Heather Purdin, MS, PT, CMPT, Business Owner (She/Her)
Location(s): Southwest and Northeast
- Master of Science in Physical Therapy, Duke University 1997.
- Bachelor of Science with Honors in Psychology, Duke University 1995
- Chair for the Oregon Area Ehlers-Danlos Support Group.
- Manual therapist with an emphasis in alignment work, muscle balancing, chronic pain, muscle and joint injuries, sports rehab, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, balance/vestibular rehab, pre/post pregnancy rehab.
- Custom foot orthotic fabrication
- Trained by Keith Kleven, Physical Therapist to highest level professional golf, baseball, boxing, wrestling athletes.
- Student Athletic Trainer at Duke University with an emphasis in football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, track, cross country running, and fencing.
- Personal Trainer for 14 years
View Heather’s Curriculum Vitae
Jennifer Ivey, MPT She/Her
Location(s): Northeast
- Graduated from The University of New Mexico with a BS in Biological Anthropology, focusing on proto-humans and the studies of Paleo Pathology and Neanderthals.
- After living in San Francisco for the Dot Com crash, Jen returned to New Mexico to complete a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy at UNM School of Medicine, focusing on Ortho outpatient.
- She took a break from PT to earn a BA in Art History, but returned to her beloved Ortho Outpatient world.
- The rain and green lured Jen to Tacoma where she completed a residency in Ortho Outpatient therapy, after which she and her partner relocated to Portland to enjoy the amazing culture.
- Jen loves to garden, bake, dance, and watch the rain snuggled on the couch with her fur babies when she is not out exploring the food and art scene.
Everett Nicolai, DPT, OMT, FAAOMPT (he/him)
Location(s): Southwest
- Everett graduated from the DPT program at the University of Washington in 2006 after receiving a bachelors degree from Oregon State University in 1998.
- He completed a post graduate certificate in Manual Therapy from the Ola Grimsby Institute in 2007 followed by the fellowship program in 2009.
- He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (FAAOMPT).
- He is a manual therapy instructor having taught many physical therapy students, medical doctors and osteopathic doctors.
- His manual therapy techniques focus on searching for the problematic tissue, such as a disc, muscle, joint, cartilage, nerve, and so forth, and then healing that tissue because each tissue heals with different stimulus.
- He is happy to be back in the Willamette Valley with his husband and daughter. His personal interests include kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, traveling, gardening, and cooking (and eating). He practices stewardship of his forest and has a large garden where he grows common and uncommon fruits and veggies. He speaks Spanish, Italian, French, German, and of course English.
Katie Gertz, DPT, PT (She/Her)
Location(s): Southwest
- Shenandoah University: Physical Therapy Doctorate 2009
- University of Missouri-Columbia: Masters of Physical Therapy 2004
- Katie has worked in a variety of settings including home health, hospitals, outpatient orthopedics, and long term inpatient care and she brings a deep knowledge of the continuum of care.
- Katie is a manual therapist who has trained in NAIOMT and Manual Therapy Visceral Manipulation under the Barral Institute. She has a strong emphasis on biomechanics, mobilization/manipulation and the interaction of the extremity with the spine. She works comfortably with those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, pre/post pregnancy rehab.
- Katie has trained in Visceral Manipulation which is a very gentle manual treatment approach that helps your body restore motion to areas of pain and compensation. Restrictions in the soft tissues and abdominal organs that cause pain and dysfunctional movement patterns throughout the body.
- Katie has experience working with injuries pre/post surgical including meniscal and ACL injuries, shoulder surgeries such as replacements and rotator cuff tendon repairs, ankle and foot injuries as well as many others. She works comfortably with those with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, chronic pain, fibromyalgia, pre/post pregnancy rehab
- Katie enjoys working and taking the time to figure out the reason why someone has developed pain or a movement dysfunction whether it be a new injury or an old one that has many compounding factors.
- Katie enjoys hiking and camping as well as running around with her 2 energetic young boys and one girl, her loving husband, and sweet old dog.
Emily DeCarlo, MPT, RYT-200 (She/Her)
Location(s): Southwest
- Graduated from the University of Delaware with a masters in physical therapy.
