Debra Nipp OTR/L, C-AAIs
Owner/ Co- Director
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist

Debra has been practicing pediatric occupational therapy since 2000. She has been the co-owner/director of a private practice since 2014 and founded PlaySpace Therapy in 2018. Debra has post-graduate training in Sensory Integration Theory and specializes in treating children with sensory processing disorder. She is certified in the administration of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT) and the Perceptual Enrichment Program.  She is also certified in the Zones of Regulation, Integrated Listening Systems, Therapeutic Listening, Handwriting Without Tears, Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) approach to feeding, Bal-a-Vis X, and Matsugova Nuerosensorimotor Reflex Integration (MNRI) Method. She received her Bachelors of Science in Occupational Therapy from the University of Puget Sound. Debra is also a certified animal assisted intervention specialist. Debra has a passion for working with children with sensory processing disorder, visual perceptual challenges, motor skill delays, handwriting, and learning disorders.  When not at work, you can find on the farm caring for the animals and spending time with her three kids.

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Karin Loar, MS, OTR/L, NLP
Clinic Co-Director
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
Feeding Specialist

Karin received her Bachelors in OT from USC in 1999 and her Masters in OT from Tufts in 2001. She has been co-director at PlaySpace Therapy since 2021.


Karin has certification in advanced practice for swallowing and intervention through the California Board of Occupational Therapy (CBOT) and certification in Neonatal Oral Motor Assessments/NOMAS,  She is a Level 1 handwriting specialist through Handwriting Without Tears (HWT).  In June 2023, she received her certification in Ayers Sensory integration, including advanced training in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of the comprehensive measures of sensory integration, including the EASI and SPM.

Karin has a strong interest in working with children who have participation challenges with feeding, using the Sequential Oral Sensory (SOS) Approach to Feeding, and sensory integration, praxis, and motor related challenges, using the Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI) intervention.

 When not in the clinic, Karin enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons at the lake or on the slopes.

Jessica Shafer, M.S. CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist

Jessica Shafer is an American Speech, Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certified and California licensed Speech Language Pathologist.  She received her undergraduate degree from Tufts University in Medford, MA and holds a Masters of Science in Communication Disorders from San Francisco State University.
She has been a practicing speech language pathologist since 2007 in a variety of settings including private practices, hospitals, early intervention programs, schools and in the home. Her areas of expertise include apraxia, articulation, phonology, language and social thinking. Jessica brings a unique perspective, being a parent of a child who has benefitted from early intervention and has learning challenges.  She lives in Moraga with her husband and three sons.

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Emily Rodino M.S. OTR/L
Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Emily Rodino M.S. OTR/L received her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University. She brings her experience from a variety of settings, including private practice, outpatient care, skilled nursing, and school-based practice, which helps her to incorporate multiple perspectives into her practice. Emily has provided comprehensive therapy to children with mild to severe developmental delays due to a wide variety of diagnoses. She has received post-professional and training in Sensory Integration, Social Thinking, Astronaut Training (a sound-activated vestibular-visual protocol), Therapeutic Listening, Handwriting Without Tears, and The Perceptual Enrichment Program. Additionally, she utilizes a variety of other therapy approaches focusing on self-regulation using the Alert Program and the Zones of Regulation. She also has experience with the development of gross and fine motor skills, visual motor and perceptual skill development, and facilitating self-care skills in young children. Lastly, she is very familiar with the IEP process in the school system and works as a part-time school-based therapist for San Ramon Valley Unified School District.

Kristine Young, MSOT, OTR/L
Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Kris Young, MSOT, OTR/L is a registered and licensed occupational therapist who received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Design from UCLA and her Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from San Jose State University. Kris loves working with children and her personal experience of parenting a neurodivergent child was the impetus for her return to school to pursue a career in occupational therapy. Kris believes in the importance of relationships and a strengths-based approach to therapy. She strives to be a neurodiversity affirming therapist honoring her clients’ unique traits and authentic selves. In addition to her clinical experience, Kris has completed continuing education and training in the areas of Sensory Integration, DIR-Floortime, Handwriting Without Tears, Visual Perception, Primitive Reflexes, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. She also has experience implementing the social emotional and self-regulation curriculums for the Alert Program, Zones of Regulation, and Autism Level Up. When not having fun with her clients, Kris enjoys reading, traveling, watching sporting events (especially UCLA football and basketball), and spending time with her husband and three teenage sons.

Erin Williams
Licensed School Psychologist

Erin Williams is a licensed School Psychologist with experience offering executive skills training for students in brick & mortar as well as remote K-12 settings. She received her bachelors degree from UC Davis in Psychology in 2010 and her Education Specialist Degree from Brigham Young University in 2014. Erin is entering her 7th year as a School Psychologist; She is looking forward to expanding her student support services via executive functioning coaching offered in-person @ Play Space Therapy as well online. Erin has experience supporting neurodiverse students, including those with ADHD, Autism, Anxiety, Dyslexia as well as other learning disabilities, & Intellectual Impairments. Image attached.