Marlen Garcia

Occupational Therapist

Through her varied experiences in serving children with developmental disabilities and their families, Marlen discovered her path towards occupational therapy. Marlen received her masters in occupational therapy from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2014. While completing her degree, Marlen engaged in multiple research projects and training. This training included exploring a peer-to-peer model to educate and build the capacity of parents to understand their child with autism, and completing the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities training. She is an Early Intervention specialist and trained in Myofascial Release, SOS to Feeding approach, Therapeutic Listening, Handwriting without Tears, and more. She is committed to being a life long learner by taking advanced courses in sensory integration, therapeutic handling and positioning, and related courses. Marlen is passionate about Smart Moves because the therapists use a family-based approach to understanding the unique strengths and needs of a family in order to provide quality, evidence-based, therapy. In her free time, she enjoys exploring her hometown of Chicago, especially restaurants, with friends and family.