Meet Susie Curtis, Kristen Goodrich and Annette Thomas of Therapy Square

Today we’d like to introduce you to Susie Curtis, Kristen Goodrich and Annette Thomas.

Susie, Kristen and Annette, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We started out as friends and neighbors who enjoyed some girls’ nights together. Between our families, we have 7 children that range from 1-8 years old. We would often talk shop on the sidelines of the t-ball games about the similar populations that we worked with, we all had established solo practices with More Than Words Counseling Services, Seacoast Play Works Therapy, and Power Up Physical Therapy & Fitness prior to joining forces. We quickly realized two things: that we were often crossing-referring to one another, and that we had clients who were searching for more personalized clinic-based services within our community.

After realizing the limitations of being solo providers, we decided to take a leap of faith by joining our practices together under the umbrella of Therapy Square. We’re now able to offer a more collaborative experience to our clients, as we are all under one roof and frequently co-treat the same clients and their family members.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The first obstacle was trying to find a space to accommodate each of our needs. We need a large gym space, as well as a small, cozy, confidential space for counseling sessions. As a small, community-based pediatric practice, we took quite a leap of faith opening our doors within 1/4 mile of several larger corporate facilities that offer similar services. Each of us has so many creative ideas, it’s been a challenge to filter through them all and decide which ones to roll out first and which ones will be best received by the community. We want to do everything!!

We also struggle with standing by our worth. We are not a “play gym” or a place for mommy socializing. We are a therapeutic facility offering clinical services run by licensed professionals with years of education behind them (not teenagers or volunteers)….so our classes, groups and camps cost money to participate in. There are a lot of other free or less expensive meet up play groups in the area that we do compete with in a way. We think we under estimated people’s ability to understand the difference between the two types of offerings. But for our kiddos who aren’t able to thrive in a traditional camp setting or after school program due to behavioral concerns disabilities, Therapy Square is a perfect fit!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Therapy Square – what should we know?
We specialize in pediatric Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy, as well as Childhood and Maternal Mental Health Counseling. We’re one of the only practices in our area that offers Mental Health Services alongside PT and OT. We accept a wide array of insurance plans, including the New Hampshire Medicaid plans, in order to support all children, including those in the foster care system.

We are focused on bringing small business back to community health. We’re creative in our treatment planning, we’re very flexible, and we treat the entire family rather than simply the client. We offer real-world, practical interventions that families can realistically carryover to home. Our PT and OT services also offer services in the community, such as home, daycare, or preschool screenings and treatment, in order to accommodate busy families and lifestyles. We offer classes encompassing each of our specialties, such as support groups, camps for kids, fitness and self-esteem. We also offer continuing education training to childcare and preschool staff in our respective fields.

As far as collaborative treatment goes, Annette (our PT) may be treating a newborn for torticollis, and notices that the mother appears to be suffering from post-partum anxiety and/or depression, and she may refer the mother to Susie. Susie (mental health) may have a client who was referred to her with possible ADHD, but after a handful of sessions it’s evident to Susie that he may benefit from OT for Sensory Processing difficulties with Kristen (OT). Kristen (OT) may have a client who is having difficulty with fine motor activities, but upon further examination, they may have weak core strength and she would refer them to Annette (PT). We often treat siblings at the same time or Susie may work with a post partum mom, while their child meets with Kristen or Annette. We try our best to make our schedules work well for the family.

We love that we are three strong independent women/moms and often refer to ourselves as #bossladies! We love to laugh together, take lunch breaks together for Chinese food, and have late night brainstorming sessions together. We each have or own strengths and feed off each other beautifully.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our families have been outstanding in supporting us, as well as our friends in the community. They’ve supported us with little things, such as helping us set up our website and IT system, assembling furniture, building the rock wall, helping us move, and so many other things. Our kids have been very patient with us…it helps when their Moms have a super fun work to play at! We would like a special shout out to Jennie Bishop of White Wave Photography, who not only generously donated photography to decorate our space, but also provided us with head shots and photographs for this piece. We’ve all had educational and professional mentors along the way, and also help support one another with everything from treatment plans to billing. We’d also like to thank Elisabeth and Paul Gustavson, our landlords, for all of the hard work they put into personalizing and finishing our clinic space, which is an old historic building from the 1800’s!

Contact Info:

• Address: 131 Main Street, Epping, NH 03042
• Website: www.therapysquarenh.com
• Phone: 978-518-3118
• Email: therapysquare@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Jennie Bishop with White Wave Photography

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