Empowered Pelvic Health & Wellness

Serving the Pioneer Valley MA and the Northwestern CT areas.

A holistic, patient first, occupational approach for your pelvic floor concerns.

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I provide home-based therapy in your own home environment, respecting your comfort and privacy, where we will focus on care that is just right for you. With years of experience meeting patients for in-home occupational therapy, I saw the benefits of meeting patients where they are, seeing their challenges first hand. Today everyone is so busy and trying to fit in the time to take care of ourselves seems like one more thing to do on our list, especially if we are caring for others, or have a full-time job. Let me help take some of the stress of finding childcare or transportation to an appointment off your hands.

I provide a client-centered and holistic approach, where we work together to address your pelvic floor concerns whether it be bowel and bladder incontinence, constipation, pelvic floor pain, low back pain, prolapse, pre or post surgical care for hysterectomy, painful sex, and changes brought about by the menopause transition. I also work with individuals undergoing gender affirming care, or for pregnancy and postpartum care to help you get back to the things that matter most to you.

Pregnancy

Together, we’ll work to manage pelvic pain, improve posture, and strengthen your pelvic floor to help reduce the risk of issues like incontinence or prolapse. I’ll also guide you through safe movement patterns and share strategies to ease the discomfort that can come with a growing belly and hormonal changes.

Postpartum

Recovery support focuses on restoring core stability, improving bladder and bowel control, and addressing any lingering pelvic pain or weakness. Education is provided on safe lifting, returning to physical activity, and strategies to support overall well-being during the postpartum phase. With personalized exercises and functional training, the goal is to help you regain strength, mobility, and confidence in your body.

Pain

Through a detailed assessment, I work with you to identify the root causes of your pelvic floor pain and develop a personalized treatment plan. This may include gentle manual therapy, relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, posture work, and visceral manipulation to reduce tension and improve muscle coordination. I also provide strategies to manage pain during everyday activities, helping you move more comfortably and feel more in control of your body.

Bladder & Bowel Incontinence

Incontinence can occur at any point in our lives and can significantly impact our ability to participate in the things we love. Incontinence can prevent us from returning to an exercise program, our ability to perform our job, care for our children, engage in intimacy, and can significantly impact our social lives. Through a detailed assessment we would look at your daily habits, routines, activities, posture, breathing patterns, as well as strength and coordination assessments to come up with a tailored plan for you.

Prolapse

Did you know that prolapse can occur whether or not you’ve had children? It often presents as a feeling of pressure, heaviness, or the sensation that something is “falling out.” Prolapse can also contribute to abdominal or back pain. Through our work together, we would explore and address the underlying factors that may be contributing to your symptoms — including biomechanics, diet, positioning, constipation, intra-abdominal pressure, and visceral mobility, among others.

Menopause Transition & Beyond

During menopause, many people experience changes like bladder leaks, pelvic discomfort and painful sex, or a feeling of decreased core strength. In pelvic floor occupational therapy, I help you navigate these shifts with personalized strategies—like targeted exercises, lifestyle adjustments, and education to support bladder, bowel, and sexual health. My goal is to help you feel more comfortable, confident, and in control of your body during this stage of life.

Helping You Feel Better And Move Better

Dara Clauson, OTR/L, Level 1 FPHP
Functional Pelvic Health Practitioner

My journey into Pelvic Floor Therapy began with a personal experience. After a severe birth injury of my own, I turned to pelvic floor therapy to address pain, incontinence, and challenges with everyday tasks like picking up and playing with my kids. The improvements were life-changing.

Grateful for the care I was given — and now acutely aware of the gap in access to this care — I was inspired to begin specializing in pelvic floor therapy. Now, I am honored to help women navigate pelvic health challenges so they can live fully, without being limited by pain, dysfunction, or stigma.

I offer compassionate, evidence-based care for pelvic pain, incontinence, postpartum recovery, and more.

FAQ

What ages do you treat?

I only treat individuals above the age of 18 years.

Do you treat men and women?

At this point in time I treat cis women or individuals undergoing gender affirming care.

Do you accept insurance?

I will gladly guide you through the required pre-approval steps and superbill submission to your insurance for reimbursement. I am a solo practitioner dedicated to providing personalized, one-on-one care. My focus is on helping each client reach their goals at their own pace — without restrictions or outside interference. I believe that decisions about your care — including how often we meet and how long treatment continues — should be made by you and your therapist, not by insurance companies. This approach allows me to focus fully on your progress and provide the quality of care you truly deserve.

What is a Superbill?

Superbills are a way to get reimbursed by your insurance for healthcare costs. Often times I can be covered under your insurance at in network rates, and is a quick and easy process.

Here is how it works:

Call your health insurance provider and request a network deficiency due to lack of access to care. Network deficiencies are found in one of two ways:

You do not have any in network providers that are covered under your insurance within a certain radius of your home.
The in network providers have an extensive, months long wait list that makes it an excessive burden to the patient.

After that you would receive confirmation from your health insurance that I would be considered an in-network or out of network provider, and billing submitted by you to your insurance company would go towards your deductible. Then we can go ahead and book!

Following our sessions you submit the costs to your insurance via your health insurance website for reimbursement, which can take just a few minutes.

Must you do an internal assessment?

You probably will not get this answer anywhere else: internal assessments are not a given. I pride myself on providing trauma informed care, and offer four different types of assessment:

Feedback Based: clothes on with you providing feedback based on various cues.
Assessment: clothes off from the waist down, no touch.
External Visual Assessment with touch: clothes off from the waist down.
Internal Exam: internal and external vaginal and/or rectal exam.

All treatment and evaluation decisions are always your choice. Explicit consent is needed for all treatments, and can be adjusted at ANY point in time.

But which one is the best form of assessment?

The short answer? The one that you feel most comfortable with. There is a lot that can be gleaned from feedback-based assessments, as well as from the other gentle, non-invasive options I mentioned above. You can absolutely start with a feedback-based assessment and decide later if you’d like to try an internal one. This process is meant to be flexible and guided by your comfort every step of the way.