Mary Lou Gagnon OTR/L
is an occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience working with
children in both clinic-based and school system practice. She also holds a
degree in Elementary Education and taught in private and public school settings
prior to choosing to stay at home to raise her two children. Mary Lou was
a founding member of the Danvers Special Education Parent’s Advisory Committee,
serving 8 years as the president. During this time, she also served on
the Massachusetts Regional Advisory Board for Special Education and volunteered
at the Office for Children compiling resources for after school activities for
children with special needs.
After many years of working long hours as a stay at home mom, her husband urged her to slow down to pursue her interest in Occupational Therapy. Mary Lou returned to school and found her passion in this field, first in adult rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, then in outpatient therapy and pediatric practice.
Mary Lou has a strong commitment to continuing education. She has advanced training in sensory processing and is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. She is a provider for Integrated Listening Systems and the Advanced Brain Technologies therapeutic listening programs and is a certified provider for Interactive Metronome. She is trained in Brain Gym, Musgatova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration, and Myofascial Release. Mary Lou has advanced training in Cranial Sacral Therapy for adults and children, serving as a teaching assistant for the Upledger Institute.
Mary Lou has been a visiting instructor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Salem State University teaching Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Clinical Reasoning and Professional Judgment courses. She has presented on Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, The Impact of Disabilities on Family Quality of Life, Using Movement to Enhance Classroom Performance, and Sensory Integration in local schools. In 2012, Mary Lou found new joy in her occupational therapy practice when Linda invited her to join forces to create Peer Projects - Therapy from the Heart. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, walking her dog, and doing yoga.
After many years of working long hours as a stay at home mom, her husband urged her to slow down to pursue her interest in Occupational Therapy. Mary Lou returned to school and found her passion in this field, first in adult rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities, then in outpatient therapy and pediatric practice.
Mary Lou has a strong commitment to continuing education. She has advanced training in sensory processing and is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests. She is a provider for Integrated Listening Systems and the Advanced Brain Technologies therapeutic listening programs and is a certified provider for Interactive Metronome. She is trained in Brain Gym, Musgatova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration, and Myofascial Release. Mary Lou has advanced training in Cranial Sacral Therapy for adults and children, serving as a teaching assistant for the Upledger Institute.
Mary Lou has been a visiting instructor in the Occupational Therapy Department at Salem State University teaching Pediatric Occupational Therapy and Clinical Reasoning and Professional Judgment courses. She has presented on Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, The Impact of Disabilities on Family Quality of Life, Using Movement to Enhance Classroom Performance, and Sensory Integration in local schools. In 2012, Mary Lou found new joy in her occupational therapy practice when Linda invited her to join forces to create Peer Projects - Therapy from the Heart. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, walking her dog, and doing yoga.