Located in the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, the Clinic overlooks the ocean at the edge of the Minas Basin, which boasts the highest tides in the world. Driving to and from the Clinic serves to prepare and integrate each patient for the transformative experience provided by their osteopathic treatment.
Most insurance plans cover our services however a medical referral may be required in specific cases. Be sure to check with your insurance company prior to booking your appointment to determine your coverage.
As thoughtful and dedicated health providers we are proud of the warm environment we have created to welcome our patients. Please get in touch to discuss how we may be able to help you.
Meet our Practitioners
Sarah Hayes
BA/BPHE, RMT, DOMP, Osteopath
Clinic Owner and Supervisor
“The wide range of patients who come to the clinic continues to amaze me. From pregnant mothers to newborns, athletes, construction workers, police officers and secretaries, we meet people from all walks of life. I still learn from each person by observing the self-healing process which takes place during and after each treatment.”
Sarah has a background in dance, physical and health education, massage therapy, osteopathy, dynamic neuromuscular stabilization and yoga. She has studied and taught with many osteopaths around the world, gleaning insight from a multitude of perspectives over many years.
Sarah continues to participate annually in human dissection studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, her alma mater. She incorporates principles of dynamic neuromuscular stabilization and somatic re-patterning as well as the developmental patterns which underlie human growth and tissue repair from embryological studies. She brings all this to her clinical work and to her colleagues within the Clinic, striving to cultivate an environment for enriched learning.
Sarah makes herself available to all patients for a quick consultation (upon request) while they’re being treated by any of her colleagues at the Clinic. This collaborative expertise may be beneficial in providing clarity or insight for assessment and treatment in certain conditions.
Anne-Laure Blot
DOMP, Osteopath
“I want all my patients to be happy and feel better. Osteopathy allows me time to listen, advise, support and encourage the self-healing process.”
Born in France, Anne-Laure studied osteopathy for five years in Paris where she held various internships and completed two full years of clinical practice. When the opportunity arose to work as part of an international team in Nova Scotia she jumped at the opportunity. She began working at the Clinic in 2011 and has become a strong and integral part of the osteopathic team. Anne-Laure has been extremely successful in liberating pain. Patients often express relief following her treatments as she provides expert care, coupled with a sensitive touch and warm demeanour. She says that the seaside town of Kingsport reminds her of her native Normandy, and she is happy to now call Canada her home.
Linda Alaviitala
Osteopath
Healing is her purpose in life.
Linda graduated as an Osteopath from the 4-year full time program at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland. After her graduation she worked for two years at several highly valued osteopathic clinics in Finland. She regularly participates in further training and mentoring in the field of Osteopathy in order to deepen her understanding and support her lifelong growth as an osteopath.
Linda graduated as a Massage Therapist from Kuortane Olympic Training Center and has a Bachelor of Business Economics Degree from Vaasa University of Applied Sciences. When it comes to osteopathy, she is aiming to get further training in biodynamic osteopathy and in osteopathy as a way to support emotional healing.
Linda’s treatment style is gentle, effective, and efficient. Her goal is to support the body’s own inherent self-healing mechanisms. Her patients have received relief for both acute and chronic pains, sleeping problems and stress, emotional strain and trauma processing, headaches, head and neck area dysfunctions, ankle and wrist pain, back pain and many more conditions.
Every person can feel safe and welcomed to the treatment room as their true selves. Linda feels that it is important to encounter each patient with respect and to support their individual strengths. Each treatment is personally tailored for the patient.
Linda loves dancing, beauty, and nature. She loves how nature provides nourishment and deep connection. She is interested in healthy foods and their natural medicinal properties. She was born in the countryside of Finland and her values are pure and grounded.
Language skills: English, Finnish, Spanish.
Natalie Alexander
M.Ost., Osteopath
“I offer support to people through my hands, and by sharing my knowledge. I aim to have patients be an active participant in their own health and learn self-care. It is important that they don’t become victims of their symptoms.”
Natalie studied in the United Kingdom full-time for four years, including two years of clinical experience. She received the European School of Osteopathy research prize for her Master’s dissertation on the validity of palpation. She later went on to publish a research paper in The International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, which she presented at the UK’s National Centre for Osteopathic Research (NCOR) in 2021. The osteopathic philosophy which recognizes each person as a functioning whole and that its goal is to get at the root of a problem, is what fascinated her and prompted her entry into the professional field of osteopathy.
Natalie harkens originally from western Canada but loves the great outdoors and the natural beauty of Nova Scotia. She has been with the osteopathic team in Kingsport since 2016. People come to her with a wide variety of health concerns from headaches and post concussion symptoms, lower back and neck pain, to digestive issues or athletic injury. She is appreciated for her intensely caring, highly professional work ethic.
She always welcomes a new challenging patient.
Serena Lupini
M.Sc., DOMP, Osteopath
Serena completed her undergraduate studies in Osteopathy in Italy in 2018 and went on to attain a master’s degree in osteopathic science from NESCOT in the United Kingdom. She has been working as a member of the osteopathic team in Kingsport since 2019.
In 2022/23 she travelled extensively in North and South America, settling for a time in British Columbia. During her time away she continued to grow as an osteopath. She studied Bowen therapy in conjunction with Osteopathy to address concussions. She worked for some time in a recovery center in Vancouver, utilizing her osteopathic skills to help those individuals struggling with addiction and concerns with mental health.
Serena is interested in issues concerning women’s health as well as working with athletic injuries and imbalances caused by sprains and strains, and loves to work in conjunction with other modalities to support children as they grow. She is an athlete in her own right and knows first-hand the importance of fitness, alignment, and postural integrity to define and refine motion. Her approach fully embraces the osteopathic principle that the body is a functional unit of body / mind / spirit, and her expertise has yielded amazing results for her patients. She is compassionate and gentle in her approach, considering each person as a unified whole while helping them to reach their specific goals.
