Bridge Back Team

HOLLY CHRISTY

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR AND HEAD OF IMPACT  
   
  Dr. Christy co-founded The Bridge Back Project in October of 2017 and is the principal investigator and executive director. She is passionate about providing a research-based treatment to help ease suffering for those who have suffered from post traumatic stress injuries.  
   
  Dr. Christy is trained in the highly specialized technique of Fascial Counterstrain by Tim Hodges, LMP, JSCCI, CACI and Brian Tuckey, PT, OCS, JSCCI, both of whom have been pioneering an effort to expand the methodology of Counterstrain to effectively restore function to the fascial systems of the body: Visceral, Neural, Cranial/Dural, Musculoskeletal, Arterial, Venous and Lymphatic. She is an instructor for the Counterstrain Academy and the Jones Institute, and a graduate and clinical adjunct faculty member of Bastyr University.  
   
  “Of all the modalities I’ve been exposed to in my career, Counterstrain is the most evolved and astoundingly powerful. Counterstrain is based in science and applied anatomy, and through it, we are able to reach inside the body and restore function with very little effort. One patient described it as ‘invisible surgery’ – an apt description for this outstanding technique.”  
   
  A lifelong Washingtonian, Dr. Christy earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Washington, Master of Acupuncture from Northwest Institute of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine, and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. She has been in practice since 2000.

BRIAN TUCKEY

PHYSICAL THERAPIST  
   
  Mr. Tuckey, the developer of Fascial Counterstrain, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, School of Physical Therapy in 1990. He has 30+ years of outpatient orthopedic experience and has been certified as an orthopedic specialist (OCS) by the American Board of Physical Therapy Examiners since 1995. Mr. Tuckey started Tuckey and Associates Physical Therapy LLC, specializing in outpatient orthopedics and Counterstrain techniques, in April of 2004. In 1992 Mr. Tuckey began training at the Jones Institute under the guidance of the famous osteopathic physician Dr. Lawrence Jones D.O., the originator of Strain and Counterstrain technique. Eventually Mr. Tuckey became one of only 4 physical therapists in the United States to be personally certified by Dr. Jones to teach Strain and Counterstrain. In the late 1990’s, following the death of Dr. Jones, Mr. Tuckey took over the reins of Counterstrain innovation at the Jones Institute, expanding the curriculum from approximately 220 to over 1000 anatomically based treatments. This modern-day version of Counterstrain is currently called “Fascial Counterstrain” due to its unique ability to impact and treat all the body’s fascial systems including the vascular, visceral, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. This multi-system approach is unique in the world of manipulation giving it unparalleled diagnostic and curative capacity. Fascial Counterstrain is currently being taught to a rapidly expanding audience of domestic and international medical professionals.

WILLY CHERRY

PHYSICAL THERAPIST  
  Willy Cherry has been a Physical Therapist for nearly 30 years. His search for ways to overcome personal injuries and trauma has resulted in an educational path covering many disciplines. Counterstrain has been the most useful and effective tool he has found, creating positive changes in patients and himself not afforded with any other form of treatment. He co-founded of Function & Action Physical Therapy in 1993 and recently joined the Counterstrain Academy’s Instructor Training Program . Joining the Bridge Back Project to help all survivors of trauma is an honor and responsibility he is committed to.

SHANNON ARNDT

PHYSICAL THERAPIST  
  Shannon Arndt founded Lone Lake Physical Therapy in 2011, and is opening the Soundview Center for Wellbeing in Langley, WA in 2019. She has spent over a decade dedicating herself to mastering Counterstrain because of the profound impact it has had in improving the lives of her patients. In 2014, she became an officially certified Counterstrain practitioner through the Jones Institute, has completed the Mastery Program through the Counterstrain Academy, and is currently training to become an instructor with the Jones Institute. Shannon considers it an amazing honor to be a part of the Bridge Back Project and to give support to those who have experienced profound trauma in the course of their service to our community.

RACHEL HARMON

NATUROPATHIC PHYSICIAN  
  A native to Western Washington, Dr. Rachel earned her Bachelor of Science in Integrated Human Biology, Master of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University. Rachel has taken all of the offered Fascial Counterstrain classes through the Jones Institute, four mastery programs with Counterstrain Academy, and continues to practice counterstrain under the mentorship of Dr. Holly Christy. She has been practicing medicine since 2020.

SHARON L. JOHNSON PH.D.

PSYCHOLOGIST  
  Dr. Sharon Johnson has been a safety personnel psychologist in private practice since 1991. She has presented nationally and internationally and has written numerous treatment books covering topics such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD), among others. Currently, Sharon is honored to participate in the Bridge Back Project research project to bring another evidenced based treatment of PTSD and pain alleviation to first responders and military personnel who have dedicated so much of themselves to the benefit of others.