The Mini Petals Experience

Meet Dr. Nimi!

I am a licensed pediatric physical therapist and owner of Mini Petals Pediatric Therapy, PLLC. I became a pediatric PT because I believe the earliest months and years of a child's life carry so much weight, and families shouldn't have to navigate developmental concerns alone. Mini Petals was created to bring that support directly to the community I live in and love!

Dr. Nimi received both her Bachelors and Doctorate education at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She has just over six years of experience working in pediatrics in a variety of settings including outpatient clinics, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, intensive care units, schools, and early intervention. More recently, her work has focused on early childhood development and infant motor skills. She decided to begin her own private practice in 2026 to serve her direct community and provide early care services for the infant/toddler populations in Arlington, VA. She is very passionate about physical therapy intervention early in life, and works with a holistic approach to provide that individualized care for every family. 

Outside of her work, Dr. Nimi is an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction books. She loves to spend time outdoors to hike, bike, and picnic with good food. On colder days, you can find her at the gym or crafting indoors. Dr. Nimi loves to travel and support small businesses, both locally in the DMV and across the globe. Her favorite place to visit is Spain, and one of her next goals is to become fluent in Spanish to better serve the community! 

My Approach

At Mini Petals, I specialize in helping children reach their developmental milestones in a safe, playful environment. What sets my practice apart:

• Child-Led, Play-Based Approach: I believe children learn best through play. Sessions are guided by your child’s specific interests and pace of movement, making therapy fun and effective!

• Parent Coaching: I work directly with caregivers and teachers to empower you with tools, techniques, and strategies to support your child’s development in your natural environments, so that activities are always happening outside of sessions in natural routines. 

• Specialized Knowledge: I have hands-on experience with notable techniques in pediatric therapy (such as DMI, TMR, NDT, and infant massage) and I'm always on the hunt to learn more. I believe in a holistic approach using the introductory elements I learned from all of these techniques to find the best approach that works for your child. 

• Continuous Learning: I stay up to date on the latest research and attend courses and conferences to bring evidence-based techniques to my practice.

• Individualized Care: Every child is unique. Therapy plans are customized to your child’s developmental needs and goals, as well as specific family routines and requests. 

My Credentials

I have taken the following continuing education courses to supplement my practice and dive deeper into this niche:

• TMR Tots Level 1 (Total Motion Release): a gentle approach focused on full-body tension release in infants

• DMI Therapy Level 1 (Dynamic Movement Intervention): a comprehensive therapeutic technique focused on improving automatic postural responses, strengthening muscles, and promoting neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to create new neural pathways) to achieve developmental milestones like sitting, standing, and walking 

• Treating Torticollis — An Introduction to Improving Postural Alignment and Feeding Outcomes Through Multi-Disciplinary Intervention and Collaboration: more advanced dive into feeding assessments with this population

• Feeding Tiny Humans, Strategies From Typical to Troubled Premature and Medically Complex Babies: oral motor stretching and strengthening techniques for babies and bottle feeding supportive and facilitation techniques.

• Infant Massage and Bonding: techniques to support nervous system regulation that I use whenever applicable

• Cindy Miles Torticollis & Plagiocephaly

• A Vision-based Approach to Torticollis 

• Birth to 3 Conference