Today we’d like to introduce you to Terra Scott.
Terra, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I believe that I owe a lot of my success and where I am today to all of the connections I have made with people along my journey this far in life. I have always loved kids from a very young age and began babysitting when I was still a child myself, at age 14. In high school, I had to do a project on a career and I chose physical therapy. I liked the profession because it was active and it involved helping people. I began volunteering at an outpatient clinic and in a hospital to see if I continued to want to pursue it as a career. I went to college at DU and continued down my pre-physical therapy path and continued to have meaningful volunteer experiences. One of those was at a homeless shelter for moms called Champa House, in Denver. It was my first experience working with a little boy with Autism. I got accepted to PT school at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center right out of college. By this time, I knew I wanted to work in pediatric physical therapy and I was fortunate enough to get two clinical experiences in the pediatric field. After graduating, I worked at Fletcher Miller School for special needs kids and at a preschool. I began having children of my own and quickly found myself with 3 kids under 2 years old by the time I was 28. I had to devote a lot of my time to them but found that contracting with community-centered boards and home healthcare companies to continue providing pediatric physical therapy services allowed me the flexibility to do that. Working with children ages 0-21 allowed me to see that my passion was truly with the 0-3 population in the early intervention setting. I joined a team at Developmental Pathways and I am still a part of that team 17 years later. In 2010 I began taking PT students and after working really well with one of them, I decided to hire her as my first independent contractor in the EI setting. I continued to take more students and hire more independent contractors and really enjoyed supporting and mentoring them. In 2017 I decided to open our first clinic location in Centennial, due to many families and therapists coming to me to ask where their kids can go for therapy after they turn 3 and graduate from the EI program. I was proud to be able to offer the whole team of therapists (OT, PT, ST) all under one roof to provide services to children of all ages. I take pride in the fact that we have provided extracurricular groups of all kinds and we have provided a level of support for the parents that is somewhat uncommon. In 2020, when we all shut down due to COVID, I took over a private practice in Denver. We gained a lot more speech therapists, Orton Gillingham trained therapists, school contracts, and a contract with RMHS. We have continued to build our business both in the EI, Centennial, and Denver locations. We have now added Psychology-diagnostics and ABA services. We continue to develop community partnerships to do everything we can to be the best provider for our children and families.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. 🙂 Obtaining financing and building out our first clinical space was definitely challenging. I had to learn how to manage people in an office, vs managing therapists who were independent contractors out in the field. We have had struggles meeting payroll along the way, due to timing of insurance payments to us. We have faced Medicaid taking back money due to their own mistakes as well as unemployment audits. COVID was one of the biggest obstacles we faced with the ever-changing guidance. It was a challenge to keep everyone safe, but still, keep the business open and still be able to provide care for our children and families. I am extremely fortunate to have an amazing team of leaders to help me continue on. It has truly been a group effort!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Milestone Pediatric Therapy Services?
Milestone Pediatric Therapy Services is a multidisciplinary practice serving kids ages 0-21 in the early intervention and clinic settings. We provide occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, ABA, Psychology/Diagnostics, and a number of groups for children. We have two clinic locations. One is in Centennial and one is in Denver. What sets us apart from the rest is that we always strive to live by our mission of helping every child and family live their best life through compassionate care. We always put the family first and we strive to be a resource to all. We provide continuous support and mentorship for therapists, allowing them to pursue their passions through the continuing education courses they choose to take. Our children, families, and therapists really feel they are all part of one big Milestone family.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Yes, I have learned it is important for me as a leader to be the voice of reason and calm. I have learned that we all need to come together to support each other in life more now, than ever. We need to always assume positive intent from others and know that we are all doing the best we can each day.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://www.milestonetherapydenver.com/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milestonetherapydenver
