Dr. Kate Ballem Chase, Founder, Director, SLP, BCBA 

Dr. Kate Ballem Chase is a registered Speech-Language Pathologist and a Board-Certified Behaviour Analyst. She is a certified therapist in both JASPER and the Early Start Denver Model. She is also the proud mom of a neurodiverse daughter. After pursuing undergraduate studies at the University of Victoria, Kate studied at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where she completed her doctorate in Experimental Psychology in 2004, with a focus on early language and cognitive development. After returning from Oxford, Kate completed her clinical training as a speech-language pathologist at the University of British Columbia in 2006. Kate worked briefly at the BC Centre for Ability before joining Loyst and Associates Autism Services, where she led the team in the Richmond area from 2007-2013. Kate is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the School of Audiology and Speech Science at the University of British Columbia. When she isn’t playing with clients and their parents, Kate can be found playing outside with her husband, two children, and their dog! 

Emily Lee, Clinical Practice Lead, OT, BCBA. 

Emily Lee is a registered Occupational Therapist, and Board Certified Behaviour Analyst. She completed her undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Toronto in 2002. Upon graduation Emily dove into working with children, the source of her inspiration for becoming an OT.  After moving to the west coast she worked at St. Paul’s Hospital for half a year and then joined the Early Intervention Therapy program at the BC Centre for Ability. Emily worked with children with a broad range of strengths and needs, including many children with autism. During her final year at the BC Centre for Ability she directed the occupational therapy department, supervising the provision of OT services across 5 programs. Switching gears in 2016, Emily completed her Masters of Rehabilitation Sciences through the University of British Columbia in 2017 and joined the Nurture team. Through her studies she has extensively explored research literature regarding early identification of and intervention for Developmental Coordination Disorder.  More recently, in June 2023, Emily completed her Board Certified Behaviour Analysis training. Emily has also been working on her JASPER certification alongside her Nurture colleagues and is a certified Early Start Denver Model therapist. During her family time, Emily can be found playing in the woods or at the pool with her husband and two kids.