About us

Our Story…

 

Jessi Frencken, MPT, started Child’s Play Therapy in 2008. Child’s Play was a very successful company that employed physical, occupational and speech therapists. Child’s Play Therapy provided OT, PT, and ST services in patient’s homes and in the school setting. Carmen and Jessi met in 2012 when Carmen’s son required physical therapy services through early intervention.

Chatterbox Speech Therapy, LLC, opened in June of 2015. Carmen Rathert, M.S. CCC-SLP, COM® grew up in Clinton, Missouri, and recognized the community was in need of pediatric therapy services.  In 2014, Carmen called Jessi to propose opening a multidisciplinary clinic together in a brick and mortar space for children in the community. Jessi enthusiastically said yes!  

Carmen & Jessi opened their 1000 square foot office space in 2015 in Clinton, MO.  Carmen performed 9 speech/language evaluations within the first week of opening and the occupational and physical therapy patients quickly followed.  In 2018, they outgrew their 1000 square-foot space and moved to 2nd street where they now have 6 treatment rooms, a therapy kitchen, and a much larger gym space.  Counseling services were also added.

The two businesses continued to grow together and in 2021 they expanded to open a second location in Knob Noster, MO, to meet the needs to patients traveling from Warrensburg, Knob Noster, and Sedalia.  The 5,500 square-foot space is complete with 9 treatment rooms, 3 feeding centers, full kitchen, and a much larger gym, continuing to provide occupational, speech/language, feeding, physical therapies, as well as counseling services.

In January 2022, Carmen and Jessi realized they were better “together” merging Chatterbox Speech Therapy and Child’s Play Therapy into one business, The Pediatric Place.

Carmen and Jessi’s vision to provide multidisciplinary pediatric therapy services continues to grow and expand to meet the needs of the communities they serve.  They are proud to employ staff and therapists that share that vision.  The sky is the limit.  They are excited to see what is next for The Pediatric Place!!

Our Mission

Our mission is to empower children and their families through innovative practices and collaboration within our company and community partners. Our staff are compassionate and held to a high level of accountability to produce the best outcomes for those we serve. 

We show care for children, their families, and our co-workers by having empathy, being knowledgeable in our field, and by encouraging growth.

We know teamwork increases success and strive to work with one another and outside agencies for best outcomes.

We encourage and advocate for children’s independence through positive feedback of their individual efforts, the work of their parents, and our co-workers.

Our company culture promotes high levels of excellence, honesty, and integrity which promotes a productive and positive work environment.

We think outside the box and take into consideration the patient’s interests and potential, as well as parent needs.

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