Melissa Philippsen, M.A., CCC-SLP

Founder/Owner and Speech-Language Therapist

Melissa Philippsen, M.A., CCC-SLP is the founder and owner of Empowering Kids Pediatric Therapy located in Columbus, Indiana. Melissa noticed a need
for pediatric speech therapy services in the community and opened her private practice in 2020. She continues to practice as a speech
therapist, finding fulfillment in supporting parents while working with their child to best meet their speech-language needs.

She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Ball State University, graduating with Suma Cum Laude distinction. Melissa is a
licensed member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), holding her Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language
Pathology since 2009. She is accredited by Indiana Public Licensing Board.

Melissa has also been accepted as a member of the Apraxia Kids SLP Directory. She is one of a handful of speech therapists in Indiana who
have been accepted to the directory.

When Melissa is not practicing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.  She enjoys being outdoors, reading,
traveling, volunteering and participating in activities in her church and children’s school.

Taylor Brittain, M.A., CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Therapist

Taylor Brittain, M.A., CCC-SLP earned her Bachelor’s degree at Miami University, graduating with Magna Cum Laude distinction and her Master’s Degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She joined the Empowering Kids Pediatric Therapy team in August of 2022. She loves being able to help children in the community to meet their speech and language goals. Working alongside parents and caregivers, she has a passion for ensuring that children can interact with their family, friends, and community. She has worked in two local school corporations and has experience with AAC, Autism, Expressive/Receptive Language, Social Skills, and Articulation/Phonology.

Taylor is passionate about assisting her clients and participates in continuing education courses to ensure that she uses evidenced based practices to best serve her clients.

Taylor is a licensed member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA), holding her Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology since 2013. She is accredited by Indiana Public Licensing Board and holds her teaching license in Communication Disorders from the Indiana Department of Education.

When Taylor is not practicing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, especially outdoors.  She enjoys baking, reading, traveling, volunteering and participating in activities in her church.

Victoria (Tori) Johns, SLPA

Speech-Language Pathologist-Assistant

Victoria (Tori) Johns, SLPA earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Indiana State University in May of 2023. She completed her 100 hours of supervised clinical work with Vigo County schools and then worked as an SLPA throughout the remainder of the ’23-’24 school year. We have loved having her as a team member since September of 2024.
Miss Tori’s clients enjoy her energy, creativity and her ability to quickly build a connection with them. Tori loves to help her clients build their confidence as their skills grow. 
She is licensed through the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.
In her free time, Tori enjoys traveling, baking, watching sports and hanging out with family and friends. She was a competitive swimmer most of her life and swam all 4 years at ISU! Tori continues to enjoy staying active and is pursuing her Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. 

Patia Hunt, OTR

Occupational Therapist

Patia Hunt, OTR earned her Bachelor’s degree at Ball State University in ExerciseScience with a minor in Interpersonal Relations (counseling
psychology) in 2019. She went on to obtain her Doctorate degree inOccupational Therapy from the University of Indianapolis in 2022. She
joined the Empowering Kids Pediatric Therapy team in September of 2023.

Patia is passionate about assisting her clients to live their best life. She especially enjoys working with Sensory Regulation. She continues to participate in continuing education in order to best serve her clients and use best practice methods.

Patia is a licensed member of the NBCOT and accredited by Indiana Public Licensing Board.

When Patia is not practicing, she enjoys music, singing, dancing, reading books and playing "nerdy" games. She's enjoyed exploring Columbus and loves that she gets to call it "home."