Columbus Community Hospital

Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids Staff

Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids™ staff members are specialists in occupational, physical and speech therapy.

To learn more about their backgrounds and qualifications, read their biographies below.

Occupational Therapists:

Jill Zaruba, OTR/L
Wiggles and Giggles Clinic Supervisor

Jill ZarubaJill received her occupational therapy degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1997. She began her career at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Munroe Meyer Institute, providing inpatient pediatric care and school-based services. Jill developed her love for pediatric outpatient therapy services while employed at Handprints and Footsteps in Lincoln before moving to Columbus. She joined CCH Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids in 2002.

Jill has supervised our Wiggles & Giggles clinic since 2004. In addition to this role, she also has the pleasure of providing occupational therapy treatment for infants and children with a variety of diagnoses. She is a certified provider for both Interactive Metronome and Therapeutic Listening. Jill has also received advanced training in the areas of Handwriting Without Tears, neurodevelopmental treatment for children and infants, myofascial release, sensory integration therapy, reflex integration and feeding therapy for infants and children.

Jill and her husband, Dale, live in Columbus, where they both value being part of the Columbus medical community. They have three children — Drew, Liza and Isabel. In her free time, Jill enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, shopping and reading.

Shannon Kosch, OTR/L

Shannon KoschShannon received her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy from Creighton University in 1998. At the beginning of her career, she worked in Omaha, where  she provided school-based pediatric therapy services through the Munroe Meyer Institute. In 2006, she joined Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids.

Shannon is a certified infant massage instructor and is certified in Interactive Metronome and superficial modalities. She has received advanced training in Therapeutic Listening, torticollis management, reflex integration, sensory processing, neurodevelopmental treatment, Get Permission Approach feeding, vision and Handwriting Without Tears. She loves learning new techniques and is thrilled to work for a facility that believes in developing new skills. Shannon helps children be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives. She focuses on sensory processing, fine motor skills and developmental delays, as well as rehabilitation following injuries to improve, develop and restore function.

Shannon loves to spend time with her family and friends and enjoys volunteering for church and community organizations. Shannon enjoys traveling, sports, praying, and life’s daily adventures with four children. She is grateful for such a wonderful community and place to work with skilled colleagues who truly work together as a team to serve the needs of children.

Trisha Nicolas, OTD, OTR/L

Trisha Nicolas

Trisha received her doctorate in occupational therapy degree from Creighton University in 2005, and started working at Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids™ in July 2006. She enjoys working with children who have a variety of neurological and developmental conditions, such as autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, seizure disorder, hypotonia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sensory processing disorder. She has received additional training in neurodevelopmental treatment for infants and children, the Handwriting and Keyboarding Without Tears programs, feeding therapy and reflex integration. Trisha is a certified provider for Therapeutic Listening and Interactive Metronome and is certified in thermal and electrical modalities.

Trisha and her husband, Chris, live on a farm outside Bellwood, Nebraska, and enjoy spending time with their five children (Micah, Sadie, Colson, Sawyer and Weston) and extended family. She also enjoys doing yard work, traveling and reading.

Amber Torczon, MOTR/L

Amber Torczon

Amber graduated in 2012 from the College of Saint Mary (CSM) in Omaha, Nebraska, with a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitative studies. She continued her education at CSM and graduated in 2013 with a master’s degree in occupational therapy. After starting her career in Oklahoma as an outpatient pediatric and school-based therapist, Amber joined the Rehab Services and Wiggles & Giggles therapy teams at Columbus Community Hospital in October 2014.

Amber focuses her practice on treating all aspects of individuals to help them achieve their highest level of independence and a good quality of life. She has specialized training in upper extremity rehabilitation, concussion management/vision rehab, and evaluations for wheelchairs. Amber is certified in thermal and electrical modalities, Interactive Metronome, Handwriting Without Tears and Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM). She is always eager to continue expanding her knowledge and education so she can provide her patients with the most comprehensive care.

Amber currently splits her schedule at the Columbus Wellness Center between Rehabilitative Services and Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids, treating both adult and pediatric patients needing occupational therapy interventions. Amber and her husband, Clint, live in Columbus and have two children. They like to spend time as a family, especially outdoors.

Chloe Ek, MOT, OTR/L

Chloe EkChloe graduated from the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in rehabilitative studies. She continued her education at CSM and graduated in 2019 with a Master of Science degree in occupational therapy. After working at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in the outpatient pediatric clinic, she joined Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids at Columbus Community Hospital in 2022. She has specialized training in vision/concussion rehab and is a certified brain injury specialist through the Academy of Certified Brain Injury Specialists. Chloe also has certifications in thermal and electrical modalities, Interactive Metronome and therapeutic listening.

Chloe and her husband, Nate, have two children, Sawyer and Everett. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and being outdoors in the sunshine.

Amber Podliska, COTA/L, BS

Amber Podliska

Amber graduated from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska, in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science. At Concordia, she played softball for four years as the starting catcher. She then graduated from the occupational therapy assistant program at Central Community College in Grand Island in 2017.

