Integrative Therapeutic Solutions is a holistic neuro-physical private practice clinic in Gig Harbor. With a focus on personalized therapies, they specialize in neurologic dysfunctions and injuries that affect balance, neck to hand pain and function to postural instability, home and community safety, as well as caregiver resilience.
With training strongly based in neuroscience, owner Mariel Kraus, OTR/L has worked in several settings including internships at a well-respected national rehab center in Southern California where the standards of care for head trauma were written. She is LSVT Certified (an international movement therapy program), a Certified Aging in Place Specialist - Occupational Therapist (CAPS-OT) with experience working in the building industry, and currently working on a neurology certification.
People with Parkinson’s Disease from around the Puget Sound, as well as out of state, come to this clinic to achieve optimal outcomes through a combination of LSVT Certified Movement therapy and other neuromuscular re-education therapies.
At Integrative Therapeutic Solutions, Mariel physically assesses the whole person (from the head down), support system and, when appropriate, home environment. Additionally, her team member, Bob Nussbaum, a certified resiliency instructor, helps their patients’ caregivers stay emotionally and physically healthy by preventing compassion fatigue, which affects primary caregivers. Office manager Pam Mommsen ensures that each patient’s insurance benefits are optimally aligned with their plan of care.
“I don’t promise to cure anyone, but I promise to work hard at finding out what is causing dysfunction and finding a way to ameliorate their condition,” Mariel says. “I start with relieving pain first, and then everything else falls into place.”
Integrative Therapeutic Solutions embodies the three elements of Mariel’s approach to therapy:
1. Integrative: As a neuro-physical occupational therapist, Mariel’s goal is to reintegrate a person back into wellness. After a head injury, stroke or neurologic disorder, the two cerebral hemispheres may become disconnected and need to be reorganized through neurologic integration therapies. Integration of mind, body and home environment is the optimal goal.
2. Therapeutic: Mariel uses a variety of physical rehabilitation techniques using her hands, tools and physical agent modalities such as e-stim, ultrasound, cold laser and infrared light.
3. Solutions: Mariel is a clinical investigator who loves to solve the problems that her patients present with when they come to the clinic. Many have tried and failed at other clinics, and often, Mariel is their last attempt at wellness. As a CAPS-OT, her home assessments offer solutions for issues often missed by contractors and less-experienced CAPS evaluators.
With a sister who suffers from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), Mariel saw firsthand that her sister’s rehab team’s primary focus was on high productivity rather than taking the time to find answers and relief for her. As Mariel says, “At the end of the day I want to be the hero and my patients to know they get 100 percent of my effort. I like knowing that I have made a difference in the lives of my patients because I took the time to listen, investigate and deliver the highest quality of therapies I have in my tool belt.”
The environment Mariel provides her patients is tranquil and private. Here, patients receive one-on-one hands-on time with Mariel and are never rushed; an approach vastly different from other rehab clinics and centers where productivity is the primary focus.
Mariel acknowledges those who have aided her in achieving her dream. “I attribute the success of my business first to God, who gave me the vision for starting my private practice and the energy to work long days at building my business,” she says. “Next, my husband Jayson, who believed in me and supports my dream. My teenage son Jacob helps after school a couple of days a week. Finally, teammates Bob and Pam, who have been my cheerleaders at work and in the community.”
At Integrative Therapeutic Solutions, Mariel and her team are ready to provide your loved ones with relief while offering their support to the entire family.
Integrative Therapeutic Solutions, LLC
5775 Soundview Drive, Suite A 103
Gig Harbor, Washington 98335
253.514.6842