Lori Coey-Ritter has been the owner of Verde Valley Occupational Therapy since 2011. She graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1996 with a degree in occupational therapy. Lori has worked with people of all ages in many settings, including hospitals, home health and nursing homes. She began her pediatrics career in the local school districts starting in 2008, and has had a passion for pediatrics ever since.
Lori is certified in the Handwriting Without Tears program, which is a handwriting curriculum specializing in multi-sensory instruction for learning both printing and cursive styles. She has used this curriculum to teach very young children through teenagers to improve their ability to write.
Lori is a proponent of the use of computer-based assistive technology to help young people with learning disabilities be successful in school. She has a strong working knowledge of the resources available to children in the public schools and is striving to make curriculum more accessible to all types of learners.
The foundation of Lori’s treatment sessions include: sensory integration, therapeutic activities, play, and multi-sensory teaching. People of all ages learn most efficiently when positive emotional experiences are present, so she strives to make each session feel more like play than work.
Common diagnoses on Lori’s caseload include: genetic syndromes, autism, learning disabilities, ADHD, intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and Down’s syndrome. She has experience with all age groups.
Lori continues to work with children in schools, the community, home, and the clinic. Because of this, she has a comprehensive understanding of children’s needs in each of these settings. She has compassion and understanding for the challenges parents, caregivers, and teachers face when caring for children with special needs. Parent/caregiver/teacher education is an important part of Lori’s practice.
Nancy Hagberg is a 1982 graduate of St. Mary’s Junior College in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After graduation she began her career as a licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant in a long term care facility until she and her husband relocated to Arizona. In Arizona, she has worked in long term care facilities in Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Flagstaff, and Winslow as a consultant to the activity departments, as well as developing and training staff in restorative feeding and self-care programs.
Nancy was employed by Occupational Therapy Services of the Verde Valley in 1993 where she developed her love of Pediatric Occupational Therapy. She remained with the company when it was purchased by Lori Coey-Ritter in 2011 and changed its name to Verde Valley Occupational Therapy. She has experience in working with children in the school systems, and with clients having developmental disabilities in both clinic and home settings.
When not spending time with their grandchildren and families, Nancy and her husband enjoy camping, hiking, kayaking, cooking/baking, and reading.
Angelita Siojo-Allen is a graduate of the Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Toronto (Canada). Prior to moving to the United States in 1996, she worked in pediatrics at the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre of Essex County (now the John McGivney Children’s Centre). Angelita worked in the augmentative communication and specialized seating clinic at this facility.
After 6 years, she moved to Sheridan, Wyoming and joined an outpatient clinic doing orthopedics. After 17 years, she and her husband made the move to Arizona in 2020. Luckily, she found Verde Valley Occupational Therapy and returned to pediatrics. When not seeing kids at VVOT, she likes to play golf, hike, camp, cook and garden. She also has two four legged children and a husband to keep her busy.
Rachel Olsen is a Cottonwood native who received her Bachelor of Arts from Arizona State University in 2011 and her Masters of Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University Dallas in 2021. She has training and experience in behavioral interventions, mental health and feeding therapy. Rachel also has an extensive history working in case management which enables her to help families find resources to meet their needs.
Rachel is excited to be back in her hometown and enjoys spending time with her family outside of work cooking together, watching movies and going on hikes.
Verde Valley Occupational Therapy 