediatric therapy center to offer integrative services that include sleep monitoring in conjunction with virtual and in-clinic therapy services. We focus heavily on airway and sleep health as this can have a negative impact on therapeutic outcomes. It’s important to remember that short-term memories are processed during sleep. If someone is not breathing or sleeping well, this impacts their ability to turn the short-term memories and skills a therapist is working on during their sessions into long term memories, ultimately prolonging their time in therapeutic intervention.

Traditionally, families would need to work with two or more clinicians to receive the services our OT or Speech department can provide and would need to work with these clinicians for a longer period of time due to poor retention caused by poor sleep. At TheraPlay LA, both disciplines integrate orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) into each session, a therapeutic specialty which is often difficult to find. This makes it logistically easier and more cost-effective for families in the long run as we address sleep and airway issues that could potentially hinder therapeutic progress if a child were to have undiagnosed breathing or sleeping problems that are impacting their ability to make progress in therapy.

At TheraPlay LA, we target a wide range of therapeutic skills and concerns, including sensory processing, fine and gross motor skills, language development, speech and articulation difficulties, selective eating, swallowing disorders, Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders, nutritional concerns, and sleep training. Our innovative approach to therapeutic intervention centered on OMT combines principles of cranial nerve integration, sensory processing, and motor function, allowing us to take a sensorimotor-based approach that truly resonates with the pediatric population that experiences trouble with the oral motor skills associated with proper breathing, sleep, and behavior. Essentially, while regulating and integrating your child’s nervous system, we become your family’s north star in uncovering and addressing any medical issues related to sleep or breathing that deeply impact your child’s behavior.

This allows us to bridge the gap between the mind and the mouth, focusing on how breathing and sleeping impacts a person’s brain by rewiring their brains from a sensorimotor perspective while ensuring they get optimal oxygen when they breathe. Regardless of our clients’ age, we prioritize collaborative care, working closely with airway-centric dentists, orthodontists, ENTs, and other specialists to ensure our clients receive the best care possible to optimize their nervous systems and day-to-day lives.

Additionally, we offer intensive therapy, a focused burst of therapy. Instead of a typical, weekly 1-hour therapy session, we dial up the frequency and length of sessions. With more time per week dedicated to therapy, children quickly develop new neurological pathways and skills through continual repetition to build on progress from session to session and accelerate their overall development.

Our unique, multi-faceted approach and emphasis on biological and physiological factors allow us to address the foundational building blocks necessary to avoid misdiagnosing a biological issue as a neurological or psychological condition.

As a brand, we’re most proud to have the honor to be part of families’ journeys to help their little one achieve their full potential. It’s truly indescribable how lucky we are to help facilitate the incredible growth and transformation we see day in and day out. There are few things in the human experience more rewarding and incredible than watching children blossom and to experience the positive ripple effect that has in their family environment, at school, and beyond the walls of our clinic.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Great question! I’d probably start off with a hike at Griffith Observatory to take in the incredible view of the city. There are some really incredible hiking trails scattered throughout LA, but that’s one of my favorites. I can’t say enough good things about brunch at Cara, one of my absolute favorite restaurants, so that would probably be my next stop!

I’d also highly recommend we spend a day at the beach before driving down PCH as the sun set before visiting Malibu Farm Restaurant for dinner, another incredible spot I frequent.

Honestly, this city has so much to offer that I’d want to tailor as much of any visitor’s time here to their interests and preferences as possible. That’s always been one of my favorite parts of LA: no matter who you are or what your interests are, there are a million things to see and do here and every neighborhood you go to has such a distinct vibe to it.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have so many remarkable mentors, team members, family, and friends who have supported me throughout this journey. From people I’ve known since I was born to families and colleagues I’ve known for less than a year, so many people have helped me navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship and spread my knowledge to those who need it most.

From the day I was born, my mom has always been one of my biggest supporters in everything I do. Whether it means staying up until all hours of the night with a hot glue gun in hand or being there to raise my spirits, she’s done everything in her power to help me reach my goals. As a child, I also learned so much from watching her and my dad run their own business. It really inspired me from a young age and I feel so lucky to have her as a sounding board!

During my time at USC, I met so many incredible people, both faculty and staff, who taught me so much! Perhaps most transformation was learning about sensory integration from Dr. Blanche, who imparted so much knowledge that laid such fantastic groundwork for the work I do now and the specialties I’ve pursued since graduating. I was so fortunate to have professors willing to provide that kind of mentorship and support; it’s something I’ll always be grateful for!

Since graduating, I’ve had the absolute pleasure of being mentored by some phenomenal people, including Dr. Hila Robbins, Joy Moeller, and Dr. Anshu Batra. These three brilliant women truly revolutionized the way I treat and opened up a whole new world of possibility for me.

I’ve also been lucky enough to find some spectacular team members who are committed to learning and growing with me every step of the way. They’ve been there as I navigated construction, reopening after Covid, and all of the roadblocks, new ventures, and uncharted territory we’ve encountered along the way. Their eagerness to help cultivate the incredible work we do never goes unnoticed or unappreciated!

I could honestly go on for paragraphs thanking all of the amazing people who have helped me make TheraPlay LA and Nanny Academy what they are, but for the reader’s sake, I won’t! I’ll only mention one last person: my lovely fiancé who has improved every aspect of my life, from talking through business decisions to making me laugh hard enough to forget all about the stresses of the day. Every aspect of my life is better for knowing and loving you!

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theraplay-la

Image Credits
Laura Grier, Beautiful Day Photography