Northeast Recreation Therapists

Shaun graduated from Indiana Institute of Technology in 2003 with a bachelor’s in science degree in Therapeutic Recreation. While attending Indiana Tech, Shaun was a four-year baseball player earning All-American recognition and was featured in Sports Illustrated. Shaun has a leisure focus in his personal time participating in a variety of active sports and feels that leisure participation, at any level, is necessary in forming a healthy lifestyle. He has worked in a variety of settings that include physical rehabilitation, adult transitional care, and adolescent group and psychiatric. Shaun came to Ferraro Behavior Services in July 2010. 

 Blaque graduated from Indiana Tech with a Bachelors Degree in Recreational Therapy in May 2019. He passed his CTRS test in May of 2019 as well and started working with FBS a month later! He has a love for hiking, physical fitness, nature walks, video games, movies, social outings, and spending time with my family. He uses his own experiences and others learned experiences he has read about to be a better therapist and help his clients become more independent, socially inclined, physically active, mentally healthy, and have as high of a quality-of-life measure as he can provide. Blaque is always learning and growing and hope to be a benefit to the greater Indiana community!

Kayla received her masters in Recreation Professions with a focus in therapeutic recreation at Southern Illinois University in August of 2020. She’s completed several internships, projects, and volunteer opportunities involving people with disabilities and/or animal assisted therapy. She interned with Ferraro Behavior Services in summer 2020 and then moved from her hometown in Missouri to officially start as a FBS Rec therapist in October of 2020.

“My favorite part of rec therapy is that it’s like therapy in disguise!! Helping clients reach their goals through fun, leisure, and community engagement is truly the best job in the world! When I’m not working with my clients, you can find me watching YouTube videos, thrifting, cooking, or cuddling with one of my animals!”

I am a Certified a Therapeutic Recreational specialist who graduated from the University of Toledo in May 2017 with a Bachelor of science in therapeutic recreation. Over the course of my time at school I had many opportunities to work with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. While in school I completed 5 different clinicals along with a 560-hour internship. I have also had the privilege of going on multiple mission trips out of the country where I have worked with individuals with developmental disabilities. I have found my true passion during these trips and cannot wait to help others with disabilities along with growing as an individual in this incredible field with Ferraro Behavior Services.

 Morgan graduated in May 2017 from Grand Valley State University in Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Therapy and a minor in Juvenile Justice. She completed her volunteer hours during school at Mary Free Bed’s wheelchair camp, Kids in Motion working with children from boys and girls club, and Young Athletes working with children with developmental disabilities. She did her fieldwork at SpringHill camps in Michigan as a One on One counselor with teens with disabilities. She also completed her internship with FBS of 560 hours before being hired on as a CTRS. Morgan’s favorite activities she especially like to include in sessions are sports, board and card games, holiday activities and outings, animal assisted therapy with her dog Ellie and pretty much anything outdoors.  

 Payton received a Bachelors Degree in Recreational Therapy from Indiana University Bloomington in May of 2019. She has participated in various projects including volunteer work at Agape Therapeutic Riding Center, Jacobs School of Music adaptive dance program, summer camps for people with disabilities, several event planning projects, and more. She completed an internship with Ferraro Behavior Services in Spring 2019 and began her recreational therapy journey shortly after! In her free time, Payton enjoys dancing, painting, drawing, kayaking, horticulture, and spending time with her animals. She believes that recreation and leisure play an important role in maintaining a high quality-of-life, and is dedicated to providing that opportunity to her clients. 

Stephanie Raymond graduated Cum Laude from Central Michigan University in December of 2016. She obtained a Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Parks and Leisure Administration with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation. During her time at Central, Stephanie participated in programs such as Adopt A Grandparent and worked as an activity programmer at summer camps and respite care. Stephanie completed her internship during the summer of 2016 at Pine Rest Behavioral Hospital where she worked in the child and adolescent unit with patients who had diagnosis of depression, anxiety, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, and some patients who were on the Autism spectrum. Stephanie is excited to instill her "keep moving forward" philosophy with her clients and grow personally and professionally with FBS. 

Sairene Martin graduated from Indiana University Bloomington in May 2024 with a Batchelor’s of Science in Recreational Therapy. While in school, she had several experiences working with people with disabilities through volunteering, working, and projects. Some of these experiences include, shadowing a Recreational Therapist at Assisted Independence in Bloomington, working at Sycamore Manor in Terre Haute, working as a Direct Support Professional at Stone Belt in Bloomington, and volunteering as a lab assistant at an Adapted Physical Activity course at Indiana University where she assisted and supervised students implementing activities for children with various types of disabilities. She also completed 320 hours of field experience and a 15 weeks/600 hours internship in Spring of 2024 with Girls Inc. of Monroe County. Some of her favorite activities to do are kayaking, hiking, cooking, baking, watching movies, playing tennis, trying new food and experiences, playing with her dogs and cat, and reading. 

