Meet Our Team
Clinical Staff
Dr. Marquie Curry
Owner & Occupational Therapist
Marquie obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with minors in Early Childhood Education, and Peace, Justice & Conflict Studies from DePaul University. She received her Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) from Midwestern University.
Her Doctoral Capstone Project/Internship focused on the impact of childhood trauma on performance in daily tasks and providing community education and interventions/support to address challenges in participation caused by symptoms of trauma. She completed coursework as a Tiered Occupational Therapy (TOT) Scholar focused on nurturing and supporting the mental health of students in schools. She additionally holds an Early Intervention (EI) Credential from the Illinois Early Intervention Training Program.
Marquie has worked with children, from infants through age 21, in a variety of roles in settings including daycare, school systems, early intervention, and outpatient therapy clinics. She is especially passionate about supporting children’s confidence and engagement while completing activities that are meaningful to them and their loved ones. She aims to collaborate with each child and caregiver she serves to foster autonomy and resilience.
She has collaborated with a variety of healthcare and school-based professionals and teams to offer strategies to support the children she serves. This collaboration enacts support throughout the child’s environments to promote growth across settings. Marquie additionally prioritizes parent/caregiver coaching and support to empower parents as their child’s number one advocate, comforter, and play partner.
She views participation through a neurodiversity affirming lens and prioritizes the individualized support needs of each child she serves. Her philosophy on working with children includes being relationship-based, child-led, play-based, and evidence-informed. It is her goal to make an impact on as many children’s lives as possible.
Ms. Patricia Boyed
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant
Patricia has been an Occupational Therapy Assistant for 16 years. Her emergent years of practice were spent in the medical field, supporting the geriatric population in skilled nursing and mental health facilities before transitioning to pediatric occupational therapy. She has worked in a variety of pediatric settings including early intervention and school-based practice. Her clinical expertise includes working with families and children of all abilities, coaching and collaborating with caregivers and special education staff, emotional regulation, and promoting growth through participation in meaningful occupations. She has experience working in both public schools and specialized therapeutic day school settings. She values working with diverse learners and the educational team, increasing students’ engagement and participation in the classroom setting, advocating for students’ support needs, and teaching students self-advocacy skills. She is continuously looking to grow and learn in the field of occupational therapy so that she can provide the best services to the children she serves. When she’s not being an outstanding OT practitioner, she enjoys spending time with her two teenagers, crafting, thrifting, and engaging in a newfound interest in gardening.
Office Staff
Carmen Johnson
Billing Coordinator
Carmen joined the JUSTplay team in 2023 as the Billing Coordinator. She has over 10 years medical billing experience and brings irreplaceable knowlege, experience, and enthusiasm to the team and to our clients. She handles the financial matters of the JUSTplay such as client billing, accounts payable, collections, claim reviews, and claim appeals. She approaches all aspects of the job with a positive, hard-working mindset, and is passionate about helping find solutions to any challenges. Her hobbies include, decorating her new home, trying new restaurants in the city with friends and traveling.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy is an allied health profession. It was founded on the premise that people obtain health and wellbeing by being engaged in meaningful activities each day. Occupational therapists define ‘occupations’ as any activity that ‘occupies’ time throughout the day. Pediatric occupational therapists focus on fostering skill development for use in age-appropriate daily tasks such as play, potty, dressing, feeding, and eating. Some specific areas of skill development a pediatric OT may focus on include: fine motor skills, gross motor skills, sensory processing skills, emotional regulation skills, and executive functioning skills. Pediatric OTs also specialize in environmental and task modifications to improve engagement in age-appropriate daily tasks. A pediatric OT treats the child, as well as the whole family system. This can include collaboration with caregivers, other service providers, and school professionals to ensure continuity of care to promote improved engagement in daily tasks across settings.
