About Us

Spectra: the plural of spectrum, an array of light waves, colours produced when sunlight is passed through a prism and each colour has its own spectrum of intensity, vibrancy and tone, many invisible to the naked eye.

Carmen Bedard-Gautrais

Registered Physical Therapist (RPT)
Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (RTCMP)

Carmen's journey in healthcare began almost two decades ago during her undergraduate program as a Davis Scholar in the United States before she completed a Master of Physical Therapy at the University of British Columbia (UBC). Her passion and curiosity about health and wellness started in childhood. Her personal experiences with the healthcare system began when she underwent open-heart surgery at the age of 10, which prompted Carmen and her family to explore a diverse range of health options beyond conventional medicine. Carmen began studying Reiki at 14, and from nutrition to meditation, holistic medicine became an inseparable part of physical health.

After completing an undergraduate program in Human Ecology in the United States, Carmen embarked on a unique journey. She combined her biomedical coursework with the study of herbal medicine practices in Mexico, North America, and East Africa. She developed a framework for comparative health studies, recognizing multiple approaches to health, diagnosis, and treatment. Her studies took her to the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico, where she learned from a Curandera. She then travelled to Kenya and Uganda as part of a Health and Development program.

Exposure to many health perspectives encouraged Carmen to adopt an innovative approach, combining conventional medicine with ancient forms of healing. This led her to complete a five-year Doctorate of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Victoria, BC, with over 3,000 hours of coursework and clinical practice. She spent her final residency in northern China at the Liaoning Hospital.

Carmen completed her Master of Physical Therapy as part of UBC's Northern and Rural Cohort, which included placements throughout the province in multiple settings, including neurological rehabilitation, Mary Pack arthritis centre, acute care, pediatrics, post-surgical units and private practice.

As a physiotherapist, Carmen takes a particular interest in vestibular/concussion rehabilitation and has had a focused and specialized caseload in vestibular rehab at Parksville Physiotherapy, where she worked for nearly a decade. During her time at Parksville Physiotherapy, she was part of a research team based out of UBC that collaborated to update the total joint arthroplasty tool kit for use by registered physiotherapists in Canada.

Currently, Carmen trains in Kettlebell Sport lifting and has been competing over the past year to qualify for Canadian Nationals.

Having lived on Denman Island for a decade, Carmen has spent the last two years focused on establishing consistent, high-quality, and reliable rehabilitation and wellness care on Denman and Hornby Islands. Carmen is grateful to have the opportunity to grow her practice and meet the needs of our local communities with an unwavering commitment to providing the best care possible.

Rebecca Halls

Diploma of Osteopathic Manual Practice (DOMP)

Rebecca first came across osteopathy during her career as a professional dancer. Traveling internationally for performance and teaching opportunities, Rebecca was treated by several incredible osteopaths who inspired her to pursue studies.

Rebecca has recently passed her 5th-year board exam at the Canadian School of Osteopathy in Vancouver and is currently writing a case report on the benefits of osteopathic manipulative treatment in postpartum women.

A session with Rebecca includes a thorough biomechanical assessment, followed by a treatment plan based on the individual patient’s needs. Methods include visceral manipulation, energetic impulse, craniosacral therapy, muscle energy technique and myofascial release.

Parallel to her path in Osteopathic Manual Therapy, Rebecca has long been a movement teacher and offers individualized training as well as teacher training programs in the GYROKINESIS®️ & GYROTONIC®️ Methods.

Christopher Mainella

Registered Physical Therapist (RPT)

Christopher studied Physiotherapy at McGill University and graduated in 2007. Since then he has worked in private practices, with sports teams, with community based homecare organizations and was the head Physiotherapist on Haida Gwaii; managing outpatient clinics, inpatient care and long term care clientele. From 2021-2023 he worked as a Physiotherapist on Denman Island and Hornby Island and also at Parksville Physiotherapy Clinic. He was most currently working as a Physiotherapist in Switzerland, and has now returned to Canada, to live on Denman Island!

Christopher’s approach is holistic in nature and, over the years, he has gained many experiences and techniques from various disciplines and healers. Some of these being: Myofascial release, Manual therapy, Mulligan’s mobilisation with movement, McKenzie approach, Cranio-sacral release, vestibular rehabilitation, lymphatic drainage, trigger point releases, stretching and strengthening programs and Acupressure. His approach focuses a lot on prevention, education, self-observation and body-mind empowerment. Christopher works with all ages and considers himself somewhat of a generalist, working with orthopaedic injuries, neurological conditions, chronic pain syndromes, lymphoedema and burn injuries. He also provides fall prevention education for the elder population.

When he is not working, he is a passionate Permaculturalist, gardener and nature lover. He enjoys hiking, kayaking, wild harvesting, fruit picking, board games, reading, live music and dancing. Christopher considers himself quite the foodie, always transforming and trying new recipes. He was born and raised in the amazing city of Montreal but has been coming to the West coast since his childhood.

Christopher considers himself so fortunate to be working on Denman and Hornby island and with the Spectra health team. He is excited to be able to continue providing quality and consistent Physiotherapy services to the Denman and Hornby Island community.