  My name is Miranda McDowell, I graduated from Indiana University in May 2024. I interned with FBS and beyond completion, began to start my journey with them as well. I did not begin my college education in recreational therapy, but after discovering it, I felt it was a perfect career for me. I chose recreational therapy to help people and be that kind difference in our clients lives. I enjoy being outdoors, spending time with family, and being on the go. I look forward to expanding as a therapist and building relationships.

   Jessica is a wife and mother of three. She graduated from Indiana Institute of Technology  with a bachelors of science in Therapeutic Recreation in 2002. Jessica has been a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) since 2004. She joined Ferraro Behavior services in November 2020. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, volunteering, traveling and sports.  

Emmy graduated in April 2023 from Grand Valley State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreational Therapy. During college, Emmy volunteered at Legacy stables providing people with disabilities the opportunity to ride and interact with Horses. She completed her fieldwork at Easterseals Rocky Mountain Village in Colorado, where she provided personal care and one-on-one support to campers with disabilities. During her fieldwork, Emmy discovered her passion for working with people who have cognitive and developmental disabilities to improve their quality of life and provide them with new leisure experiences and opportunities. She completed a 600 hour internship at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation hospital, where she worked with patients in physical rehabilitation to provide meaningful recreation and education regarding leisure pursuits post-recovery. Emmy Joined FBS shortly after her internship. Emmy’s favorite activities include arts and crafts projects, horticulture, taking hikes, and listening to music. 

Amber Stewart-Ali has been a CTRS since 2007, working as a therapist for people with developmental disabilities receiving Waiver services for most of that time, putting in 15 years with another area company before moving to Ferraro Behavior Services in 2022. Additionally, internship and volunteer experience was also gained in the adult day services and preschool programs at Turnstone Center for Physically Disabled Children and Adults, as well as the rehab and skilled nursing units at St. Joe Hospital, both in Fort Wayne. Along with this, Amber worked as a Developmental Therapist for children in the First Steps program. Her professional recreational therapy experience spans work with clients ranging in age from 2 to almost 90 years old. 

Amber graduated from Indiana Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Therapeutic Recreation, as well as a second Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 2005.  While at Indiana Tech, she participated in school organizations as a founding member of the Psychology club, Student Rec and Leisure Society and Phi Epsilon Kappa (professional fraternity for recreation students), acting as president of the rec groups. Additionally, she was honored with membership into various national and international honor societies while at Indiana Tech and other universities prior to discovering Therapeutic Recreation.  Upon graduating summa cum laude, she was named by faculty as the Overall Outstanding Graduate of the College of Business and Arts for the year.

On top of earning her Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist credential, Amber is certified as a Chair One Fitness instructor and in Chair Chi. In the past, she passed several crisis intervention handling techniques, and she has maintained her CPR and First Aid certification for decades.

Both during her time in college and since, Amber has been active in supporting the field of Recreational Therapy, as a member in RT professional organizations, attendee and presenter at numerous conferences, as well as speaking to college classes at Indiana Tech and Ivy Tech and writing articles for publication in newsletters. Plus, she has supervised and had multiple rec therapy interns with her.

While awaiting the opportunity for certification as a CTRS, she worked with young children as a classroom assistant at Three Rivers Montessori School in New Haven. During this time, she also volunteered as a grief facilitator for preschoolers at Erin's House for Grieving Children. 

Along with over 35+ years of working with llamas (training/showing/owning, judging, using for public relations and animal-assisted therapy and activities) she has been a llama 4-H club leader since 1999.

Animals are a personal passion and finding a way to use them to help other people become/be their best is the main reason Amber went into recreational therapy. She is now fortunate to be able to use her own animals for animal-assisted therapy with some of her clients, which has included her cats, dog, and llamas.

Crafts are another area of personal interest to Amber. Thus, arts and crafts are utilized often in her therapy, both in a craft group she formerly began and ran, plus frequently in individual sessions.

A Fort Wayne resident for most of her life, Amber currently resides with a houseful of beloved pets, from a turtle to cats and dogs. She also loves spending time visiting her llamas, who are kept at friends' area llama farms.

Although people with developmental disabilities was not the population with whom Amber had initially planned to focus, once she started that work, she found a deep love and feels it is where she fits well. Which is why she has gladly stayed in this setting ever since and expects to for years to come. 

Hey Y’all! My name is Nyssa, (pronounced Knee-Suh.) I was born and raised in Austin, Texas!

I became a Recreational Therapist simply to help people. I love being able to help improve the quality of life for my clients all while being inspired by the positive impact they have on my life and the things I learn from them. 

I enjoy camping (but have a fear of bugs), I love baking, decorating, hiking, painting, aquatic sports and traveling. I am NOT fluent in Spanish but am doing my best to learn as it is part of my culture and family!

I am working towards also gaining my Aquatic Therapy certification. I hope to further my experience in the Recreational Therapy field through working with Wounded Warriors and making a positive difference in the homeless community.