Melissa Belcher, OT

Pediatric Occupational Therapist

Melissa is an occupational therapy practitioner who has spent her career working in pediatrics. She graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a Bachelor of Kinesiology (2002) and a Masters of Occupational Therapy (2004). She is registered with the COTO (College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario). She has been practicing in Ottawa with the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre (now part of CHEO) Kanata location since 2006. Melissa has extensive experience working with children and families, from infancy through preschool age, with a variety of physical, developmental, and neurodevelopmental needs that impact how they participate in their daily lives. Areas of focus include feeding, sensory processing, regulation, participation in daily routines, motor skill development, and play. Melissa communicates from a place of empathy, connection, and understanding to help families build strong foundations from which they can grow and thrive. She believes that a collaborative team approach is essential to providing the best support to children and their families. She views families as experts on their children and needs and her role as a guide in co-creating strategies that will help families progress toward their goals and allow their children to participate as optimally as possible in the things they want or need to do each day. She is passionate about using a strength-based lens and solution- focused communication approaches in her work. When not working, Melissa can be found at home curled up with a cozy blanket and hot coffee with her husband and three children.