Our team

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  Brooke grew up just north of Houston in The Woodlands, Texas. She received her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology with a minor in psychology from Texas Tech University. Brooke joined the Empower family in 2019, which marked a turning point in her pediatric career. Working at Empower Pediatric Therapy became more than just a job for Brooke, it became a calling. Over the years, Brooke has played a pivotal role in Empower’s Bridge Program, Social Skills Groups, Handwriting Groups, and Camps.
Brooke’s holistic approach to therapy is a product of her wide range of experience with children and families. She sees each child as an individual and truly enjoys helping them achieve their ultimate potential. Brooke has experience working with various diagnoses and conditions including but not limited to ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder, handwriting, self-regulation, feeding difficulties and executive functioning. Brooke specifically has a passion for supporting children on the autism spectrum by encouraging self-advocacy and independence. Her approach to therapy is connecting with both the child and their family, fostering trust and collaboration leading to carry over and results in all environments. Brooke recalls sensory differences in her own childhood bringing deeper understanding and empathy to her practices. She recently married in November 2023 and looks forward to building a “baseball” team of her own in the future! Until then, she enjoys her free time spent with her husband, family and dog, Hinge!

 Amy Engstrom is a certified occupational therapy assistant who graduated from Lone Star-Tomball in May 2023. Amy is originally from New Orleans, LA and moved to Texas 14 years ago. She graduated from the University of New Orleans with a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. Amy has always loved working with children and she finds it remarkable how much children can achieve with the right amount of love, support, patience, and guidance. Prior to joining the Empower team, she worked in the home health setting, helping pediatric clients meet a variety of goals, as well as working closely with their families. When she is not at Empower, Amy loves spending time with her husband, 13 year-old son, and 2 fur babies. She also enjoys making surprise visits to her parents and 2 brothers who live in Texas as well!  

Carly Gregory is a licensed physical therapist who received her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Texas Woman's University in 2020. She specializes in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of infants, children, and adolescents with a variety of congenital, developmental, neuromuscular, skeletal, or acquired disorders/diseases. Treatments focus mainly on improving gross and fine motor skills, balance and coordination, strength and endurance as well as cognitive and sensory processing/integration. Pediatric physical therapy assists in early detection of health problems and to provide physical therapy for disorders in the pediatric population. Carly loves spending time with her husband and new baby boy.

Lillian Kirkpatrick is a registered Occupational Therapist, proud local Houstonian, and joined the team in September 2022. In 2018, Lillian graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education from the University of Oklahoma. A few months later, she began her graduate program at Texas Woman’s University in Dallas where she earned her Master of Occupational Therapy degree in 2020. Before coming to Empower, Lillian worked at an outpatient pediatric clinic outside of Austin as part of a multidisciplinary team, providing specialized therapy services to children with developmental disorders, disabilities, or delays, including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, ADD/ADHD, Ataxia, Oppositional Defiance Disorder, fine and gross motor delays, etc.

Lillian felt called to be a pediatric occupational therapist at the age of 13 when she spent her summer volunteering with children on the Autism Spectrum. Her passion continued to grow from that point on and led her to where she is today. Lillian’s passion is providing the highest quality of compassionate client-centered care, allowing each child to reach their fullest potential, and providing families with the resources and strategies to benefit the child across all environments.

In her free time, Lillian enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking, tending to all of her houseplants, floating the Frio River, and playing with her dog, Poppy. 

  Natalie, a native Houstonian, is a certified occupational therapy assistant with a deep commitment to helping children reach their full potential. She earned her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology with a minor in Nutrition from the University of Houston. During her COTA fieldwork at Empower Pediatric Therapy, Natalie discovered her passion for the field and officially joined the team in 2019. Since then, she has gained extensive experience working with children facing a variety of challenges, including ADHD, feeding difficulties, sensory processing disorder, self-regulation, and emotional regulation. Known for her holistic approach and her understanding that each child is unique, Natalie has been actively involved in Empower’s Bridge Program, Social Skills Group, Foundations Program, and summer camps. Natalie enjoys quality time with her husband and two daughters, whether they’re visiting the park, traveling, or having a movie night at home.