My name is Tessa, and I am here to help.
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I find joy and fulfillment in helping clients understand and heal their bodies. I aim to demystify chronic, complicated, and confusing symptoms and provide you with the knowledge and tools to recover from your pain, injury, and/or dysfunction.
While my primary area of expertise is women’s, transgender, and pelvic health, I also have extensive experience and enjoy treating orthopedic impairments, particularly back, neck, hip, and shoulder pain.
My approach is evidence-based and trauma-informed, and I tailor treatments and education based on the specific needs of my clients. Over the years, I discovered that clients experience more successful outcomes when their treatments include a combination of exercises, manual therapy, techniques to help regulate the nervous system, and education about the root causes of symptoms. For this reason, I utilize many different healing techniques, including:
hands-on manual therapy for joints, fascia, and muscle
dry needling
postural reeducation
behavior and lifestyle modifications
breath and body awareness training
sensory integration
multiple forms of exercise and movement, including yoga, pilates, and qi gong
educating you on other available resources and providers to further support your healing process
The Credentials
Tessa, a native Atlantan, attended Rice University for her undergraduate studies and Emory University for her Masters in Public Health. She worked at the CDC for four years and eventually found her calling as a physical therapist. She graduated from Armstrong Atlantic State University, now part of Georgia Southern University, in 2015 with her doctorate in Physical Therapy.
As an avid learner, Tessa has completed hundreds of hours of advanced women's, transgender, and pelvic health training with Herman and Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute, the American Physical Therapy Association, and The Brooks Institute of Higher Learning. She has also completed the Certificate of Achievement in Obstetric Health Physical Therapy (CAPP-OB) through Herman and Wallace.
To advance her orthopedic skills, Tessa took advanced courses with Maitland Australian Physiotherapy Seminars, an internationally recognized training and certification program. She achieved her Certificate in Orthopedic Manual Therapy (COMT) in 2019.
Other areas Tessa has trained and developed advanced knowledge and skills include dry needling, visceral fascial mobilization, the autonomic nervous system, sensory integration, trauma-informed rehab, and nutritional implications for healing and women's health. As someone who deeply values learning, she also enjoys teaching and has served as a teaching assistant for Herman and Wallace and Maitland courses.