We were lucky to catch up with Krisia Gattas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Krisia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?

From the moment I started working in outpatient physical therapy, I realized I wanted to someday own my own clinic. Typical treatment sessions in a physical therapy practice consist of a few minutes of heat therapy, modalities, a few minutes with the PT itself and then some exercises with a physical therapy aide. I knew that in order to truly make a difference in patients’ lives, I wanted to offer individualized treatment sessions, where patients were seen for an entire hour, hands-on with the physical therapist. When I moved to Miami in 2020, I immediately started to plan to open my practice in 2021.

One of the challenges I faced when in the process of opening my own practice was establishing connections with different practitioners as I was new to the Miami area. Fortunately, I met several like-minded practitioners who believed in a holistic and integrative approach like I do. These practitioners continue to be on the top of my list when it comes to refer patients out for different conditions.

For any professionals considering opening up their own practice, my best advice would be the following: if you know you can offer something unique that will make a difference in the lives of others, do it! Don’t overthink it.

Krisia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I was born and raised in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. My parents were in the hospitality business, and I got to spend a lot of time at the hotel they managed. Some of the hotel guests I interacted with were US missionaries who traveled to Honduras to provide more accessible health care. One day, I traveled with some PT missionaries to a rural part of Honduras. That is the day I fell in love with the rehab industry. I realized that there is so much we have the ability to do for a person’s pain, recovery from surgery, and prevention of injury, and that is something I will never take for granted.

I am now the proud owner of Pelvic Therapy South Florida, a pelvic floor and orthopedic rehabilitation clinic. Our main goal in the clinic is to find the root cause of any issue you are encountering. This will ensure you don’t only have temporary relief of symptoms, but long-lasting relief. We treat men and women with pelvic pain, bowel and bladder issues, and orthopedic conditions. We provide hour long sessions, hands-on with the physical therapist.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

Succeeding in the physical therapy field all comes down to one thing: empathy. In order to help each patient succeed in their plan of care, you need to understand why the issue the patient is having affects them not only physically, but emotionally and in their every day life. Understanding this and being able to put yourself in the shoes of the patient will change how you speak to them, but most importantly how to listen to them.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Although I have always had immense support from my family from abroad and from my husband, I started my business in Miami without really having a community that could help with any resources I needed. When starting a new business, you need to become familiar with the chamber of commerce of the area, contractors that may be doing any renovations for your space, practitioners to refer patients to, etc. Although I had to create all of those connections on my own and walk into different locations to introduce myself and what I do, I was so lucky to have been embraced by so many wonderful members of my community.

Starting a business “from scratch” is not easy for anyone, and it is also not for everyone. However, I had the fueling passion to help others heal from pelvic floor conditions and to start a business that could impact a wonderful community.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pelvictherapysf.com
• Instagram: @pelvictherapysouthflorida
• Linkedin: Krisia Gattas, PT, DPT
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pelvic-therapy-south-florida-coral-gables

Image Credits

Faheem Mujahid