Owner/Clinical Director

Nicole R. Caldwell, M.A., CCC-SLP
Nicole’s background is in Speech Pathology and she is the current owner and clinical director of Southeast Family Services of Raleigh. She received her B.A. degree in Communication Disorders from North Carolina State University and her M.A. degree from Appalachian State University. Nicole has extensive experience in the areas of Aural Rehabilitation, Dysphagia, Voice Disorders, Fluency Disorders, Language Disorders, and Articulation/Phonological Disorders. Nicole’s experiences have provided her with the opportunity to work with a variety of populations to include individuals who are hearing impaired and cochlear implant patients, individuals with suspected or diagnosed Asperger's/PDD/Autistic Spectrum disorders, various genetic disorders, individuals with feeding and/or oral motor issues, and individuals who are visually impaired. Nicole has worked in a variety of settings including clinics, daycares, private practice, rehabilitation facilities, public schools, and preschools. Nicole has received specialized training in the Beckman Oral Motor Program, the Lindamood-Bell Seeing Stars and Lindamood Phoneme Sequencing (LiPS) programs, Toni Linder Transdisciplinary Play-Based Assessment, and basic sign language.

In addition to her clinical work, Nicole has served as a clinical director for 3 years before owning and operating Southeast Family Services of Raleigh. Nicole has coordinated and supervised programs for students, conducted in-services and training sessions, and supervised clinical fellowships for new clinicians. She is an active member of the Wake County LICC and is a member of the Board of Directors for The Arc of Wake County. Nicole believes that in order for children and young adults with developmental disabilities to be successful in achieving their life goals the parents, teachers, and clinicians must all work together as partners in that individual’s progress. It is this belief that drives the style by which she guides her team of experienced clinicians in serving the families of Wake County and surrounding areas.

Psychologists

• Emily W. King, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
  Dr. Emily King is a licensed psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist who received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. King completed her internship and post-doctoral training in a large urban-suburban school district in Houston, Texas where she specialized in providing psychological services to preschoolers through adolescents. She has worked in a variety of settings including public schools, a university-based clinic, and private practice.

  Dr. King provides evaluation and treatment services to preschoolers, school-age children, and adolescents presenting with a variety of concerns including learning disabilities, ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism spectrum disorders. She uses play-based and/or cognitive-behavioral treatment approaches to support the emotional growth of children and adolescents. Dr. King also enjoys consulting with parents to develop effective behavior management strategies. As a nationally certified school psychologist, Dr. King is also experienced in developing academic-based interventions and enjoys consulting with teachers and parents to improve children’s school performance.

   

• Alison Draper, M.A., L.P.A
  Alison is a licensed psychological associate, health services provider (HSP-PA), and nationally certified school psychologist (NCSP) who attended the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where she earned her B.S. in psychology and her M.A. in school psychology.  Ms. Draper has over 14 years of professional work experience with the mental health population, including research and publications focusing on children with fragile X syndrome and their families.  For the last eight years, Ms. Draper has worked as a school psychologist, providing psychological evaluations, intervention development, and consultative services.  Most recently, Ms. Draper has taken a keen interest in working with preschool-aged children, including those with intellectual and physical impairments, Autism, Asperger’s Disorder, and other developmental disabilities.  By using various assessment techniques, as well as consulting and collaborating with others, Ms. Draper applies a strength-based approach to create and provide developmentally appropriate and targeted interventions to meet the identified needs of students, families, and school personnel. In addition, she employs practices that promote home, school, and community partnerships and enhance learning and mental health goals for others.

  She is a member of the North Carolina School Psychology Association and the National Association of School Psychologists.

Speech Language Pathologists

• Kelly B. DeStefano, M.S., CCC-SLP
  Kelly DeStefano received her Bachelor's and Master’s degree in speech-language pathology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. She has served the pediatric population in a variety of settings to include public schools, private clinics, school for the hearing impaired, the Wake County Children's Developmental Services Agency, and pediatric home health facilities. Kelly has extensively focused on serving children in the natural environment to include daycare and home for the past 7 years. Kelly's background includes evaluating and treating children with Autism, Apraxia, articulation/phonological disorders, Down syndrome, feeding disorders, and language disorders. She specializes in oral motor/feeding issues and assessment and intervention for children with Down syndrome or suspected Apraxia. Kelly has been trained in the PECS program for assisting non-verbal children or children with limited vocabularies to communicate effectively.

  As a speech-language pathologist, Kelly begins therapy by observing each child in his or her most natural environment. She spends time getting to know your family and develops a full understanding of the concerns unique to you and your child. Kelly provides speech therapy through play interactions which will help your child improve communication skills naturally. Kelly also believes that parents are the most important teachers in a child’s life. By showing you easy-to-use therapy techniques, Kelly will help your family incorporate these skill-building activities into your normal everyday routines. She understands that families are busy, as she is a parent of a toddler herself, and hopes that her activities are easy to incorporate into your hectic schedule. Kelly is also the cousin of a child with Down syndrome and understands the importance of communication and feeding skills that can go hand-in-hand with this syndrome.

Occupational Therapists

• Kathryn A. Trocinski, M.S., OTR/L
   
• Emilie A. Quigley, B.S., OTR/L
   
• Anne Barnes, M.S., OTR/L
   
• Lisa C. Baran, B.S., OTR/L
   
• Tonya Guerrino, M.S., OTR/L
  Tonya Bradshaw received her B.S. degree in Family and Child Development, with a concentration in Human Services, from Virginia Tech and her M.S. degree in Occupational Therapy from East Carolina University. Her areas of interest include sensory integration dysfunction, Autism and learning disabilities, visual impairments, visual perceptual/motor difficulties and physical disabilities. She has worked with children in a number of clinical settings including a child development center, public school system, day treatment center designed for children who are developmentally disabled and pediatric outpatient services within a private practice.

Administration

• Cassalyn Sands, Office Manager