About Breaking Barriers

Why Breaking Barriers? After all of my experiences from 2010 to now, including working at a camp for people with disabilities, internships in specialty hospitals, and working as a physical therapist in renowned healthcare systems in the U.S., I believe we can and should be doing more as physical therapists to meet the needs and goals of children and adults with physical disabilities. A huge gap exists between traditional outpatient rehabilitation and the real world, specifically with community integration and health and wellness. While traditional rehabilitation is a needed part of the continuum of care, we need to bridge the gap to the real world. That is exactly what Breaking Barriers has sought out to do.

At Breaking Barriers, we pride ourselves in being 'outside the box' thinkers. We are here to meet you where you are at, support your goals, and advocate for you. We want to help you achieve whatever it is you are setting out to do, whether that is to tackle a new transfer, learn how to walk again, learn how to be more independent in a manual wheelchair, be able to get back to disc golf after a stroke, figure out a sustainable fitness plan that is adapted/scaled to your needs, get you back on the trails, and more.

We go beyond the traditional rehabilitation construct. We work with you to develop a robust plan with goal setting and accountability to help take you through the next phase of your recovery, implementing evidence-based practices individualized to you. We go beyond clinic walls, meeting you where these goals need to be met (a store, your home, your work space, a park, a gym, etc.). We are not afraid to push you past your comfort zone, to provide appropriate dosing and intensity of exercise to get you where you need to be. We understand that neurologic conditions take considerably longer to recover from than what your insurance might authorize for you. Our focus is on helping you not only continue to make recovery but also achieve optimal health and wellness throughout your life. We are here to help figure out how to break down barriers, navigate the world, and expand community resources. We also work with caregivers and can provide teaching, training, and resources for them as well.

I believe whole-heartedly that my experience, education, skillset, and passion are unique to neurologic rehabilitation and adaptive performance training in Central Illinois. Breaking Barriers is one of the first community-based clinics in the area to fill this gap in the disability rehabilitation community. If you have a goal, I believe my drive to learn, willingness to collaborate, and skillset can help get you where you want to be. It may look different than you intended, but if there is a will, there is a way. Let's collaborate and figure out what opportunities we need to unlock and what potential we can optimize to get you where you want to go. I look forward to working together with you to support you on your journey. 

Welcome to my dream for the world. Thanks for helping bring it to life. I hope it serves you and the community well like I have envisioned it to do. Let's get to it!