Occupational Therapists

Meet our staff

Courtney Van Alstine, OTR/L, Lead Therapist

Courtney Van Alstine is a licensed and registered occupational therapist with a passion for pediatric therapy. She received her Masters in occupational therapy from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed a graduate assistantship at the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Courtney has achieved certification in the Learn Play Thrive (LPT) approach for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as the Get Permission approach for feeding. Courtney strives to be a neurodiversity-affirming therapist, and she loves the variety in her current position at the outpatient clinic in Knob Noster. Her greatest passion is creating a safe space for clients of all ability levels to feel seen, heard, and validated as they discover their strengths. She lives in Sedalia with her husband and two children. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, baking, and making huge messes with her kids.

Sydnie Stewart, OTD, OTR/L, CTRS

Sydnie Stewart is a licensed and registered occupational therapist. She received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from Creighton University. Sydnie is a Level 2B pelvic floor therapist through Herman and Wallace Rehabilitation Institute. Sydnie found her love and passion of occupational therapy through her involvement with Missouri Special Olympics and as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist. She knew through those experiences that she wanted to continue to empower children and their families to feel as confident and independent as possible. In her free time, Sydnie enjoys being around family and friends, and spending time outside with her two dogs, Pete and Zeke. Sydnie primarily sees patients at the Clinton Clinic.

Theresa Slana, OTR/L

Theresa was born and raised in the Chicago area and graduated from the OT program at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1985. She married her high school sweetheart and moved to Warrensburg, MO in 1990 and have 2 wonderful girls. During her career as an OTR, she has worked in Home Health, Hospitals (both inpatient and outpatient clinics), her private clinic providing myofascial release treatments for acute and chronic clients, and most recently for the past 17 years in a school district. She is a serious scrapbooker, love to fish, and enjoy reading in her free time.

Emily McKinzie, OTR/L

Emily McKinzie is a licensed and registered occupational therapist. She received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Missouri State University. She found her passion for pediatrics when completing a fieldwork rotation at an outpatient pediatric clinic. Emily enjoys working with children and incorporating fun and play to meet their goals and increase their independence. Emily enjoys reading, playing outside and hiking with her two dogs, and spending time with family and friends.

Meet our staff