Our Story
Laura Randen, MA, CCC-SLP, BCS-S opened Elite Therapy & Wellness when she recognized the need for increased access to high-quality, specialized, and cost-effective care for adults in her community. By offering flexibility in scheduling and location of services, Elite Therapy and Wellness is able to serve clients throughout Cape Girardeau, Perry, Scott, Stoddard, and Bollinger counties. Laura and her team seek to improve the lives of adults by providing holistic and evidence-based services that allow individuals to live their best lives.
Meet the Team
Meet Laura, our owner and a member of our Speech Therapy Team
Laura earned her Master of Arts degree in Communication Disorders from Southeast Missouri State University in 2015. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S). Her clinical experience includes diagnostics and treatment in acute care, outpatient, home health, skilled nursing, and long-term care settings with pediatric and adult patients. She is in good standing with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Missouri Speech Hearing Association (MSHA), and the American Board of Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders.
She is an endoscopist and provider of FEES (the gold standard in swallowing assessments), LSVT and SPEAK OUT ®, VitalStim, Butekyo Breathing, McNeill Dysphagia Therapy Program (MDTP), and Dementia Capable Care. Additionally, She has trained in Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy and Casper-Stone Confidential Flow Therapy. Laura incorporates evidence-based therapy with a whole-body approach to provide services that look beyond the diagnosis and support the whole person.
Laura has two teenagers, Landon and Brea, and two dogs, Negan and Slade. She enjoys traveling, coffee, attending sporting events, yoga, and reading.
Meet Melinna, our Physical Therapist
Melinna graduated from Maryville University with a bachelor's degree in Health Sciences in 2017 and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2019. She has been a member of the American Physical Therapy Association since 2016. Melinna brings experiences in orthopedics, sports rehabilitation, inpatient rehab, skilled nursing, and acute care to Elite Therapy and Wellness. Throughout her career, she has developed an interest in manual therapy, dry needling, myofascial release, fall prevention, and promoting home safety.
As a member of the Elite Therapy and Wellness Team, Melinna supports adult and geriatric patients through in-home, in-clinic, and teletherapy services in the Cape Girardeau area.
In her free time, Melinna enjoys fitness, traveling, biking, and cooking.
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Meet Amber, a member of our Speech Therapy Team
Amber Mayfield, MA CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2019, with a Master of Arts in Communication Disorders.
Her work experience includes a variety of medical settings, including skilled nursing, home health, outpatient hospital services, and early intervention.
She really enjoys serving both the geriatric and pediatric populations. She is certified in Talk Yoga. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their fur baby, Sadie. She enjoys hunting, fishing, and shopping.
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Meet Kate, our Occupational Therapist
Kate Easter, MOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist. She graduated from Maryville University with a Master's In Occupational Therapy.
Kate has an extensive background in working with the geriatric population in the skilled nursing facility and home health settings. Her specialty areas include home safety assessments and plans, memory care, shoulder injury and, and vestibular rehab. She also specializes in holistic pain management using massage, myofascial release, and trigger point release techniques.
Kate is very excited to join Elite Therapy & Wellness to serve the needs of our community.