AnnaMarie Terlep, M.A., BCBA
AnnaMarie Terlep is the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) for both our Hazelhurst and Baxley clinics. AnnaMarie is a South Georgia native and grew up in Blackshear, GA. She now lives in Fernandina Beach, FL with her husband (Ryan), dog (Tucker), and two cats (Honey & Taco). AnnaMarie’s ABA career began in 2018 where she started out as a RBT. Her love for all things ABA quickly grew and she decided to pursue this career, where she accomplished that goal by earning her master’s degree from Florida Institute of Technology and becoming a BCBA in 2021. AnnaMarie’s favorite part about ABA is teaching children functional communication and seeing the “light bulb” go off when a child finally does a goal independently! In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and pets, hunting for shark’s teeth, and snuggling up with a good book (especially while sitting outside in nature).
Elena Hinzel, M.A., BCBA
Elena Hinzel has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) since 2017. She received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from The University of Central Florida in 2017 and her Board-Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) Certification in 2019. For her fieldwork experience, she specialized in the Early Intervention service model. She received her Master’s degree in Special Education & Applied Behavior Analysis in 2020, and her Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) certification shortly after. Over the course of her career, Elena has served children and adults in the clinic, home, school, and community setting. Elena is dedicated to utilizing play to teach new skills and uses compassionate approaches for behavior management. She enjoys training caregivers how to use ABA to improve their quality of life, and their child’s quality of life. She lives in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. When she is not working, she is spending time with her family, and her fur babies.
Kayla Edwards, CF
Kayla Edwards is a graduate of Valdosta State University where she received both her Bachelors and Masters of Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is from Vidalia, Georgia and currently lives in Baxley, Georgia with her husband Wade. Kayla is licensed in the state of Georgia and has her Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association. Kayla loves working with children and giving them confidence in their ability communicate with others.
Mary Katherine Brown, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
A resident of Jeff Davis County, GA. Mary Katherine is a 2013 Valdosta State University graduate with a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Mary Katherine has her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), as well as her Georgia license. She currently services Coffee County and Jeff Davis County patients. She has worked in various settings with infants, children, and adults. Mary Katherine enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and snuggling on the couch with her pit bull. Most mornings she can be found at the nearest gym or jogging down a country dirt road. She is passionate about rescuing dogs and is a rescue and volunteer coordinator for the Hazlehurst Animal Shelter and Sweet Onion Animal Protection Society. Mary Katherine enjoys making a difference in people’s lives through communication.
Haylie Yancey, CF
Haylie Yancey is from Rhine, Georgia. She loves spending time with her friends and family as much as possible. She graduated with her Masters of Education with a Major in Communication Sciences and Disorders in December of 2022. She is currently completing her clinical fellowship to obtain her Certificate of Clinical Competence. She has always had a passion for children. She is grateful to be a part of her patient's journeys of finding their voices, in their own ways. She strives to give every kid a voice in order to achieve their goals and dreams.
Riley Mims, CF
Riley Mims is from Fitzgerald, Georgia and graduated from Valdosta State University in December of 2022 with a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders. He is currently completing his clinical fellowship to obtain his Certificate of Clinical Competence. He is grateful that he was given the opportunity to be able to serve the surrounding area from which he grew up. Riley is very passionate about helping children develop the required skills for them to be able to communicate to the best of their ability with their families and friends. Away from therapy, Riley has a loving fiancé and a dog who help him spend his free time traveling and watching movies.
Carla Coleman M.Ed. CCC-SLP
Carla Merritt Coleman received her Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Valdosta State University in 1998. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language Association and licensed in the state of Georgia. She has worked in the public school system for 25 years as a speech language pathologist and served all ages of children with various communication disorders. In addition to serving students in the public school setting, she has worked in skilled nursing facilities and with the Therapy Tree staff. Carla lives in Jeff Davis County with her husband and three children and enjoys time spent with family, cooking, and reading. She is passionate about helping others reach their full potential in all areas of communication and considers her occupation one of her greatest callings.
Melissa Williamson, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Melissa Williamson is from Vidalia, Ga and graduated from Valdosta State University in December of 2020 receiving her Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She obtained her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language Hearing Association in November 2021. During her free time, she enjoys fishing, hunting, traveling, trying new foods, and playing with her dog, Tiller. She currently is working in the Hazlehurst office. Since receiving speech therapy services throughout her middle school years, it has been rewarding to be able to help kids on a one-on-one basis make progress with and improve their communication skills.