Amber started her career in school-based pediatrics and skilled nursing facilities before joining the Rehabilitative Services and Wiggles & Giggles teams at Columbus Community Hospital full time in 2018.

As a certified occupational therapy assistant, Amber enjoys working with the occupational therapists in a variety of settings to achieve the best possible outcomes for her patients. She loves helping patients increase their independence and improve their quality of life through engaging activities.

Amber has additional training in Senaptec Sensory Station and Instrument-Assisted Soft Tissue Mobilization (IASTM) techniques, and is certified in Interactive Metronome and Physical Agent Modalities.

Amber is from Seward, Nebraska. She currently lives in Columbus with her husband, Nick, son, Merrick, and stepchildren Hollynn and Emmitt. She enjoys coaching softball, playing sports, volunteering, working out and spending time with family in her free time.

Physical Therapists:

Therese Chase, PT, DPT

Therese Chase

Therese strives to treat the “whole self” and loves working with children. She is passionate about continuing her education and using the most current research for patient care. She has a particular interest in neurological rehabilitation techniques, hands-on facilitation to promote proper movement patterns, and working with infants on developmental strengthening. Particular areas of continued education have focused on certification in Interactive Metronome use, Thrive Cancer Rehabilitation, advanced training in gait function, torticollis and neurodevelopmental handling techniques. Therese also enjoys integrating aquatic therapy during sessions, which tends to be very enjoyable and beneficial for patients of all ages.

In her free time, Therese enjoys being outdoors, exercising and spending time with her family and friends. Therese and her husband, Hon, live in Columbus and have three children (Everly, Sage, and Oaklynn), as well as their lab, Cedar.

Cris Hoelscher, MPT

Cris Hoelscher

Cris graduated with her Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in 1996. She went on to receive her Master of Physical Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2000. Cris initially worked for three years as an educationally- and medically-based pediatric physical therapist in Bellevue, Nebraska. Then, she spent a year performing in-home medically-based pediatric therapy, before moving with her family to the Columbus area and joining the team at Wiggles & Giggles in August 2004.

During her career at Wiggles & Giggles, Cris has completed a variety of continuing education, with emphasis on neurodevelopment, manual therapy and handling, and motor development. Cris is certified in Interactive Metronome and has completed training in myofascial release, the use of TheraTogs supports and neurodevelopmental treatment.

Cris and her husband, Rod, live near David City, Nebraska, and her children attend school at St. Mary’s and Aquinas Catholic Schools there. Her daughters Loren, Paige and Brooke, and sons Evan and Isaac fill the rest of her time with ball games, robotics competitions, art shows, musical performances and lots of laughter.

Kala Preister, PT, DPT, CSCS

Kala graduated in 2011 from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and Spanish. She continued her education at UNMC and graduated in 2014 with a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. She became a certified strength and conditioning specialist in 2017 and is a certified Sportsmetrics™ instructor for ACL injury prevention in youth athletes.

Kala began her pediatric career in Lincoln in 2011, and joined the Wiggles & Giggles therapy team in August 2018. Kala brings her love for working with children to Wiggles & Giggles and provides physical therapy to infants and children with a variety of diagnoses. Kala’s background in sports-related activities is especially beneficial and engaging for many of our patients.

Kala and her husband, Jacob, have one child (Jace). She enjoys spending her free time exercising and reading.

Speech Therapists:

Rachel Hoppe, MS, CCC-SLP

Rachel Hoppe

Rachel graduated in 2013 from Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with a bachelor’s degree in allied health sciences. She earned her Master of Science in education degree in communication disorders from the University of Nebraska Kearney in 2015. Rachel holds the Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is a licensed speech-language pathologist in the state of Nebraska. She joined Wiggles & Giggles in May 2016.

Rachel has treated and evaluated clients of all ages, and has experience working with children who have autism spectrum disorder, cerebral palsy and cleft palate. Her expertise includes assessment and treatment of receptive and expressive language disorders; motor speech disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech and dysarthria; fluency; articulation disorders; phonological disorders; and augmentative and alternative communication. Rachel is a certified PECS and Interactive Metronome provider.

Rachel lives in Columbus with her husband, Jared, and daughter, Harper. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading and the outdoors.

Delanie J. Hudnall, MS, CCC-SLP

Delanie J. Hudnall

Delanie graduated from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 1999 with her master’s degree in speech pathology. After starting her career with the Scottsbluff Public Schools working in elementary, middle school and summer programs for five years, she joined CCH’s Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids in 2004.

Her favorite highlight and biggest joy is seeing all the cute faces every day that visit W&G. Being part of W&G has allowed her to pursue the passions she feels most rewarding. It has let her develop and continue to grow in her ability to provide services in all areas related to pediatric speech pathology, specializing in feeding, AAC and apraxia. She enjoys collaborating with her fellow speech pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists, as well as professionals outside of W&G, to provide the best possible care for her patients.

Working at W&G allows Delanie to be involved in the Columbus community  serving on boards including the Nebraska Speech-Language Hearing Association, Nebraska Childhood Cancer board, and the UMC Christian Social Witness committee. She also stays heavily involved in activities her family — husband Eric and two daughters Madeline and Lillian — take part in such as Lemon Smiles Lemonade Stand, 4-H and numerous school activities.