- A versatile physical therapist, Emily has been working in this career that she loves for more than 30 years.
- Emily is an expert John Barnes Myofascial Release Bodyworker.
- Emily has been treating chronic pelvic pain and women’s health since 2014 with great success.
- She worked for OHSU and the Legacy system for years. Working largely with trauma patients, Emily learned early that everything in the body is connected. What happens to one part affects the others holistically. Postural alignment, core stability, and free breath support lead to less pain and improved function.
- After a few more years working mostly with a chronic pain population, she started using John Barnes Myofascial Release bodywork, in combination with her other skills, with great success. Emily happily endorses this hands-on, gentle technique with lasting results for the treatment of pain from trauma (emotional and physical), inflammatory responses, and/ or for surgical restrictions. Visit the John Barnes Myofascial Release website for more information this type of bodywork. http://www.myofascialrelease.com
- Emily also specializes in balance and vestibular dysfunctions. After years spent with neurologically involved clients, she has an excellent “eye” for movement and coordination problems, as well as good facilitation skills to promote much improved motor control.
- Shirley Sahrmann’s (PhD, PT, FAPTA) works on Movement Impairment Syndromes also make up a large part of Emily’s clinical treatment philosophy and techniques.
- Yoga has also been instrumental in her treatment method, promoting an unhurried, relaxed style and patient techniques with a focus on feeling and breathing to help treat all diagnoses.
- With two kids, her husband, and a herding dog, Emily spends her free time outdoors as much as she can appreciating the Pacific Northwest lifestyle.
Tina Esquivel, PT (She/Her) 
Location(s): Southwest
- Graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Masters in Physical Therapy in 2005.
- Tina brings a diverse background with an emphasis on Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT). Please see our blog page for a post on what makes IMT such an effective treatment method.
- Her background is primarily outpatient care, but also includes home health, aquatic therapy, sports rehabilitation and nursing home care. Tina provides patient care ranging from infants to geriatrics.
- Tina has a personal passion for exploring how incorporating good dietary choices can yield improved physical outcomes. Specifically, Tina excels at helping her clients find unknown food sensitivities that may be producing problems in the body.
- In addition to IMT, Tina excels in manual therapy techniques such as Craniosacral therapy, Muscle Energy Techniques, Functional Indirect Techniques, Visceral Mobilization, Myofascial Release,Strain/Counter Strain and Neural Tension Techniques
Jennifer Oechsner, PTA, RYT, PFT (She/Her)
Location(s): Southwest and Northeast
- Certified Personal Fitness trainer with an emphasis in functional mobility and strengthening for hypermobility, 11 years. (PFT)
- Certified Functional Training Specialist, 5 years.
- Yoga instructor, 11 years. (RYT)
- Wholistic Nutritionist, 7 years.
- As a movement professional Jennifer emphasizes a wholistic approach to wellness. She emphasizes the importance of good nutrition, nourishing movement and mental well -being to live a vibrant and healthy life.
- Jennifer is passionate about the human body and with understanding the nuances that make each body unique in its function and in its path to healing. She is also passionate about how the food we eat affects our health and performance as well as the importance of using food as medicine.
- Jennifer has worked with a wide range of clients over the years including individuals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorder.
- Jennifer loves being out in nature and enjoys trail running, backpacking, skiing, cycling, and swimming in this area’s amazing rivers and lakes. She finds great joy in challenging her body to new levels and in recent years has competed in sprint and Olympic distance triathlons.
Lilly Lee, MPT, CMPT, OCS (She/Her)
Location(s): Virtual
- Graduate of Mayo Clinic Allied Health Sciences – Masters in Physical Therapy
- 20 years at a small community hospital – Home Health, Hospice, Skilled Nursing Facility, Acute Care and Outpatient rehabilitation.
- Certified manual physical therapist through the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy (NAIOMT), 2008
- Completed MedBridge Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder training
- Extensive training through NAIOMT on protecting joint instabilities while working on patients.
- Certified Orthopedic Specialist 2020
- Present focus – Telehealth physical therapy, teach clients how to recognize joint misalignment and the methods to correct and maintain position.
