Meet Amber Reese – a local twin mom who is the proud owner and speech-language pathologist behind Bluebonnet Therapy Services. Bluebonnet Therapy Services is a mobile pediatric private practice that provides speech, language, and literacy services to children in North Houston. Amber provides therapy in a child’s home, at their daycare or preschool, or virtually. She offers comprehensive evaluations, personalized therapy, parent coaching and training, IEP consultations, and reading assessments and intervention. As a mom herself, Amber hopes to empower other parents to not be afraid to reach out if they feel like they are concerned about their child’s development – to break the stigma that sometimes comes along with a child needing early intervention or extra support. Amber is passionate about making therapy fun! And, she know that parents know their child best, so she collaborates closely with the parents to tailor therapy to each child’s unique strengths and needs ❤.
Check out Amber’s #meetamom interview below to learn more about Bluebonnet Therapy Services, the inspiration behind starting her own practice, balancing that with mom life and more! Also, Amber is working on offering structured play groups for children and parents. Giving parents the opportunity to meet other families, giving the children the opportunity to engage with children their age – while also providing guided language, social, and play enrichment. Plus, she plans to create mini literacy camps and preschool camps for this spring and summer!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in the North Houston area?
I was born and raised in Alexandria, Louisiana. I became a Texan shortly after marrying my husband, Greg. We lived in Waco, TX for 5 years while he was a recruiting officer in the Navy. We moved to Spring, TX last January after he transitioned out of the military. It’s been exciting to move back to the city he grew up in and be a part of the church and community he was raised in. It’s also nice to be closer to family!
How many kiddos do you have and how old are they?
We have 4 year old twins, Landon and Addison “Addie.” We each have our own miniature version of ourselves, which is fun!
What are your favorite local things to do? (with kiddos or just for mom!)
As a family, we like to go to the park or go on walks and bike rides with our kids. We also are always down to try some good Mexican food. I feel like I am still discovering all the fun parts of North Houston!
As hard as it is to find the time, what’s something you do just for yourself?
As a mom, I am happiest strolling the aisles of Target and Hobby Lobby. I love to read for fun, even though it doesn’t happen much. One thing I am really working on more this year is taking better care of myself mentally and physically so that I can better care for my family. So that may look like trying to spend some time in the morning before the kids wake up to read my Bible and drink some coffee.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I have a twin brother. It didn’t skip a generation! Also, my father-in-law is an identical twin and my brothers-in-law are identical twins.
What’s the best mom advice you have ever been given (or your own advice to mamas out there)?
Trust your mama gut or intuition. I’ve learned this personally when navigating intervention for my own child. I believe God gave us this intuition for a reason. I think too often we write that gut feeling off. It’s ok to seek out a second (or third) opinion if you feel like you might be concerned about something.
Tell us about Bluebonnet Therapy Services! When did you begin your practice and what services do you offer?
I am the owner and speech-language pathologist behind Bluebonnet Therapy Services. Bluebonnet Therapy Services is a mobile pediatric private practice that provides speech, language, and literacy services to children in North Houston. I provide therapy in a child’s home, at their daycare or preschool, or virtually. I am able to provide comprehensive evaluations, personalized therapy, parent coaching and training, IEP consultations, and reading assessments and intervention. I am working on offering structured play groups for children and parents to have the opportunity to meet other families, engage with children their age, and also provide guided language, social, and play enrichment. I will also be providing mini literacy camps and preschool camps this spring and summer, as well. I founded Bluebonnet Therapy Services in May 2021 with the hopes of seeing a few clients on the side of my school-based position and over the summer. I was starting to get burnt out after working in the school setting for a few years. It quickly became a passion of mine and I saw the joy it was bringing me and my family.
What was the inspiration behind starting your own practice?
Ultimately, I wanted to focus on areas I am passionate about and create a job that allowed me to be more available to my husband and kids. I have always felt a strong desire to be able to help support families and provide more personalized therapy. My practice was founded on the desire to provide quality speech and language therapy with a family-centered approach. I believe parents know their child best and there is power when we collaborate together to tailor therapy to each child’s unique strengths and needs. I also saw a need to break the stigma that sometimes comes along with a child needing early intervention or extra support. My hope is that I can empower parents to not be afraid to reach out if they feel like they are concerned about their child’s development. Therapy doesn’t have to be scary. It actually can be really fun! I have also had the unique opportunity to be the SLP providing therapy, and also the mom on the other side, in need of a therapist to help her own child. Truly, that experience has helped shape me into the therapist I am today.
What did you do before starting Bluebonnet Therapy Services?
I have been a speech-language pathologist for almost 8 years and have had the opportunity to work in a variety of settings, such as a skilled nursing facility, pediatric home health, a private clinic, and in the school system. I really have been lucky to love all my settings. Each of them were great for the season of life I was in currently. I think our field is so great because there are such a variety of settings you can work in. It’s easy to switch it up if you get bored or restless. I’ve always felt like my passion, though, is working with children.
What was the biggest challenge in starting your own practice?
The biggest challenge was just knowing where to begin! You go through 6 years of school to be a speech-language pathologist, and there is not one class on how to start your own business or practice! I am so grateful that I have had a few friends who have opened up their own private practices as well, and have been willing to answer all of my questions and give me helpful advice. I have also been lucky to have found colleagues locally and on Instagram who are on this same journey.
What has been the most rewarding thing about your work?
The best parts of my job are watching a child’s confidence grow as they learn a new skill and watching a parent become more confident in supporting their child’s speech, language, and literacy skills at home in their regular routines. I also really love to see children advocate for themselves and their needs.
How does being a parent yourself impact your work with other kids and their parents?
I think becoming a mom to my twins very quickly changed how I approached therapy. When I see my clients, I am acutely aware that this is someone’s baby. So I want to do everything I can to help them and treat them the way I want my children to be treated. I am grateful that my own child has had three amazing speech-language pathologists that have loved and cared for him so well. I think being a mom has made me a better therapist. If I feel like I am not the right fit for that child or family or don’t have the skill set needed, I quickly try my best to connect them to another great therapist who can help them.
How do you balance owning your business and being Mama?
I just recently launched my private practice full-time at the end of December after working my full-time job and seeing private clients on the side. All that to say, it’s something I am still navigating! I do my best to set limits and times to work so that I can be more present with them. My whole hope for my practice was that I could provide a better work-life balance for myself and my family. I plan to have some specific people in my life help keep me accountable with that.
What are your future plans and dreams for Bluebonnet Therapy Services?
My dream is to form a really great team of professionals in our area that I can collaborate with. I think there is power when we’re all working together to help a child. I’m hoping to connect with some pediatricians, ENTs, pediatric dentists, and IBCLCs. I am also currently working on becoming a Qualified Orofacial Myologist (QOM) to hopefully add myofunctional therapy to my list of services. I’d also love to one day add an occupational therapist to my practice.
To learn more about Bluebonnet Therapy Services:
Website: https://www.bluebonnettxservices.com/
Instagram: @bluebonnettherapyservices
Facebook: @bluebonnettxservices