Barrett Family Wellness Center was opened by Phyllis Barrett Samara in April 2000 as a lifelong dream and honor to her parents Amalia and Charles F. Barrett, Jr.

Phyllis’ interest, and subsequent 35+ years in Occupational Therapy, came very naturally to her having been raised by parents who taught and role modeled holistic wellness through Reiki, Reflexology, Yoga, and Physical Therapy.  Phyllis’ style of “Family Wellness” was developed in her own upbringing and then her studies, she is a graduate of Boston University – Sargent College.

When she opened the Center, she knew that many of the diagnosis she, and her therapists, would be treating would not be  “curable”.   However, she also believed, as she still does, that with special techniques and therapies, clients and their families are able to become empowered to live their life well.

This whole family approach to working with clients is an important part of what separates Barrett from other centers.  Beyond treatments, the Center offers workshops to help educate parents as to what can be further accomplished at home.  Families are also welcome to view therapy sessions from an observation area that is separated by a window so that the client may receive their one on one treatment and the family can see, and learn from, what skill sets are being developed.

The Barrett Family Wellness Center is now a community-based, pediatric occupational and speech therapy facility dedicated to enhancing the health and wellness of children and their families.  The Center offers a full range of occupational and speech therapy programs that address developmental problems in children, including those with Sensory Integration Dysfunction, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disability, Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, Language Delays, and Articulation Errors and Apraxia.

If you ask Phyllis about the name of the Center, she will tell you it really has TWO names in one — the “Barrett Family” Wellness Center AND the Barrett “Family Wellness” Center.

Time Line:

Until 2000
Phyllis ran a contract business working with local schools and nursing homes.  The time she spent in the school systems brought her to the realization that while OT in the schools helps the children, parents still were lacking in the information they needed to continue this support at home.  Also, schools were not addressing Sensory Integration issues.  Phyllis wanted to bridge the school/home gap and integrate sensory integration into the therapy, so she decided to start her own Center.

2000
Barrett Family Wellness Center opened in Westborough, MA as a pediatric, occupational therapy center.  It was a clinic-based practice servicing children not able to receive necessary therapies through the school system or Early Intervention (EI).

2009
In response to growing need for an interdisciplinary approach to therapy, the Center began offering speech and language services.

2010
Pragmatic Language and Social Groups became available.

2011
The Center doubled its treatment space square footage and opened a 1,000 sf sensory gym by moving its location to Northborough, MA.

2021
The Center moved to a new space with a larger gym and more office space in Southborough, MA.