- To do list – learn more about Functional Nutrition for whole body well-being and optimal treatment for autoimmune inflammation…learning is fun!
- Loves the motto “make a small miracle happen every day”
- Enjoys walking with her goldendoodle, traveling and learning about different cultures, especially new cuisines.
Tessa D, Office Manager (She/Her)
- I have spent my last 10 years in customer service. I genuinely love to work with people and look forward to getting to know all of our patients.
- I love spending time with my fiance and my son. We enjoy the outdoors and spending time at the Beach.
- I am also a proud fur momma to Luna my Australian Shepherd, my cat MiMi, and a rabbit Brownie.
Lou Freiberger, Administrative Assistant (They/Them)
- Lou holds two Bachelors of Arts degrees from SUNY Purchase (New York), one in Modern History and one in Dramaturgy. In college they participated in almost 40 theatrical productions in and outside of their school.
- They were a theater photographer in NYC and most recently a photographer at the Oregon Zoo.
- They hope to pursue a master’s degree in propaganda studies and genocide education.
- Before moving to the PNW four years ago. They grew up in the Bay Area in California.
- In their free time, they like to engage of art of all kinds such as: photography, digital and traditional art, whittling, Lino cut carving, sculpting, and jewelry making.
- They absolutely love goats and would love to see your pictures if you own a goat!
Phoenix DeSheles, Administrative Assistant (He/They)
- Phoenix has lived in the PNW for the past 3 years. He is originally from Nashville, Tennessee.
- He has an associates degree in accounting and spent the past seven years working in customer service with previous employers and in volunteering opportunities.
- He hopes to pursue a bachelors of science in conservation work.
- Phoenix enjoys knitting, playing dungeons and dragons (tabaxi rouge), and listening to music.
- He has 2 dogs (Sirius and Gabe) and 2 cats (Fawn and Zeus). He would love your cat or dog photos.
Santana Gordon, Administrative Assistant (He/They)
- Santana has 6 years of customer service experience largely working directly with grumpy customers and quite a few pleasant ones at the Oregon Zoo,
- He has lived in the Portland area for their entire life and studied Art and Sociology at Portland State University
- He aspires to pursue a career in Art and Cosmetology, and in his spare time loves to bake, sculpt, paint, go to music shows and play with his cats — Tizzy and Wybie.
Chantal Velasco De Johnson, Administrative Assistant (She/Her)
- I am so happy to being part of the Good Health Physical Therapy team. I am from New Mexico and moved to Portland eight years ago. I love all the colors that the Pacific Northwest has to offer.
- I love to garden. In the spring and summer, I grow tomatoes and snap peas.
- I have three fur babies, two elderly wiener dogs named Papi and Rallo, and my beautiful three-year-old girl named Espy who is an American Staffordshire Terrier.
Zeborah Dazzle, PT, WWF (She/Her)
- Zeborah graduated with honors from the physiotherapy program at the University of Johannesburg South Africa in 1999.
- She has worked in multiple locations in South Africa developing skills in orthopedics, neurological rehabilitation and pediatrics before emigrating to the United States in 2019.
- In 2002 she was diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and has made this an area of specialization in her physical therapy (physiotherapy) career since then. She is excited to join the team at Good Health Physical Therapy and looks forward to seeing patients and bringing her special skills in myofascial release, cranio-sacral therapy, whole body manual therapy, rehabilitative yoga and equine therapy (where applicable).
- She is an excellent teacher and communicator and looks forward to empowering through education and helping people who need the services of Good Health Physical Therapy to find us.
- When not working, she enjoys picnicking in local parks (which she calls “grazing”) and exercising with her friends in a running group they affectionately call “The Herd”.
- (Editors Note: While Zeborah is a stuffed animal, and by many people’s belief not real, she symbolizes our very real care for and commitment to education about hypermobility spectrum disorder and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Our love for her and belief in her ability to inform and encourage our patients are also real. Please do not call for an appointment. She is not actively scheduling appointments. She will though be very happy to greet you and take a selfie with you when you visit us. Cheers. )
