About Us
We aim to help children of all ages build communication skills to last a lifetime.
Our History
Words for Life Speech & Language Center was founded by Cassie Prestininzi, with the help of her husband Philip, in 2015. Cassie saw a need in her community and decided that she should follow her heart and find a way to fill that need. After years of learning from the best SLP’s around, she sought advice from trusted mentors, researched on her own, and created what is now the fastest growing speech clinic in Northwest Tennessee. She has acquired competent, compassionate, driven team members and has made it the mission of Words for Life to help any family that is in need of communication support for their loved ones. Whether it be a phone consultation, a screening or evaluation, a referral, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on, the team at Words for Life is going to ensure that your families needs are met and that you leave feeling better than when you arrived.
Our therapist and staff conduct thorough assessments that result in successful outcomes that help children live their lives to the fullest. Our advanced diagnostic methods assist our therapists in determining which services you and your children will benefit from the most in our clinic.
Our team of expert therapists are well-trained and experienced professionals! We are pleased to provide specialized treatment services for your family.
Our Staff
Cassie Prestininzi
MS/CCC-SLP
After graduating from Gibson County High School in 2001, Cassie graduated from the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders then a Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. After moving back to West TN with her husband, Philip, and their daughter, Hannah, Cassie completed her Clinical Fellowship Year, grew as a new SLP under fantastic supervision, and had the opportunity to supervise other graduate students.
Cassie’s dream of owning her own speech and language center became a reality in 2015 when, with the help of her supportive husband, Philip, she founded Words for Life Speech & Language Center, LLC. Since 2015, she has seen the fruition of hard work and dedication shine through her business. Between her generous personality and creative spirit, Cassie is leaving a lasting impression on Gibson County. Cassie and Philip now have been married for 18 years and have three children- Hannah (14), Andrew (8), and Ada Beth (2). As a family, they enjoy vacationing, playing/watching sports, attending church, and participating in community events. Cassie enjoys running, reading a good book, and – if you’ve met her once, you know- she loves talking to people.
Cassie has experience in skilled nursing facilities, public schools, private clinics, and early intervention. She is passionate about speech therapy and enjoys seeing children reap the rewards of their hard work. She loves the team aspect of this career and working with other professionals to individualize services and ensure each child’s goals are met. Cassie advocates for early intervention because diagnosing and intervening early affords a higher success rate.
Cassie says, “I don’t believe in ever throwing in the towel. I know that every child CAN communicate, and seeing the light in their eyes when they realize it themselves is priceless.”
Jordan Brown
SLPA
Jordan Brown is a Gibson County native, who graduated from Milan High School. From there, Jordan graduated from Harding University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication Sciences & Disorders. She successfully completed her SLPA licensure in 2018 and started working at Words for Life in 2019. Jordan has experience in public school, early intervention, and private clinic settings.
Jordan is married to Shea Brown and is mama to a sweet little boy, Shepherd. Jordan and Shea enjoy getting involved with their church ministries and being adventurous. She also enjoys reading, quilting, and being creative. Jordan loves the literacy aspect of speech therapy. She believes reading stimulates curiosity and unlocks a child’s imagination. Jordan is passionate about speech therapy because she believes everyone should be afforded the dignity of having their own voice.
Rachel Williams
SLPA
Rachel graduated from Gibson County High School and is currently attending Murray State University to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Communication Disorders and Sciences. She will graduate in December of 2021, and from there she will begin her Master’s Degree in 2022. Rachel began working at Words for Life in 2020, and she successfully completed her licensure in 2021. Rachel has experience in public school and private clinic settings.
In her free time, Rachel enjoys being at the lake and playing with her nephew. She is also a lover of all things gardening and cooking. Rachel loves the medical aspect of speech therapy. She has always been interested in the medical field, so being a speech therapist, she gets to combine medical knowledge with education. This gives her the opportunity to use a wide range of skills to individualize each therapy session. Rachel is passionate about speech therapy because it gives an individual limitless tools they can use for the rest of his or her life. Rachel says, “Communication is to humans as water is to fish. Being without it is suffocating, however, learning limitless tools needed for communication and seeing children use those tools even when you’re not giving direct therapy is why I do what I do.”
Debbie Ball
SLT
Debbie originally grew up in Memphis, but she now resides in Milan. Debbie received her Bachelor’s degree in Speech Therapy from Arkansas State University. She holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Counseling and in Educational Leadership. Debbie began her career in Education as a Speech /Language Therapist. She has returned to serving as an SLT in her retirement years after serving in other capacities in elementary education. Debbie has worked in Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee over the last 37 years, and is a true gold mine of speech therapy knowledge.
Debbie enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, traveling with friends and family, reading, and working in her yard. Debbie’s favorite thing about speech and language therapy is the small group and individual setting where more personal relationships with the students and their needs can be fostered.
Lauren Hogan
MS, SLP-CF
After graduating high school from the University School of Jackson, Lauren attended the University of Tennessee at Martin to obtain her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. About halfway through this program, Lauren began to feel that God was leading her in a different direction than teaching. Through a friend, Lauren was introduced to Cassie Prestininzi and given an opportunity to shadow her at her speech clinic for a day. At the time, Lauren wasn’t even sure what speech therapy was. After observing Cassie in the first session of the day, Lauren was sure that this was the career for her. She worked at Words For Life as a secretary in 2019 until student teaching began in her elementary education program, which she decided to still pursue seeing as there was no speech pathology program at UT Martin. After UT Martin, Lauren attended the Communications Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Memphis where she earned her master’s degree for Speech Pathology. During this time, in December 2021, Lauren married her husband Landon. Lauren enjoys reading, board games, card games, and movies. People have described her as having a “Child-like spirit” which equips her to create a fun environment for her speech kids. Lauren has had experience with children and adult therapy, but her passion remains working with children. Lauren says, “Encouragement is the biggest tool that I can use to help my clients succeed. I treat every client like I might be the only praise and encouragement they are getting. We celebrate over the big leaps but also over the small steps forward as we strive for improved speech and language skills.”
Amy Atkins
SLT
Amy Atkins is a Carroll County native who graduated from Huntingdon High School. She received her Bachelors in Communication Disorders from Murray State University in Murray, KY. Amy began working for Words for Life in the fall of 2021 serving the students of West Carroll School District. She is married to Will Atkins and resides in Huntingdon with their two children, Ella and Isaac. Amy has a passion to help others persevere and achieve their speech and language goals. Some favorite moments that she shares with her students are when they realize their progress in reaching goals and see their excitement and how proud they are of themselves. It makes it all worth it!
Idania Pearson
Medical Coding Insurance and Billing Specialist
Idania Pearson is our behind-the-scenes hero! Her job ensures that we can continue to provide the very best services in northwest TN. She keeps us rolling with insurance claims, solves lots of problems that no one even knows about, and is the backbone of all that Words for Life is! We are so very thankful for her service to Words for Life daily!
