Play +
Wellness
Collective
Founder Bio
Vanessa MacKay, MS, OTR/L started Play + Wellness Collective to provide occupational therapy that
feels supportive and person affirming. She has been an occupational therapist for over 12 years working
almost exclusively in pediatrics. She has experience working in a variety of pediatric practice settings
including school-based practice (public, private, and charter), outpatient pediatrics, and early
intervention (home health and early learning centers). She graduated in 2005 from The College of
Charleston with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Promotion. In 2008, she graduated from The
Medical University of South Carolina with a Master of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. Vanessa
earned a health coaching certificate from The Institute of Integrative Nutrition in 2019.
Vanessa is a caring and empathetic therapist drawing from her broad clinical experience and a personal
and familial history of learning disabilities. She uses a holistic, family-centered, strengths-based
approach to intervention. She believes both children and caregivers benefit from seeing themselves in a
positive light and constructing their lives around what works rather than what doesn’t work. She is an
expert at creating a safe space for curiosity, genuine connection, joy, and growth. In her free time,
Vanessa enjoys walking her dog India, breaking bread with friends and family, watching stand-up
comedy, and growing her knowledge about the meaning of life via books and podcasts. Her favorite
words to live and teach by are “The only thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice,
your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you
can.” -Neil Gaiman.