Our team, our therapists, and Aloha
Owners
Lauren Flores
MOT, OTR/L
Co-owner · Occupational therapist
Lauren Flores, MOT, OTR/L is the co-owner of 7 Senses Kids in Melbourne, FL, a pediatric occupational therapy and speech therapy studio. She is a pediatric occupational therapist and graduated with her Master’s in Occupational Therapy from the University of Florida in 2008. Lauren has 15 years of experience working with children and families, including early intervention, school-based, and outpatient settings. She has a strong passion for animal-assisted therapy and learned many of those skills during a specialty internship at Warm Springs Rehab in San Antonio, Texas, where they have a long-standing animal-assisted therapy program. She has a heart for children. In 2011, she and her husband decided to create an OT studio where children can receive evidence-based therapy with an emphasis on animal-assisted therapy and sensory integration. She currently has a facility dog from Canine Companions, an expertly trained assistance dog, who can be part of goal-directed therapy sessions. Each day, the benefits of the human-animal connection and the progress the children make are evident. It’s a true joy seeing clients gain skills for life.
Alex Flores
MOT, OTR/L
Co-owner · Occupational therapist
Alex Flores, MOT, OTR/L is an owner and occupational therapist. He completed internships in orthopedic rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. He thoroughly enjoyed his time at the National Rehab Hospital in Washington, D.C., and at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, where he trained in working with children with visual and hearing impairments and in aquatic therapy. He has used occupational therapy to affect people’s lives and improve their ability to enjoy life. “I want to take away the limitations people set, and reveal their amazing abilities.” He has always wanted to open an innovative therapy clinic that brings the latest evidence-based therapy to the community. He feels it is very important for children to gain functional life skills so they can be more independent. He is currently focusing on executive functioning.
Occupational Therapy
Michelle Carpenter
OTR/L
Occupational therapist
Michelle Carpenter is a nationally certified and Florida-licensed occupational therapist. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Health Science in Occupational Therapy with Honors in December 1999. She has worked as an occupational therapist in many settings: a sub-acute hospital in North Carolina, a pediatric outpatient facility in North Carolina, Wuesthoff Hospital in Rockledge, a nursing home in Merritt Island, and another pediatric outpatient facility here locally. She enjoys working with all ages, and she loves the change she can make with children. She specialized in sensory integration during her internship in 1999 and loves working with the sensory population. Michelle has been married for over 20 years and has three children, two girls and one boy, and a Rhodesian Ridgeback. She loves spending time with her family, especially outdoors and at the beach.
Analiese Aracri
OTR/L
Occupational therapist
Analiese is a nationally certified and Florida-licensed occupational therapist. She graduated with her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2019 from the University of Florida, then with her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2021 from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has specialized in pediatric OT since she began her career, including trauma-informed care, emotional and behavioral regulation, and feeding. She has led group interventions for young adults and teens with high-functioning autism, and in foster care for young people rescued from human trafficking, to help them seek employment. Originally from Sanibel Island, she lived in Colorado for a few years with her husband, two golden retrievers, and two cats before moving back to Florida and the Space Coast. In her free time she enjoys her boat, playing with her pups, sunny days at the beach, reading, traveling through Europe, and eating well. She is excited to join the 7 Senses team and looks forward to helping children and their families have a meaningful and functional life.
Ivy Kauffman
OTD, OTR/L
Occupational therapist
Ivy is an occupational therapist licensed in Florida and Georgia and nationally certified. She attended the University of Georgia and graduated in 2019 with a degree in Public Health and a minor in Global Health, followed by a Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Indiana Wesleyan University in 2023. Her professional focus is pediatric therapy, with a passion for the benefits and uses of animal-assisted therapy. Originally from Georgia, she enjoys traveling with her husband, staying active playing tennis, and exploring what makes Florida unique.
Speech Therapy
Alyssa Stumpf
M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologist
Alyssa is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. Originally from Indialantic, she has been serving Brevard County as a pediatric speech-language pathologist since 2017, when she received her master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Florida. Driven by a passion for building connection through communication, she takes pride in individualized, strengths-based speech and language services. She is licensed by the State of Florida and holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She lives in Melbourne Beach with her husband. On the weekends she can be found at the beach with a book, or sharing good food with friends and family.
Jenny Potanos
M.A., CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologist
Jenny is a state-licensed and nationally certified speech-language pathologist who relocated to Florida from the suburbs of Chicago. She brings many years of experience, including a private practice where she ran a clinic and provided speech, language, communication, and play therapy for children and families with different communication needs and learning styles, specializing in autism. She also trained and consulted with agencies, school districts, and families throughout the Midwest for over 30 years. She was a faculty member at Elmhurst University and taught classes on autism and other communication differences, and she was a core trainer and consultant for the Illinois Autism/PDD Training and Technical Assistance Project. She has also worked as a therapist and consultant to many schools in the Midwest. Play as a context for learning is a core part of her therapy. She believes the best way to learn and communicate is when everyone is having fun. She and her husband have three grown children and four grandchildren, ages 4 to 10, who call her Yiayia. She loves to swim every day, root for the Chicago White Sox, and keep learning from the kids in her life.
Alexis Krell
M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologist
Alexis is a speech-language pathologist who specializes in pediatric services. For families with minimally verbal children, she can evaluate communication systems that fit their needs, including high-tech speech-generating devices. Children with feeding disorders related to texture or sensory aversions, or to limited oral-motor control and coordination, have received evidence-based help from her that increases the variety in their diet. She believes in a strong home program and gives caregivers direct communication and visual supports. Her specialties include early intervention, childhood apraxia of speech, reading and writing disorders, articulation and phonology, and autism spectrum disorders.
Vera Shafir
M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-language pathologist
Vera is a bilingual speech-language pathologist who earned her master’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Columbia University in New York City in 2011. Fluent in Russian, she has extensive experience with children and adults across a wide range of speech, language, and swallowing disorders. Her clinical work includes autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, feeding difficulties, neurological conditions, developmental delays, and traumatic brain injury. She uses multi-modal communication to support speech and language, including AAC, basic sign language, PECS, and other alternative approaches. She works closely with parents and other therapists so each child can reach their potential. Outside of work she enjoys traveling, biking, and time with her family and dog.
Bree Mitchell
B.S., SLP-A
Speech-language pathology assistant
Bree is a state-licensed speech-language pathology assistant with a strong passion for supporting communication development in children. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, with a minor in Education, from the University of Central Florida. She works full time as a speech therapist in the school setting, collaborating with students, families, and educators. She is excited to expand that work in private practice and keep growing as a clinician. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her family.
Kyra Bowen
B.S., SLP-A
Speech-language pathology assistant
Kyra graduated from the University of Central Florida in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and is pursuing her master’s degree in the same field at Minot State University. She has a strong interest in working with adolescents and a particular passion for supporting children with fluency disorders. She values meaningful relationships with the people and families she serves and is committed to compassionate, evidence-based care. She has spent four years coaching volleyball for a local high school and three years coaching club volleyball. In her free time she enjoys traveling with her family, camping, reading, and playing competitive beach volleyball.
Facility dog
Aloha Flores
Aloha Flores is a Canine Companions for Independence yellow Lab who was born in California in March 2018. As a puppy she went to puppy raisers in Orlando, who trained her every day for a year and a half, then to the Orlando training center for advanced training. After about a year she was matched with Lauren as a facility dog at 7 Senses Therapy. She loves cuddling and giving love to the children, and she knows many commands that help them gain skills for life. Lauren and Aloha became a certified team in July 2020.