NOW SERVING THE LEHIGH VALLEY AREA WITH IN-HOME SPEECH AND FEEDING THERAPY APPOINTMENTS!
NOW SERVING PIKE,WAYNE, AND LACKAWANNA COUNTY FOR IBCLC BREASTFEEDING APPOINTMENTS!
Meet the Team
Amy Balent MS, CCC-SLP
Community Consultant
Speech-Language Pathologist
NEPA
I’m Amy Balent and I’m from Dallas, PA. I received a Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree from Misericordia University. I have almost 15 years experience in the field of Pediatric Speech Language Pathology. I specialize in working with early language and speech disorders. I have worked in a variety of settings including: outpatient and inpatient medical setting, early intervention, public schools, private schools, private practice and was previously an adjunct professor at Misericordia University. I have experience working with a variety of disorders, including Autism, Brain Injury, Feeding disorders, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Apraxia, Fluency, Expressive/Receptive Language Impairments, and Articulation/Phonological disorders.
I have a passion for helping the early language population. I get to work closely with the families and love being part of their journey as they communicate their first words whether that be through pictures, signs or spoken language.
Lingua holds a special place in my heart as the therapists there have personally helped me and both of my children navigate feeding difficulties in infancy. The team is passionate and dedicated to providing the best patient care.
I am married and a mother of two children and have one dog. I enjoy spending time outdoors, traveling, teaching kids yoga and finding a reason to celebrate any under appreciated holiday.
Christine Carlsen, IBCLC
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
NEPA & Virtual
Hi there, my name is Christine Carlsen. I live in NEPA with my 3 kids(all successfully breastfed), 2 dogs and a loving husband whose support is an integral part of my life. In my spare time I love to travel. My husband and I have been to 49 out of 50 states in our VW bus!
My original career was in early childhood education but once I had my first son I knew I wanted something different. I started out just encouraging my local moms to keep going on their lactation journeys. Then I started a support group. After having major surgery and having to work with an IBCLC myself I knew I had found my perfect career!
While my profession is being a lactation consultant, my passion is empowering you to believe you can do it! To trust your body and your baby!
Andrea Jensen, MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
NEPA
Hi, I am Andrea! I graduated from Geneva College in Beaver Falls, PA in 2015 with my Bachelors degree and from Misericordia University in Dallas, PA in 2017 with my Masters. I currently resides in Clarks Summit, PA with my husband, 2 boys, and golden retriever, Heidi.
I started working with adults in a skilled nursing/rehabilitation facility treating dysphagia, dementia, and cognitive-linguistic diagnoses such as strokes and TBI. However, I love children so much that I transitioned into the pediatric field addressing articulation and language disorders at the Lingua Speech, Swallow, and Voice clinic. Additionally, I also provide therapy at Keystone Behavior Service helping children who have Autism with speech, language, and communication.
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Sarah Traver MS, CF-SLP
Clinical Fellow, Speech-Language Pathologist
NEPA
Hi, I’m Sarah Traver and I’m from the Harvey’s Lake area. I received my Bachelor’s degree from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s degree from Pennsylvania Western University - Clarion. The majority of my experience has included working with school-age speech-language disorders in the public school system. I have experience working with a variety of disorders, including: speech sound disorders, receptive and expressive language disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Fluency, Apraxia of Speech, and phonological impairments. My passion is working with children birth-age 10.
My favorite part of my job is the fact that everyday in speech therapy is different. I love being able to see the excitement on a child’s face when they master a sound they have been working on, or when they accomplish a goal they have been targeting. Speech-language therapy is so rewarding in many aspects and I’m passionate about that I do.
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Megan Oswald MS, CCC-SLP, CLC
Speech-Language Pathologist
Certified Lactation Consultant
NEPA
Hi! I’m Megan Oswald and I was born and raised right here in NEPA. After graduating with my Master’s degree from Misericordia University I began my career working with adults across multiple settings.
Since then, I have ventured into the world of pediatrics where I found my true passion in helping the smallest of clients and their parents/caregivers through some of their most precious moments. In 2022, I completed the course work to become a certified lactation counselor and have been lucky enough to help support some of the amazing moms in this area achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Currently, I treat feeding disorders, picky eating, myofunctional disorders, assist parents/clients with tethered oral tissue (lip/tongue tie) pre and post procedure intervention, speech and language delays, and swallowing across the lifespan. I also have experience with those with feeding tubes and tracheostomies.
When I am not in the clinic, you can find me with my family chasing our 2 beautiful girls and trying to plan our next adventure. We are always outdoors; backyard to the lake to the beach, it doesn’t matter to us!
Erin Kleinschmidt, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Virtual
Hi, I’m Erin and I’m from the suburbs of Philadelphia. I received a Bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University and a Master’s degree from Eastern New Mexico University. I specialize in working with school-age speech-language disorders. I have spent my career working with school-aged children, whether it was in public schools, private schools, clinics, or virtually. I have experience working with a variety of disorders, including Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Specific Learning Disability, Expressive/Receptive Language Impairments, and Articulation/Phonological disorders.
I have a passion for helping children improve in all areas of speech-language development, but articulation holds a special place in my heart. Watching a child’s confidence grow as his/her articulation/intelligibility improves is the most rewarding aspect of my job.
When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my Husband and dog, Teke. I am an avid gardener and try to spend as much time as possible at the beach!
Erin Milewski, MS CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Virtual
Hello! My name is Erin Milewski and I’m an ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist. I am originally from NEPA, but now currently reside in central PA. I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from Marywood University, Scranton, PA. I am currently working on my Trauma Informed Practice Certificate from Elizabethtown College. ( June 2023)
My entire career I have worked with school age children for a variety of treatment areas. I am passionate about helping parents understand school documents such as IEPs and evaluation reports. My other areas of interest include executive functioning, trauma informed practice, literacy, and Natural Language Acquisition.
I love working with children on their communication skills. Whether it is speech production, language, fluency, or vocabulary, I believe speech-language therapy can change lives.
When I’m not working, I’m running after my two year old daughter, Pippa, with my husband. We love to travel, and have been to over 10 different countries! I hope to help your family on this new adventure!
Chelsea Zimmerman MS, CCC-SLP, CLC
Owner
Speech-Language Pathologist
Certified Lactation Counselor
Hi, I am Chelsea Zimmerman! I am the owner and operator of Lingua Speech, Swallow, and Voice Services. I am from Reading, Pennsylvania and I graduated from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania in the accelerated 5 year masters program to become a speech language pathologist. With over eight years of experience, I have worked endlessly to learn from the best therapists and achieve experience in both inpatient and out rehabilitation centers. I have been fortunate to work at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation in both pediatrics and adults and the University of Nebraska Medical Center in their level III NICU and support the best of otolaryngologists.
As my experience grew, I wanted to advance clinically, so I became a certified lactation counselor due to my passion for breastfeeding, I became certified in neonatal infant massage and trained in manual therapy for adult voice/swallowing. I also further my education in professional training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center achieving another masters degree of health professional teaching and technology in May 2022 graduating with highest honors, summa cum laude.
I have a passion for educating other clinicians and other professionals on how powerful speech pathology can be. Clinically, I am most interested in tethered oral tissue, myofunctional therapy, starting solid foods, ARFID, the role of manual therapy (massage) for optimal swallowing and voice, and voice/swallowing for adults.
When not running Lingua, I can be found with my dog, Dax. You can also catch me competing in strength competitions, hanging out with my sister, and being the coolest aunt in the state.
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