At Cheshire Fitness Zone (CFZ) our goal is to help children and adolescents of all ages feel confident in growing their abilities through therapeutic programs that strengthen and teach new skills for use in everyday life.
Services include: Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech Therapy (ST).
Our monthly, “Employee Spotlight Series,” offers a chance to meet members of the team and learn about their experience working with children.
For this month’s spotlight, we spoke to Lisa Marie Patenaude, COTA. Lisa Marie has been with Cheshire Fitness Zone since 2016. She is most interested in Sensory Integration Therapy and is on the Connecticut Occupational Therapy Association board as a Member at Large and Member for Public Affairs.
Can you describe a typical day working at Cheshire Fitness Zone?
There really is no typical day at Cheshire Fitness Zone, our schedules are always changing, we are working in a busy environment with a lot of different children so we have to continuously adapt to these changes and plan client’s specific activities for the day.
How did you know you wanted to work with kids?
I knew I wanted to work with kids when I was taking my pediatric courses at Manchester Community College. I love being able to incorporate a child’s occupation, which is play into the sessions. Plus, Frozen and Tangled are my favorite movies, I’m Team Elsa!
What is your favorite part about your job?
My favorite part about working at Cheshire Fitness Zone is being able to collaborate with the families. I love being able to work together with them to help their children reach their goals and full potential. I also love being able to collaborate with other disabilities here, such as speech therapy and physical therapy.
What are 3 words to describe you and why?
Three words to describe me are energetic, positive and hardworking. I always bring my positive energy and enthusiasm into my sessions to help make the children feel comfortable and to really facilitate progress. I take pride in my hard work, I work really hard to make each session as best as I can to help maximize progress.
What is something you have on your wish list to achieve over the next 10 years?
Over the next 10 years, I am looking forward to continuing to grow and expand my knowledge of occupational therapy and just about children. I am a rather new practitioner so Cheshire Fitness Zone always has opportunities for learning, continuing education will help pave the way for my future.
Stay tuned for more Employee Spotlight features to get to know the staff at driving the results at Cheshire Fitness Zone.
Interested in learning more about our services? Request an appointment using our simple online form.
