We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kara Swinney. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kara below.

Alright, Kara 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?

In March 0f 2021, as we were emerging from Covid quarantines, I decided to open my own office to treat children with disabilities using my new certification in Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME). I never thought I’d own my own practice, even though I grew up knowing my entrepreneurial father would love for me to venture out on my own. In my experience, pediatric therapy clinics had lots of specialized equipment, space and therapists of staff to manage. This was never what I envisioned for my career. To my surprise, I found a different model during Covid that caused me to re-evaluate my preconceived notions. I began seeing videos on Instagram of children from around the world working with therapists using wooden boxes and equipment that were unfamiliar to me. The exercises were unlike anything I had ever used in my treatment sessions and I wanted to know more. I discovered that the technique that I would later learn was called CME, was developed my Ramon Cuevas in Chile in the 1970s. How was it that I had never heard of it before? I had been practicing pediatric physical therapy and taking continuing education for 20 years! I found that CME was common in many areas of the world, but only offered at a few clinics in the US. I inquired about taking courses and kept hitting dead-ends. Finally, I found Simona DeMarchi in Toronto. She was the first Certified Level IV Instructor of CME after Ramon himself and she was developing the first online course for CME I with his blessing. I jumped on the opportunity to learn CME remotely in 2020 when we were all having to pivot from in-person interactions. I fell in love with this new-to-me way of helping children learn to sit, transition, stand and walk. I decided to go all in on CME and completed the next level of certification, CME II, followed by 3 trips to Toronto to do mentorship with Simona in her treatment space. This is when I realized that Simona had created a sole practitioner clinic focusing on CME that I wanted to model my own practice after. No fancy equipment or administrative staff needed to create the workplace I had never realized was possible, but desperately wanted. So, I made the leap and opened a small office where I use the CME wooden equipment, a treatment table and floor mats to make magic with the kids who come through my door. I hear over and over from families that they are seeing their children accomplish things they never thought were possible and that these results are due to the innovative techniques made possible by Ramon Cuevas. There are not many positive things that came out of those Covid years, but for me it was discovering CME, meeting Simona and making the decision to start my own business to do what I love.

Kara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The type of pediatric physical therapy that I provide to children with motor delays, Cuevas Medek Exercises (CME), differs from traditional physical therapy in that we are provoking automatic reactions in the brain by exposing the child to gravity in a variety of positions using the most distal point of control. Traditional therapy uses facilitation to bring the child through the movement and hope that they will start to assist with this movement. With CME, I am asking the brain to react in a way that it is hard-wired to do so that the child “owns” the movement from the beginning. I give the least amount of support with which the child can be successful in the posture. This means that I might be holding the child’s ankles while they are learning to stand. I can make small movements and adjustments to act as their balance mechanisms until they can take over and balance themselves. I have seen dramatic results using CME, including helping a child move from walking with a walker to walking independently. Independence is the ultimate goal and each child has their own level of independence they are working towards. For some, it could be sitting on their own. Each mini milestone is celebrated.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

If I could go back and choose my profession and specialty again, I absolutely would. It has been everything I thought it would be and more. I get to develop relationships with the children and families I work with every week, provide a meaningful service, and celebrate successes. Owning my own business has allowed me the flexibility to be able to attend school events for my children and take extended summer vacations. I value the autonomy of being able to make my own schedule.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Early on, I had some good traction on Instagram to drive new referrals. I had families reaching out from as far as Houston, Dallas and Louisiana based on my Instagram presence. Now, most of my referrals come from local Austin families who want to share their experiences with other families that they feel should know about my services. I have worked in Austin for over 20 years, so I have relationships with other therapists that send families my way based on the work they have seen and the satisfaction of the families I work with. With a reputation of making progress and developing connections, families know they will be taken care of at Austin Pediatric PT.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://austinpediatricpt.com
• Instagram: @austinpediatricpt
• Facebook: @austinpediatricpt
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Photos by Roy Muyinza