Dr. Whitney Peters, OTD, OTR/L

Outside of professional experience, she also has volunteer experience with Special Olympics as a multi-sport coach for adults with developmental and cognitive disabilities. Whitney became an Occupational Therapist because she wanted to help people and loved the focus OT had on meeting personal goals and improving function. Occupational therapy meets the client where they are at and pushes them to grow beyond that using activities that have meaning to them, also known as their occupations. Whitney chose to work with both the pediatric and adult with disabilities population because she was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of nine in addition to having an older brother and a younger sister with autism. While growing up she and members of her family experienced firsthand struggles with sensory processing, task initiation, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and meeting developmental milestones.

Whitney started Chrysalis Therapy in 2023 because she wanted families and individuals to have a service provider not only meet their child/young adults needs for therapy but provide that therapy with the flexibility of multiple service delivery methods including in-home, daycare, partnership, and telehealth. Chrysalis Therapy truly strives to provide therapy services in the model that works best for each individual while avoiding barriers such as transportation.

Whitney chose the name Chrysalis Therapy because a chrysalis is the growth stage between caterpillar and butterfly, we believe therapy is crucial during those growing stages to help children and adults with developmental disabilities become the best and most independent person that they can be, in other words, help them gain their wings. Let us be a part of your loved ones team as we help them become their butterfly.

Dr. Abby Brown, OTD, OTR/L

Abby graduated from Drake University in May 2025 with my doctorate degree in occupational
therapy. She chose to be a pediatric occupational therapist because OT provides the opportunity to support the development of any child. She loved that it focuses on the individual needs and goals that are most important to children and families.

The use of play in therapy sessions was an important to her because it can encourage development through active engagement and having fun in the process. She believes that OT is a great way to build foundational skills that can support the confidence, success, and independence of all children. The majority of her occupational therapy fieldwork positions have been working in pediatric outpatient and school settings. In these settings, she worked with children who have autism, ADHD, and more. Outside of her academic fieldwork, she worked in a daycare that specialized in care for children with an autism diagnosis, which focused on practicing and meeting developmental goals. In addition, she has also worked as a 1 to 1 aide with children to support and integrate them into a day camp setting. In her free time, she enjoys walking, hiking, and biking, as well as spending time with my family and friends. She is looking forward to working with children to help them meet their goals.

Greta Sunde, MS, CCC-SLP

Greta graduated from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls in May 2025 with her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Her own experience receiving speech therapy helped inspire her to become a speech-language pathologist. She saw firsthand how communication support can make a difference and was drawn to a career where she could help children communicate, connect with others, and express themselves.

Greta enjoys creating therapy sessions that are fun, engaging, and centered around each child’s interests. She uses play-based and child-led approaches to meet children where they are and build skills through meaningful activities. She enjoys working with children across a variety of communication needs, including early communication, receptive and expressive language, speech sound development, social communication, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Greta believes communication can take many forms and values helping each child find ways to communicate that work best for them.

Greta has experience working with children in both school and private practice settings and values collaborating with families, caregivers, and other professionals to support communication across settings. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her cats, Boba and Tofu, tending to her plants and garden, exploring the Des Moines area, and spending time with family and friends. She looks forward to getting to know each child and family and helping children build meaningful communication skills.