Today we’d like to introduce you to Connie Yu.
Connie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was raised as a traditional female Asian American immigrating to the United States in the late 80’. My parents have raised me the way they believed a proper Asian American should be. Fluid in music, soft-spoken and excel academically. I would consider myself a late bloomer. I was never interested in piano, didn’t excelled academically till college and was never considered soft-spoken. I’ve always had aspirations and a desire to be better than I was yesterday. My journey in becoming a speech pathologist was not easy to say the least. My college career track had extended longer than expected. I had graduate with my baccalaureate in Sociology not knowing exactly what I wanted to do as a career. I had a mentor whom I worked with several years at a convalescent hospital encouraged me to explore speech pathology. Thus, I went back to school and obtained my post-baccalaureate degree in Communication Disorder and was admitted to one of the top Communicative Disorder programs in California. I graduated Summa Cum Laude and achieved several scholarships and awards throughout my education. I would say that my drive for learning is what humbles and motivated me to start my own practice. As a bilingual speech language pathologist fluent in both Mandarin and English, I found a dire need for quality services for the Mandarin speaking population. As I began my solo private practice in early 2015 only seeing a few clients a week, to a full caseload within a six months timespan, I knew that I couldn’t help more children with only my personal therapeutic skills. Thus, Recess Therapy was founded in 2016.
Great, 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?
I would say the greatest challenge for any business owner is the multiple hats we wear. However, my struggles are no greater than any other business owner who may be running a restaurant, selling products or providing professional services like myself. The one struggle I face till today is finding “me” time. Being a mother of two young children, obtaining my Doctorate in Speech Pathology and balancing work-life balance hasn’t been easy.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Recess Therapy – what should we know?
Recess Therapy is a family-centered multidisciplinary clinic that provides speech therapy, occupational therapy and mental health services. We are highly regarded in our area within the San Gabriel Valley and specialize in pediatric rehabilitative treatment. I am proud of our team and the level of service we provide for all the families we work with. Our front office staff greets everyone by first name basis, assist with handicap needs, provide family-centered services where parents are active team members in our intervention process. We also accept multiple health plans allowing services to be accessible for all families with different financial backgrounds. We accept state-funded services, Medi-cal, HMO, and multiple PPO plans. What sets us apart is our bilingual staff members who speak Mandarin, Cantonese, and Spanish along with our parent support programs. Due to the COVID-19, our clinic was temporarily closed for in clinic services to ensure the safety of our staff and patients. Thus, we were able to quickly transition into providing teletherapy services so that we could ensure continued progress and prevent regression of learned skills. I am most proud of my team and without my amazing team, Recess Therapy wouldn’t be what it is today.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe hard work and passion is the key to success. Success often needs a combination of luck and hard work. However, for long term success, hard work is essential for a company’s growth. I put in over 60 hours a week of hard work. My passion is what fuels my drive to do what I do for over ten years. I love seeing my patients improve. I love working with our neurodiverse population in helping children from not being able to tolerate food to eventually eating with their family. I love helping children from being nonverbal to speaking and eventually attending a general education classroom. I love working with families and empowering families to set high expectations for all children.
Contact Info:
- Address: 529 E. Live Oak Ave #E Arcadia CA 91006
75 N. Santa Anita Ave #105 Arcadia CA 91006 - Website: www.recessspeechtherapy.net
- Phone: 626-538-2751
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recesstherapy/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/recesstherapy/
- Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/recesstherapy1
- Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/recess-therapy-arcadia
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