Allison Gaskins, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Allison Gaskins is a graduate of Valdosta State University where she received her Bachelors of Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders in May of 2016, and a Masters of Education in Communication Sciences and Disorders in May 2018. Allison obtained her Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in July 2019. In July of 2022, she obtained her Certified Autism Specialist credentials, and recently completed coursework to be a trained Natural Language Acquisition therapist. She has a passion for serving autistic children. Her philosophy is following the child’s lead and using a strengths based approach for all children to increase language and communication skills. In addition, she enjoys working with pediatric clients targeting language, articulation, cognition, and executive functioning skills to increase overall communication. She is an advocate for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to increase communication skills among patients with limited expressive language skills. While early speech and language intervention is her passion, Allison is also certified in the Beckman Oral Motor Protocol to treat pediatric feeding and swallowing. She has served many children with various swallowing and feeding needs to increase overall quality of life. When she isn’t helping children find their voice, she enjoys time with her family and friends. You can find her at a simple backyard barbecue or a peaceful weekend at the beach!
Arden Osborne, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Arden Osborne obtained a Master's degree from Valdosta State University in 2020 and became a Certified Autism Specialist in 2022. Originally from Gwinnett County, she moved down to Valdosta for school in 2014 and loved south Georgia so much that she decided to make it her home. Having gone through speech therapy as a child herself, she has found a love in children and helping them in all areas of speech and language. Arden believes in advocating for her patients and setting them up for success in all environments. When not cuddling on the couch with her fur babies, binge watching her favorite show "I Love Lucy", or facetiming her nephew, you can find her crafting, reading, and riding dirt roads. She loves spending time with her friends and family, but also enjoys time to herself with quiet nights at home. Arden has a passion for Christ and doing the Lord's work through speech therapy.
Julie Wright, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Julie Wright is a Georgia native, born and raised in Ocilla, Georgia. She is a proud graduate of Valdosta State University with a Master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She graduated in the Spring of 2020. She is serving in the South Georgia area to give back to the community she calls home. Julie Wright enjoys studying all things Autism and how it impacts language and social skills in children. She has also recently completed additional training and holds the title of Certified Autism Specialist. She believes all people deserve a voice. Family is very important to her. She has a loving husband and son who is supportive of all of her endeavors and enjoys taking frequent adventures with her in their free time. Julie also has two fur babies that she loves with all her heart. Julie, when not in therapy, enjoys playing board games, spending time with her son, and cheering for her Georgia DAWGS!
Hayley Hughston, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Born and raised in Vidalia, Ga, Hayley is a 2018 graduate of Valdosta State University with a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Hayley holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She is a strong advocate for family involvement and how it affects a child’s language development both inside and outside of the therapy sessions. She has an interest and passion for finding a voice for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), whether it is verbal or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Hayley is currently LAMP trained and is eager to learn more about implementing AAC. Hayley is also trained in PROMPT, an intervention program designed for Childhood Apraxia of Speech. She currently serves in different roles within the community. When she is not working, she is taking on the title of “new mom” to her infant son, Brady. Hayley enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and learning new skills.
Tiffany Spurlin, M.Ed.,CCC-SLP Director of Speech Pathology
A resident of Baxley, Ga. Tiffany is a 2013 Valdosta State University graduate with a master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Since her graduation, Tiffany has acquired her Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), as well as her certification in Vital Stim therapy and is licensed in the state of Georgia. Tiffany leads our therapy services in our Hazlehurst office and services the Jeff Davis community. She enjoys sponsoring and assisting with missions through her church in an effort to spread God’s word to underprivileged areas. Outside of therapy , she can be found at the nearest CrossFit gym working on strengthening her mind and body. Tiffany is passionate about advocating for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Lisa Williams. M.Ed., CCC-SLP
Lisa is a 2004 graduate of Valdosta State University with a Master's in Communication Sciences and Disorders. She is licensed in the state of Georgia and a certified member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association. Lisa has worked with patients in all ages and stages of life in the past 8 years with The Therapy Tree. Her passion is working with children on early language skills and articulation. Lisa lives in Douglas with her husband of 22 years, her 16 year old son, and 14 year old daughter. In her free time, Lisa enjoys reading, gardening, crochet, and traveling.
Teresa McElroy, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, Founder, Owner
As the founder of The Speech and Swallowing Clinic, LLC DBA The Therapy Tree, Teresa has worked as a speech-language pathologist for over 20 years. She earned a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Valdosta State University in 1998, where she conducted research in language and literacy, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Her experience includes a vast variety of disorders stemming from working in home health care, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers with children and adults. She is a certified member of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and licensed in the state of Georgia. Teresa lives in Nicholls, Ga. with her husband of 37 years; she enjoys spending time with family, friends and many, many animals that occupy her homestead. Teresa is the proud grandmother of six grandchildren and lives to make them happy. She is a lover of food and travel and laughter. Teresa is passionate about raising awareness in the areas of Parkinson’s disease. She also advocates for substance abuse awareness in Coffee County.