Resources for providers

Welcome, Medical and Alternative Health Colleagues!

Thank you for visiting this page—and even more importantly, thank you for the vital work you do in supporting the health and well-being of your patients. Your dedication makes a real difference.

Craniosacral therapy is a powerful modality that can stand on its own or effectively complement other therapies and modalities. When integrated with therapies such as physical therapy, surgery, dental procedures, medical interventions, or other forms of bodywork, craniosacral therapy often enhances outcomes and supports the body’s healing process more fully.

Below, you’ll find a list of medical and alternative specialties with which I commonly collaborate. This will give you a sense of how I approach care and how I work with referrals from various disciplines.

If you're a provider who’s curious but unfamiliar with craniosacral therapy, I’d love to offer you a personalized demonstration. Many practitioners I meet have heard of craniosacral therapy but haven’t experienced it firsthand from a trained, dedicated practitioner. If you're interested, I invite you to schedule a no-cost, personalized demo session to include:
*30 minutes of hands-on craniosacral therapy
*30 minutes of Q&A, including a brief overview of the modality and space to answer any of your questions.

If this resonates with you, please don’t hesitate to reach out—I’d be honored to connect and share more.

Warmly,
Emily Klik LMT CST

Dental providers: Craniosacral therapy can be a valuable resource for dental patients, particularly those who experience anxiety before appointments. Its calming effect on the nervous system helps patients enter treatment feeling more relaxed and regulated.

In addition, craniosacral therapy can address specific dental-related concerns such as trigeminal nerve (CN V) irritation, post-surgical recovery, and TMJ discomfort—especially symptoms that may be triggered or exacerbated by dental procedures. Scheduling a craniosacral session the day after a dental appointment often helps reduce inflammation, release tension in the jaw and cranial structures, and promote a faster return to comfort and alignment.

ENT/ otolaryngologist: Craniosacral therapy includes specialized intraoral techniques designed to assess and gently mobilize the bones of the face, sinuses, and hard palate. These techniques can be highly effective in addressing structural imbalances and restrictions within the craniofacial system.

Patients who receive intraoral craniosacral work commonly report a range of benefits, including improved sinus drainage and function, enhanced sense of smell and taste, better balance, improved hearing, reduced facial and sinus pain, and enhanced TMJ mobility and comfort.

Massage therapists/ Chiropractors : Craniosacral therapy can effectively address specific issues that many clients struggle with—such as dizziness or vertigo, loss of taste or smell, a feeling of being “crooked” or misaligned, discomfort when lying down for extended periods, sinus compression that makes face cradles uncomfortable, headaches, migraines, and more.

Many clients find that alternating craniosacral therapy with massage / chiropractic care creates a powerful and balanced wellness routine. This combination allows for deeper structural support while enhancing the relaxation and tissue benefits of manual therapy—helping clients feel more aligned, comfortable, and resilient in their bodies.

Medical providers: Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, hands-on modality that helps release fascial restrictions and support autonomic nervous system regulation. It can be particularly effective for patients dealing with migraines, idiopathic pain, or unresolved tension that has not responded to conventional treatments.

By gently mobilizing cranial bones and surrounding connective tissue, this approach can reduce strain patterns that contribute to pain and dysfunction—often providing noticeable relief within the first session.

If you have questions about how craniosacral therapy might support a specific diagnosis or patient presentation, I’m happy to share more about my clinical experience.

Mental/ behavioral health providers: Craniosacral therapy can play a supportive role in regulating the autonomic nervous system, making it a valuable adjunct for patients experiencing chronic stress, anxiety, or nervous system dysregulation.

As part of the therapeutic process, referred patients will be asked:

“During your sessions, is there any part of your body that feels particularly ‘activated’?”

This “activation” may present in many forms—pain, tingling, numbness, pins and needles, a sense of emptiness, or any other sensation the patient notices. Often it indicates the presence of the mental or emotional charge trauma / PTSD residing in soft tissue.

Sessions will focus on these areas of activation, while also gently supporting the overall balance and regulation of the autonomic nervous system. This dual focus helps patients settle into a more grounded and resilient state, both physically and emotionally.

Occupational therapy: Craniosacral therapy supports regulation of the autonomic nervous system and enhances sensory processing. When received regularly alongside occupational therapy, many patients report improved overall sensory integration, decreased self-stimulatory behaviors (stimming), increased interoceptive awareness, and more consistent therapeutic progress.

This gentle, non-invasive approach can be a valuable addition to sensory-based OT programs, helping the nervous system settle into a more balanced and responsive state.

Physical therapy providers: Craniosacral therapy can support nervous system integration and enhance the effectiveness of physical therapy when sessions are staggered or combined. This integrative approach often leads to improved range of motion, increased strength and mobility, and reduced pain—helping patients progress more efficiently through their rehabilitation process.

Surgical preparation/ recovery: All surgical procedures create tissue imbalances. Craniosacral therapy can be a valuable complement to surgical care, both before and after a procedure.

Preoperatively, it helps calm the nervous system, reduce anxiety, and relax soft tissues—particularly those involved in the upcoming surgery. This relaxation, combined with improved fluid dynamics in the body, can create more favorable conditions for the surgical process and support better outcomes.

Postoperatively—typically a week or two after surgery, once the acute healing phase has passed—craniosacral therapy can assist in releasing residual fascial tension and restoring healthy circulation to areas that may have been compressed or restricted during surgery. This gentle, restorative work supports the body’s natural healing process and can help optimize long-term recovery.

Visual therapist: Craniosacral therapy includes specialized techniques that target the cranial nerves responsible for eye movement and visual processing (CN II, III, IV, VI), as well as gentle mobilization of the bones surrounding the eye orbit.

By addressing restrictions in these areas, craniosacral therapy can help improve visual function, reduce eye strain, and alleviate headaches related to visual fatigue or reading challenges. When integrated with vision therapy, it can enhance outcomes by supporting the structural and neurological components of visual performance.