Karen Bailey is what some would call a “true Mainer” born and raised in the Portland area, graduated from Deering High School in 1989 and received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University of New England in Biddeford in 1993. To complement her academic accomplishments she brought a “play to win” attitude to the soccer, volleyball, basketball and softball programs at both Deering and UNE.
Following graduation from UNE she worked for nine and a half years at Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford, as well as at the satellite clinic in Saco where she focused primarily on outpatient orthopedics, but occasionally covered inpatients, neuro patients, wound care and aquatic therapy as needed. She was the liaison between the rehab department and the occupational medicine department (WorkWell). She worked closely with the doctors and nurses. She developed stretching programs, back schools, ergonomic and safety assessments for the contracted companies.
In February 2003, she fulfilled one of her dreams and opened Optimal Performance Physical Therapy, LLC her own physical therapy clinic, where she takes an integrated holistic approach to therapy focusing on treating the whole person; body, mind, spirit and soul, while educating clients and their families. “Anything is possible if a person believes” Mark 9:23
Karen is a licensed physical therapist, with advanced training as a certified athletic trainer. She is also certified in the following disciplines: Integrated Manual Therapy, Natural Health, Nutrition, Reiki Master, and advanced level integrated energy therapy. She received her Doctorate of Naturopathic Ministry from Trinity College of Natural Health in 2007. She studied Energy Medicine with Cynthia Atkinson, CEMP/S/I, CHTP, through the TransformYour Life Program. She completed a Holistic Health Counselor Certification course through the American Society of Alternative Therapists (ASAT) C.O.R.E. Counseling. She has completed the two year Shamanic Healing Training Program with C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, LCSW, DCSW, Psychotherapist, Teacher of Shamanism and Shamanic Healer & Evelyn C. Rysdyk, Teacher of Shamanism, Shamanic Healer, Sacred Artist and author of Modern Shamanic Living of Spirit Passages. “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding” Proverbs 3:13
Professionally, Karen is always looking to add new techniques and skills to her physical therapy foundation in order to help patients achieve their “Optimal Performance”. This allows patients to improve their quality of life, stay active and healthy, be able do the things they desire and fully enjoy them.
“Anything the mind of a man can conceive and believe, it can achieve” — Napoleon Hill (author of Think and Grow Rich)
Karen’s personal interests include spending time with family, friends, and her dogs – Brandi and Kristy, traveling, relaxing by the lake or at the beach, going to the theater, concerts and sporting events, playing golf and softball, reading, learning and teaching. Karen strives to be a champion in all that she does based on the following motto:
“A true champion is someone who wants to make a difference, who never gives up, and who gives everything she has no matter what the circumstances are. A true champion works hard and never loses sight of her dreams.”
— Dr. Dot Richardson (Orthopedic Surgeon and Olympic Softball Gold Medalist)
Michaela Reynolds is a local Scarborough resident originally from Rhode Island. She graduated from Smithfield High School in Rhode Island and received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Northeastern University. She has worked for the past 23 years in an orthopedic physical therapy setting. Manual therapy has always held great appeal for her, and she has furthered this interest at the Connecticut School for Integrative Manual Therapy. She is the mother of three children ages 21, 19 and 16, and is still involved in being a sports fan for field hockey and ice hockey for the youngest.
Michaela’s personal interests include field hockey, biking, jogging, ice skating and reading. She also enjoys going to the beach in the summer, skiing in the winter and going to school to study homeopathy and furthering her career.
Nicole Guite grew up in Damariscotta, Maine and graduated from Lincoln Academy High School. She lived out of state for 20 years and was delighted to return to her beautiful home state. She settled into Scarborough with her husband and two children in 2014.
Nicole graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, MA with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy in 1998. After graduating, she moved to Atlanta, GA and worked at Gwinnet Medical Center where she gained a variety of experience working in pediatric outpatient, NICU and adult acute care. From Atlanta, she and her family moved to Lebanon, CT where she worked in adult acute care, homecare and outpatient settings for over 10 years. Since returning to Maine, Nicole has worked in pediatric and orthopedic outpatient settings.
Nicole is a lifelong learner and always looking to gain skills that allow her to bring out the best in her patients. She has advanced training in kinesiotaping, dry needling and Functional Movement Systems and has learned advanced manual therapy techniques through Mulligan, Upledger, Barnes and Connecticut School of Integrated Manual Therapy.
Her various experiences/education over the years has allowed her to recognize the value in combining manual therapy with functional movement exercises for peak outcomes in her treatments. Nicole’s philosophy is to treat the patient as a whole, not just as a diagnosis or single body part. She recognizes that each person is unique and her work is to determine how an individual will reach their maximum potential for that day, week, year and lifetime. Her goal is to educate and empower her patients so that they may find connection and joy in moving their bodies. Nicole finds PT to be extremely rewarding and is often told by her patients “I have learned so much about my body” and “I never thought I could enjoy PT”. She is thrilled to be working in her own community in Scarborough and excited to continue to learn advanced manual techniques with the incredible therapists at Optimal Performance physical therapy
When she is not in the clinic, Nicole loves to participate in a variety of activities, including yoga, crossfit, HIIT, running, paddle boarding, hiking and skiing. Most importantly, she loves spending time with her family and watching her children from the sidelines in soccer, hockey and football (GO STORM!).
Darcy Lavigne is the Financial Analyst for OPPT. She is responsible for working with patients to resolve any insurance issues, overseeing the daily office activities, and managing finances.
Darcy is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine where she received her B.S. in Business Administration in 1988. She later obtained her M.B.A. in Business Management in 2000, also at U.S.M.
Darcy has worked for the company since May 2005.
Continuing Education:
January 2006-Employment Law Update 2006
December 2005-How to Understand and Comply with Collections Law
May 2005-Coding and Billing for Therapy and Rehab.