Melissa Brown, MS, CCC-SLP

Melissa received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology with an emphasis in communication sciences and disorders in 2017. She then earned her Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology from Pacific University in Oregon in 2019. Later that year, she joined Columbus Community Hospital at Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids. Melissa is a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association.

Melissa works with a variety of pediatric conditions, including expressive and receptive language disorders, articulation disorders, autism and cleft palates. In her free time, Melissa enjoys running, volunteering and visiting friends and family.

Natalie Rieck, MS, CCC-SLP

Natalie Rieck

Natalie received her Bachelors of Science in education degree from University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002. Natalie began working at Wiggles & Giggles in 2003 and held the role of a communication assistant starting in 2004. She entered graduate school and received her Master of Science degree in communication disorders from California State University Northridge in 2013.

Natalie is a speech-language pathologist who feels blessed to be working with the pediatric population. She enjoys helping patients find their voices and improve their ability to communicate with family members. Natalie works with a variety of pediatric speech/language conditions, including receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation, voice disorders, autism, cleft palate and childhood apraxia of speech. Natalie has experience introducing and implementing augmentative alternative communication for children who require different ways to communicate. She is certified in PECS and Interactive Metronome.

Natalie is a Columbus native who is happy to be working and living in her hometown with her husband Corey and son Miles. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing on the lake, scrapbooking and singing for her church.

Nichole Reardon, MS, CCC-SLP

Nichole Reardon

Nichole received her Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1999. Then, she returned to school and earned her Master of Science degree in communication disorders from the University of Nebraska at Kearney in 2002. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is a licensed speech-language pathologist in the state of Nebraska.

Nichole joined Columbus Community Hospital in 2002. She initially began treating both adult and pediatric patients, but is currently a pediatric speech pathologist at Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids. Nichole assists patients in reaching their maximum potential. She has treated a variety of pediatric conditions, including motor planning, processing and reading disorders. She has received advanced training in phonological processing, dyslexia and apraxia, and is a certified Interactive Metronome provider.

Nichole and her husband Dan, have three children (Alyssa, Ian and Olivia). In her free time, Nichole enjoys attending her children’s activities and baking.

Chelsea Werner, MS, CCC-SLP

Chelsea Werner

Chelsea has worked for Columbus Community Hospital at Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids since November 2015. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and is a licensed speech-language pathologist in the state of Nebraska. Chelsea completed her Bachelor of Science degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012. She then earned her Master of Arts degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Kansas in 2014.

Chelsea works full time in the school setting, and readily helps families connect services performed in the schools to those performed in the medical setting at Wiggles & Giggles. She has treated and evaluated patients of all ages and has experience working with children who have autism spectrum disorder; complex communication needs; receptive and expressive language disorders; motor speech disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech and fluency; articulation disorders; phonological disorders; and augmentative and alternative communication.

Chelsea and her husband, Taylor, live in Humphrey, Nebraska, and have two children (Hartley and Hank). In her free time, Chelsea enjoys spending time with her family, visiting friends, golfing, gardening, traveling and being outdoors.

Chelsey Wurdeman, MS, CCC-SLP

Chelsey Wurdeman

Chelsey graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in speech-language pathology. She continued her education at the University of Nebraska Omaha, earning her Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology in 2018. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a licensed speech-language pathologist in Nebraska.

Chelsey began her career in a local geriatric setting assessing and treating language, communication, cognition, voice and dysphagia. Chelsey joined the Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids team in 2022. She treats various pediatric conditions, including receptive and expressive language disorders, articulation disorders, autism spectrum disorder and augmentative and alternative communication.

Chelsey lives outside Columbus with her husband, Dillan, and their son, Dax. She enjoys spending time with family, being outdoors and visiting friends.

Sagan Ruskamp, MS, CCC-SLP

Sagan Ruskamp

Sagan joined Columbus Community Hospital’s Wiggles & Giggles Therapy for Kids in June 2021. She holds the Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a licensed speech-language pathologist in Nebraska. Sagan completed her Bachelor of Science in speech-language pathology from the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2018. She then earned a Master of Arts degree in speech-language pathology from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, in 2021.

Sagan treats various pediatric conditions, including articulation disorders, expressive and receptive language disorders, fluency, childhood apraxia of speech and autism. In her free time, Sagan enjoys reading, traveling, gardening and spending time with her dogs, Tallulah and Hughie.

Office Manager

Michele Foreman

Michele has worked for Columbus Community Hospital since June 2004. She began her career at CCH in admissions and patient accounts, where she worked for 12 years before becoming the office manager at Wiggles & Giggles in 2016. She brings both her love for children and her considerable experience in billing and insurance to our families at Wiggles & Giggles. Michele was a Humphrey native before moving to Columbus.

Michele and her husband, Craig, live in Columbus and have five children, Nathan, Adam, Ashley, Bryce and Eva. They also have a miniature schnauzer named Coco. She enjoys going to all of her children’s activities and keeping up with all the laundry and cooking!