Archives: Practitioners

Benjamin graduated with his doctor of physical therapy (DPT) from Texas Woman’s University in 2018. Since then he has been helping people recover from a variety of conditions including postural asymmetries, muscle imbalances, chronic pain and movement dysfunctions. He works well with a wide variety of people including athletes, the elderly, and people recovering from a surgery or injury.

His Spanish proficiency was improved while living in Honduras for one year (2011) and through immersive Spanish instruction in Mexico (2020).

As a member of the Vestibular Disorder Association (VeDA), he has completed comprehensive training to diagnose and treat vestibular-related conditions to help people struggling with dizziness, poor balance, headaches, and falls. He is an advocate for health, wellness and prevention who values a holistic approach to healing.

Naturopathic Physician, Licensed Acupuncturist

Dr. Rachel is passionate about working with patients to achieve their optimal wellness by removing obstacles to cure and establishing “foundations of health” – structural integrity, environmental health, nourishment, movement, stress-management, sleep hygiene, and spiritual and emotional well-being . She relies heavily on the Principles of Naturopathic Medicine and the Therapeutic Order, while integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fascial Counterstrain, IV therapy, Botanical Medicine, Homeopathy, and Western Diagnostic modalities for a truly individualized treatment approach.

A native to Western Washington, Dr. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science in Integrated Human Biology, Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. Rachel is a Certified Fascial Counterstrain Therapist (CSC1) and a TA for the Jones Institute. She has been practicing medicine since 2020.

Prior to pursuing her advanced degrees, Rachel spent time working as a Child and Maternal Health Intern for Kore Timoun in Léogâne, Haiti, and remains a lifelong advocate of global and community health. During medical school, Rachel sought out a variety of extra-curricular experiences to enrich her didactic and clinical education including volunteering as a student clinician with downtown Seattle’s Alternative Healthcare Access Campaign, serving with Nature Doctor’s International in Ometepe, Nicaragua, completing a botanical field study in Costa Rica, conducting a collaborative research study with Bastyr University, Sea Share, and the YWCA on dietary seafood intake with cooking classes and lipid levels in resource-poor households, working as a research assistant to Dr. Laurie Mischley on Parkinson’s Disease, immersive learning of Kneipp Hydrotherapy and Botanical Medicine in Germany, studying Crevasse and Mountain Rescue with the Mountaineers, and participating in Bastyr’s Ragnar Trail Running Relay Team.

Outside of the clinic, she enjoys mountain biking, ski touring, cycling, trail running, rock climbing, mountaineering, foraging, painting, and cooking with her family and partner Gregory and dog, Junip.

Melissa Walters
Massage Therapist, Physical Therapist Assistant

I specialize in Fascial Counterstrain, and provide other services including deep tissue massage, cupping techniques and taping. In my work, I help people with chronic pain, acute pain, their pre and post surgical needs, and sports medicine. I enjoy working with people of all ages— with the youngest being a 2 week old infant and the oldest being 86 years old.

I grew up in Boring, Oregon, attended Clackamas High School, and graduated from college with my Physical therapy Assistant degree. I have worked as a PTA for over 20 years. Over 12 years ago I worked in clinic partnership where I developed the love for Counterstrain and working one on one with patients. Through this experience I got to learn the business side of a clinic. In early 2021 I completed the massage therapy exam and received my massage therapy license and worked under both licenses. I now only use my massage license and work independently.

I currently live in Oregon City with my husband of over 20 years, 2 busy teenagers and dogs. When I’m not working I am active with my kids sports, camping, crafting and gardening.

1985 Graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s College, BA in Mathematics
1996 Graduate of Synergy Therapeutic Massage School, Blue Ridge Summit PA
2000 Established a full-time practice at the Poenix Wellness (Formerly The Gettysburg Holistic Health) Center and have built a thriving practice while continuing to learn and grow with the best manual therapies available ever since.
I enjoy being able to successfully apply Fascial Counterstrain techniques to resolve many chronic pain issues in otherwise generally healthy individuals.

I began using Counterstrain Techniques in 1997 and took my first Counterstrain Class: Intro to Fascial Counterstrain with Bryan Tuckey, PT in 2015.

I am passionate about the human body’s complexity. I believe that perfect health is our birthright and the foundation of our body’s blueprint. I have learned that pain and disease are caused by infection, inflammation, or trauma and are the body’s ways of alerting us that something needs our attention. My mission is to utilize the non-invasive manual therapies I have learned to help the body heal itself. Through my trained and experienced hands and with the assistance of these integrative methods, I help facilitate the healing flow that resides within my patients’ bodies.

After graduating from La Trobe University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy, Nad has worked in both public and private settings (including the military hospital) before setting up own practice in 2007 in Canberra and 2014 in Melbourne.  Nad has a passion for manual therapy and therefore has pursued many courses, as a result  this allowed him to help people with chronic pain and complex problems.

Nad considers a privilege to treat people with his hands and to facilitate the healing process by using Counterstrain (since his first course in 2009).

Nad feels that the Counterstrain approach has allowed him to be part of forefront of manual medicine. He is excited and passionate about solving the clients pain puzzle.

Nad practices in Hawthorn in Melbourne and once a month in Canberra, Australia. Please feel free to call or book online at either location through our website. 

Graduated from the University of Minnesota Physical Therapy program in 1980.
Volunteer Firefighter/EMT for the City of Falcon Heights for 10 years
Volunteer for NorthWoods Humane Society 10 years
Ride American Saddlebreds/drive Hackney ponies since 2014
I love being a physical therapist, and thank God daily I have found Counterstrain to further help my patients!

Dr. Guynes Graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Masters in Science in 2000. She later completed her Doctorate of Physical Therapy through Marymount University in 2007. She has been certified in Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (Cert. MDT), more commonly known as The McKenzie Method, since 2004. She also obtained a Certification of Manual Therapy (COMT) through Maitland-Australian Physiotherapy Seminars in 2007. She has completed a 4 part series through Herman and Wallace for the treatment of women’s health pain and dysfunction in addition to the Herman and Wallace male pelvic floor course. She has also served as a lab assistant for Herman and Wallace pelvic floor courses. She has been utilizing trigger point dry needling (TDN) in her practice since 2011. She has taken numerous classes on the fascial counterstrain technique over the past several years and has found the technique to be extremely helpful in her treatment of patients. She treats patients with orthopedic issues, with a special interest in spine pain and dysfunction, as well as numerous women and men’s health issues, and hypermobility syndrome.