Carlie Dorsey
Owner & Occupational Therapist
Carlie Dorsey is an occupational therapist and mother of three. She currently resides in Murrells Inlet, SC with her husband, two sons, and daughter. She loves spending time with her family and enjoys the outdoors, particularly going to the beach, kayaking on the creek, and playing golf. She strives to continuously learn and grow both personally and professionally, allowing her faith to guide her journey. Carlie earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Lenoir-Rhyne University, receiving a bachelor degree in Human Occupational Studies with a minor in Psychology in 2005 and a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2007. She played for the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s golf team during her undergraduate studies. At the start of her OT career, Carlie quickly found her passion working with children and gained most of her pediatric experience as an OT in the public school setting, serving a wide range of diagnoses such as autism, fine motor delay, cerebral palsy and sensory processing disorder. Carlie started Motorvate Kids in 2016 to be able to provide accommodating OT services for local families. She specializes in sensory integration and her primary focus is promoting awareness of motor and sensory challenges in young children and addressing these concerns early to set a solid foundation from which to grow and thrive.
Megan petricig
Occupational Therapist
Megan is originally from a small town 40 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Murrells Inlet, SC. She graduated from Saint Francis University in 2015 with a Bachelors Degree in Health Science with a minor in Psychology and Neuroscience, before graduating from the same school in 2016 with her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy. During her studies, Megan completed clinical rotations in inpatient neuro-rehabilitation and outpatient pediatrics. Since the summer of 2016, she has been following her passion working as a pediatric Occupational Therapist, and joined the Motorvate Kids team in 2018. Megan has experience working with children from ages 0-18, with a variety of diagnoses and difficulties such as autism, sensory processing disorder, fine motor delay, gross motor delay, dyspraxia, feeding difficulties, extreme prematurity, global developmental delay, and various genetic conditions. Megan’s main goal in therapy is to help each child succeed at home, school, and within the community. She looks forward to meeting and working with you and your child!
Victoria jefferies
Occupational Therapist
Victoria resides in Myrtle Beach with her husband, AJ. She received her Batchelor’s degree in Applied Sciences & Human Services in 2013, and her Master’s of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2020. Her experience in pediatric outpatient and school settings has inspired a passion for helping families navigate through challenges associated with anxiety, sensory processing, and emotional regulation. Victoria is also a certified swim instructor, who enjoys safely bringing the delight of swimming to the special needs community. Victoria joined the Motorvate Kids team in 2020, and can’t wait to help your child reach their full potential!
Lori Young
Occupational Therapist
Lori Young is an occupational therapist, mother, and wife. She currently resides in Murrells Inlet, SC with her husband and daughter. Lori enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, biking, being outside, and traveling. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wofford College in 2004, and then went on to earn her Masters in Health Sciences with a specialty in Occupational Therapy from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2008. Throughout her extensive training, Lori discovered her true passion was working with children. For the past 8 years, she has served on the Board of Directors for the Children’s Recovery Center, a nonprofit organization serving abused and neglected children in Georgetown and Horry Counties. She has spent the majority of her occupational therapy career in a pediatric outpatient setting serving children with a wide range of diagnoses including sensory processing disorder, autism, Down Syndrome, dyspraxia, rare genetic disorders, fine motor delays, and cerebral palsy. Lori has a passion for working with children and their families and finds she is always learning and growing with them. She believes all children have untapped potential and feels blessed to be able to help them discover it within.
Nora mills
Occupational Therapist
Nora Mills is an Occupational Therapist who is originally from Danbury, Connecticut. She has enjoyed living in Mobile, Alabama, Charlotte and Wilmington, North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia before relocating to Murrells Inlet. She graduated from the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine with a degree in Occupational Therapy and has worked with children and families for over 35 years.
A long career in pediatrics has allowed Nora to work in a variety of settings including acute hospital care, in-patient and out-patient rehabilitation, independent clinics, schools (virtual and traditional brick & mortar), early intervention, and medical clinic settings. She has enjoyed helping children with ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, Down syndrome, genetic conditions, learning disabilities, muscular dystrophy, sensory processing disorder, spina bifida, and many other conditions to develop the confidence and skills needed to be successful in all aspects of their lives. She has trained and has extensive experience working with children who have feeding challenges from both oral motor delays and sensory-behavioral difficulties, and has worked diligently to help them meet nutritional demands and to grow to enjoy eating. She also has advanced training with Therapeutic Listening, Assistive Technology, and Sensory Processing Disorders. Nora enjoys taking advantage of the warmer seasons South Carolina has to offer by exploring the area, but also enjoys being close to home reading a good book or taking on home projects. She believes that no matter the extent of your experiences, there is always much more to know and looks forward to learning more with every opportunity. She is looking forward to continuing her journey with you, your child, and the Motorvate Team!
Vicki vassas
Occupational Therapist
Vicki received her bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences with a concentration in Human Development in 2012, followed by her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy in 2013 from the University of Scranton. She’s originally from New Jersey, and her love of travel led her to take a contract position in San Diego, where she met her husband and began raising her 3 kids. After 7 years in California, they decided to move to Myrtle Beach to be closer to family. Vicki has experience working in a variety of settings but found her passion in pediatrics after working in schools and early intervention. She has provided therapeutic solutions for children with a wide variety of diagnoses and challenges, including sensory processing difficulties, fine & gross motor delay, motor planning challenges, feeding difficulties, and visual perceptual issues. She loves to learn and grow as a professional and loves to work with families to help their child reach their greatest potential!
jillian ernest
Client Support Specialist & Administrative Assistant
Jillian Ernest is originally from Michigan but has lived in Horry County for over 20 years. She met her husband while studying biology at Coastal Carolina University (CCU) and proceeded to earn her MBA while working in admissions at CCU. She enjoys learning about sensory regulation techniques for neurodivergent kids and as a mom of two boys, she gets ample opportunities to put those techniques into practice. Jillian also works as a substitute teacher with Horry County Schools and travels every chance she gets.