Amy Kay is a craniosacral therapist who also trained as an occupational therapist. Before opening her Rose City Park practice, she worked at an LA cancer treatment center. (Patients call her a miracle worker.) 

On Portland vs. LA: In LA, it was always, “Which hat am I wearing today?” Then I came here, and everyone expected me to wear all the hats, all the time. At my first breast cancer support group in Portland, they were like, “Of course you’d do all these things.” I was like, “OK, I’m not in LA anymore.”

On holistic treatments for cancer patients: Just the notion of being touched lovingly while you’re in that crisis zone is huge. I put my hands on people and hold them in a neutral space. More than anything, what I do is be a loving advocate.

On working with kids: When I opened two years ago, I thought I’d be working with adults. But parents started bringing in their kids. I see newborns who had stressful births or who are struggling with nursing; I see older babies during major teething or growth spurts. I get a lot of young kids with concussions and I also see some kiddos with autism, ADD, or anxiety. I help them reset their nervous system, teach them strategies for grounding, tools for coping. It’s a lot of fun! Now I’m working with the whole family.