Serena speaks fluent Italian, Spanish and English and welcomes new patients!
Riccardo Beccarini
DO Osteopath
Riccardo graduated in osteopathy with a 6-year course at the AIMO (Accademia Italiana di Medicina Osteopatica) in Saronno (Milan) Italy, in 2021.
Before completing his studies at the Academy of Osteopathy he obtained a degree in Sports and Sports Sciences. He then went on to procure a master’s degree in nutrition and health sciences. After passing the state examination he obtained registration within the order of Italian biologists.
He firmly believes that movement, combined with proper nutrition and the self-healing processes induced by osteopathy, are cornerstones for the psycho-physical well-being of each person.
After completing his studies Riccardo began working as an osteopath, nutritional biologist, and kinesiologist in Italy, carrying out his work with passion, competence, and professional ethics.
He is grateful for the opportunity offered by the Kingsport Osteopathy clinic to contribute to the practice of osteopathy in Canada with the seriousness and experience gained during his studies and work in Italy.
His approach with patients is empathetic and deep, using different techniques ranging from the cranio-sacral sphere to the visceral sphere to the structural sphere, in order to improve the functionality of the movement, relieve pain and help recovery.
Riccardo welcomes new patients! Please call the Kingsport Clinic to book your appointment with him.
Dr. Scott Woodworth
ND
“If we focus on identifying the root cause of each condition, we should not have to treat the symptoms.”
Dr. Scott Woodworth is a graduate of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. Since his graduation in 2000, Dr. Woodworth has worked in private practice in Nova Scotia. He believes in an integrated approach to patient care, working together with other health care practitioners to achieve optimal health for his patients. He worked for two years in Chicago as part of an oncology team treating patients suffering with late stage cancer. This experience consolidated his belief in the team approach.
Naturopathic Medicine dovetails beautifully with Osteopathy in that it also strives to find the cause of disease. Naturopathy uses symptomatology as a guide for diagnosis and Dr. Woodworth investigates to find the connections within the symptom picture to distill the cause of each problem. This enables him to refine the treatment protocols. He relies on an in-depth nutritional assessment to develop treatment plans using minimal supplementation and dietary modification to achieve realistic goals for each patient. He has a passion for and specializes in the treatment and management of immune system disorders and related health concerns.
Joel Hayes
BBA, R.M.T. Registered Massage Therapist,
Osteopathic Manual Practice (Current Study)
“I am excited to be a part of this extraordinary team.”
Joel Hayes is a graduate of the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy (CCMH) in Halifax, 2020. He has a post-secondary degree in Business Administration Management from Mount Saint Vincent University and a Tourism Management diploma from NSCC.
Growing up in the tiny hamlet of Kingsport has given Joel an appreciation for the great outdoors and promoted his active lifestyle choices. He has always enjoyed playing sports such as soccer, hockey and golf. These pursuits led to his keen interest in body work and his experiential knowledge of proper body mechanics in helping prevent physical injuries as well as providing assistance with recovery.
From a very young age Joel was given insight into the benefits of the manual therapies of osteopathy and massage therapy which sparked his interest in pursuing a career in the manual therapeutic arts. He looks forward to utilizing the skills and knowledge he has learned. Working in collaboration with other therapists within this multidisciplinary clinic will help him to grow as a therapist.
As a massage therapist Joel wishes to specialize in soft tissue manipulation and working with the body as a whole to help people address their primary concerns. He aims to decrease restrictions which cause tension in the muscles & fascia, improve range of motion within the joints, focus on relaxation of the patient and develop remedial exercise programs for each patient to enhance treatment outcomes. He looks forward to a challenging career.
Clinic support staff
Chrissie Lynk
Office Manager
“I enjoy working at the clinic and watching the patients get better. Our clinic is often a last resort for people who are in pain and I can see the changes before and after they’ve had their treatment. This makes my job satisfying.”
Chrissie has been with the Kingsport Clinic from very early on. She supports the operations, and has helped to facilitate the successful, organic growth of the clinic.
Dara Mackin
Administrative Assistant
“The clinic is such a serene place. We want to put people at ease and we want them to know that their health is a priority for all of us. We do our best to be accommodating for everyone.”
Dara has been with the clinic since 2005. As the initial point of contact she listens carefully to each person’s concerns in order to assist them in getting the care they need. She believes in the quality of work offered by the clinicians at the Clinic and knows that treatment can help improve their quality of life.
Our Policies
• Please enter the clinic no more than 5 minutes prior to your appointment.
• As we have recently changed to a paperless system, we require all patients to complete an on-line intake form. This will provide us with up to date information on each person.
Make sure to include a list of all current medications and supplements that you take on a regular basis.
• Payment is due at the end of every session. We accept cash, Visa, debit and MasterCard.
• If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment you must give 24 hours notice. This is a courtesy to the clinic and others who are waiting for appointments.
• If you miss your scheduled appointment and do not provide adequate notice you will be charged for your appointment.
• We have a NO SCENT policy. This includes fabric softeners, scented laundry soap, scented deodorant and scented lotions, shampoos, conditioners, and hair spray/creams. Please respect others.
• In order for us to fully examine your body, you may be asked to undress to your underwear. If this is not suitable for you, any type of stretchy, form fitted clothing which allows you to move and the practitioner to see your structure will be fine.
• A lovely addition to our clinic is our therapy dog named Padi who is extremely friendly and hypoallergenic. She especially loves children and enjoys being part of the healing process. You may request that she is not present during the treatment if you prefer.
