Make room for

Since Alison became a physical therapist in 2009, she has worked in a variety of clinical settings, which have all informed her practice over the years. As a young clinician, she completed a year-long physical therapy orthopedic residency program, to hone her clinical reasoning and manual therapy skills, and became a board certified clinical specialist following that.

Alison has been passionate about working with pregnant and postpartum patients from early on in her career. After the birth of her first child, she experienced first hand the challenges that come with recovery from these changes. As someone who worked in the field, she was astounded by the lack of information and resources available to new moms about recovery and rehabilitation after giving birth, about the pelvic floor and musculoskeletal system in general. This has driven her practice since.

 Alison strongly believes that movement is medicine and physical therapy can be a powerful force in returning a person to his or her optimal function. She especially enjoys working with recreational athletes and mothers (which she notes is also a form of athleticism).

Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, strength training, chasing her kids around for  “cardio,” meditation, traveling, and spending time with family.

Allison is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has over 10 years of experience working in various medical settings. Much of her career has been focused on working with new parents, first as NICU social worker and later with Early Intervention providing in-home services to the families of the 0-3 population. As Allison’s career shifted from inpatient medical settings to outpatient counseling, she remained engaged and interested in the journey to parenthood, supporting hopeful, expectant, and new parents through the changes, challenges, and joys that many encounter. 

While Allison’s career progressed, she was met with her own complex journey to motherhood, experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss before welcoming a healthy baby in 2019. This personal experience has affirmed her passion to support families as they adjust to parenthood and face both the joys and uncertainties that come along. 

In her work with clients, Allison utilizes a patient-centered, holistic approach, drawing on theories of CBT, ACT, and DBT to create individualized plans for each patient.  She has completed advanced training in Perinatal Mental Health through Postpartum Support International and is certified in Yoga Informed Psychotherapy.

Giovanna started her career supporting families as a preschool teacher in Northern Illinois. After 5.5 years in the classroom, she transitioned to higher education administration for two universities over the next 15 years. After the birth of her son, her passion and interest in the fourth trimester increased as she became aware of the gap in care for new parents. She became a birth and postpartum doula in 2014 and started serving families in the Chicagoland area under Tiny Tusks Doula. Her support has evolved to include virtual postpartum support across the US. 

As an educator at heart, she is committed to continuing education to further develop her expertise. Her trainings include:

• Hypnobabies Doula
• Stillbirthday Doula
• Spinning Babies

A background in Early Childhood education also allows her to support parents during the first year with topics that include breastfeeding, introducing solids, sleeping challenges, and beyond! 

When she is not at work, she can usually be found exploring local parks and trails with her son, training for endurance cycling races, or preparing for the next marathon! Her passions include trying out new recipes, cooking for her family, and incorporating fitness into her day.

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