About Us

Word Works is dedicated to helping clients enhance their communication skills. Our staff brings enthusiasm, cultural sensitivity, and creativity to a diverse population of clients. We enjoy watching clients make continued progress and value our relationships with families as we work together to enhance quality of life through improved communication skills.

In addition to working with private clients, we work in collaboration with several agencies including the Regional Center of the East Bay and various medical groups in the Bay Area.

Tamara Muhler MS, CCC-SLP

Director/Supervisor

Tamara was raised in Oakland, California and developed Word Works to better service a broad range of individuals throughout the Bay Area. Tamara earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communicative Disorders from University of the Pacific, and a Master of Science degree in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University. She has also attained the Certification of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, and is licensed by the California Speech-Language Hearing Association.

Tamara has experience working with both pediatric and adult populations in clinic and home-based programs. She has extensive clinical experience with early intervention, articulation and phonological disorders, language delays and disorders, auditory processing deficits, verbal apraxia, and oral/aural rehabilitation for children and adults with cochlear implants. Tamara also enjoys teaching classes part time at San Francisco State University to speech pathology students.

Tamara is proficient in American Sign Language and Spanish. She has specialized training in providing services for communication disorders associated with cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and hearing loss. She also enjoys teaching baby sign-language classes, and providing workshops for teachers and parents on identifying and preventing speech and language delays. She is happy to supervise new speech pathologists in the field. When she is not working, Tamara takes pleasure in photography, playing the clarinet, reading, traveling, and taking art classes.

Sarah Thompson MS, CCC-SLP

Associate Director/Supervisor

Sarah Thompson is a licensed speech-language pathologist with experience providing intervention services to children with a wide variety of communication disorders. Sarah was raised in the East Bay and has lived in Oakland for the past 10 years. She received her Bachelor and Master of Science Degrees with honors from San Francisco State University in Communication Disorders. Sarah has attained the Certification of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, and is licensed by the California Speech-Language Hearing Association.

Sarah has worked with pediatric clients in private practice, preschools, and elementary school settings. She has extensive clinical experience with early intervention, articulation and phonological disorders, language delays and disorders, auditory processing deficits, childhood apraxia of speech, and autism spectrum disorders. She joined Word Works in June, 2006 as the Associate Clinic Director. She enjoys supervising clinicians, providing therapy in the clinic, co-teaching Word-Play speech and language preschool playgroups with Tamara, and participating in home-based programs. In her free time, she enjoys walks with her dog, going to the beach, camping, reading, cooking, and relaxing with her family.

Lauren Kunishi MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Lauren Kunishi was raised in Sacramento and currently lives in San Francisco. She received both her Bachelor and Master Degrees in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University. She has also attained the Certification of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, and is licensed by the California Speech-Language Hearing Association. Lauren joined the Word Works team in July 2006. She enjoys providing early intervention services to young children while working closely with their parents in the home. Lauren also provides articulation and language therapy services for school aged children in the Word Works clinic. In her free time, Lauren enjoys going to movies, traveling, listening to music, and dining on eclectic cuisines in San Francisco.

Sonia Torigoe MS, CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Bio coming soon.

Alicia Teeter MS, SLP-CF

Speech-Language Pathologist

Alicia was raised in the South Bay Area, and currently resides in San Francisco. She received a Bachelor of Arts degrees in Spanish and International Relations from the University of California, Davis, and a Master of Science degree in Communicative Disorders from San Francisco State University. Alicia joined the Word Works team in July of 2008. She provides early intervention for young children and their families, as well as articulation and language therapy services for school age children. When not working, Alicia enjoys traveling with her husband, singing, hiking, and speaking Spanish.

Mary Gage Herman MA,CCC-SLP

Speech-Language Pathologist

Gage attended the University of Oregon where she received a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Speech and a Minor in Speech Pathology and Psychology. She obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Special Education with emphasis on Speech Pathology and Audiology from San Francisco State University. Gage has worked for over thirty years as a speech pathologist , most recently at Children's Hospital and Research Center in Oakland. She specializes in the pediatric population with emphasis on the 0-5 year-old range. She has provided both diagnostic and therapeutic expertise encompassing a wide range of communicative disorders. She has served on multidiciplinary teams for Craniofacial and Cleft Palate, Neurofibromotisis, Fragile X, and most recently, on Katie's Clinic for Rett Syndrome. Gage has enjoyed serving as a supervisor for graduate and post graduate students in Speech and Language Pathology. She served as an instructor at Cal State East Bay during the summer sessions of 1994,1996,and 1998. She received the Outstanding Acheivement Award for District Three of the California Speech and Language Association in 2000, and Employee of the Month Award at Children's Hospital Oakland in May of 2005. Gage has four grown children and two grandchildren. In her free time Gage enjoys playing tennis, fly fishing, traveling, and visiting with family.

Tamar Enoch

Tamar Enoch has degrees in Biology and Molecular Biology, as well as in Communication Sciences. After working for many years as a research scientist, she was inspired to become a speech therapist after her father suffered a stroke that left him without language. She was fascinated by the way her father re-learned language during his rehabilitation, and found that she had had a natural interest in communication and communication disorders. She also experienced first-hand the stress and frustration of struggling to communicate with a loved one and decided she wanted to help others in the same situation.

Tamar received her MS in Communication Disorders from Emerson College in Boston MA in 2001. She holds a certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association as well as a California Teaching Credential. Tamar moved to the Bay Area in 2003, and has worked in a variety of school and hospital settings. She is especially interested in working with young children with language delays, particularly those associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). She has training in a variety of therapeutic approaches including PECS, DIR, ABA and Hanen. She believes that families are an integral part of the therapy process, and especially values the opportunity to help families learn how they can foster a child's communication and social development. Tamar enjoys teaching family members how to understand their child's learning style and how to use simple strategies to turn everyday activities into opportunities for children to learn and communicate. In her spare time Tamar enjoys practicing Chi-Gung and Zen, as well as reading, traveling, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Kristian Reyes, MBA

Business Manager

Kristian has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. He has experience managing businesses of various sizes. He manages the bookkeeping and invoicing for Word Works.