Root Therapy and Wellness is a multidisciplinary therapy and wellness clinic in Bozeman, Montana — physical therapy, occupational therapy, and pediatric speech services under one roof, plus yoga and mat Pilates classes for everyone. Founded in 2019, we’ve built the practice around one idea: every therapy session is fully one-on-one with your licensed therapist. That’s not a perk here; it’s the whole model.
Why “Root”
The name is the philosophy. Pain and limitation usually have a driver underneath them — the stiff hip behind the aching knee, the guarded nervous system behind pain that won’t settle, the strength that quietly slipped away. We don’t chase symptoms visit after visit. Your care starts with a full 60-minute evaluation aimed at finding what’s actually holding you back, and your plan is built to treat that.
We’re also honest about what we are and aren’t. We facilitate healing — your body does the real work, and we don’t promise miracles. When something needs a physician, a surgeon, or a specialist beyond our walls, we say so and help you get there.
Why we get up in the morning
To provide our patients with high-quality, highly collaborative, and holistic care aimed at addressing the root of issues rather than simply treating symptoms — giving you the care and the tools to create meaningful change in your life. We want to help you convert your pain into a source of strength and resiliency, so you can live your life instead of just existing in it.
Root Pediatrics works alongside children, their families, and the community to provide highly skilled, collaborative care in pursuit of developing independence in our patients’ lives.
Our core values
Growth & development
Create an environment that supports and encourages growth & development.
Community
Develop community through connection.
Evidence & integrity
Dedicate ourselves to providing evidence-based care with integrity.
Dignity & respect
Recognize the inherent value of each individual and treat them with dignity and respect.
How care works here
Fully one-on-one, every visit
Your session is yours — no aides, no being passed around, no doing exercises alone in a corner.
The same therapist, visit to visit
Someone who knows your history, your goals, and how your body is responding.
A deep first evaluation
Sixty minutes of history, movement assessment, and hands-on examination — you leave with a plan, not a pamphlet.
No referral needed for most plans
Montana is a direct-access state; Medicare and Medicaid require a referral, and we help coordinate it. Details on our Insurance & Payment page.
Sound like the care you've been looking for?
No referral needed for most plans. Most insurance accepted.
One team, three disciplines
Our clinicians — physical therapists, occupational therapists, a physical therapist assistant, and a speech-language pathologist — work under one roof and actually talk to each other. Back pain, a hand injury, dizziness after a concussion, a child’s feeding struggles: when your care needs more than one discipline, it’s coordinated in one plan instead of scattered across town.
Root was founded in 2019 by Kezia Peterson, OT, MOTR/L — an occupational therapist and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner candidate whose vision was simple: unhurried, whole-person care where the nervous system is part of every plan, not an afterthought.
Meet the whole teamCare you won't find everywhere
Alongside the core of our practice — orthopedic and physical therapy, occupational therapy, balance and gait care, and concussion rehabilitation — we offer gentle, integrative approaches that are genuinely hard to find in the Gallatin Valley. They’re woven into complete plans of care, never sold as add-ons.
Two more ways to grow with us
Root Pediatrics
Pediatric physical, occupational, speech, and feeding therapy — from first motor milestones through school-age communication and sensory skills. Same clinic, same one-on-one model, sized for kids and built around families.
Explore Root PediatricsRoot Wellness
You don't need an injury to belong here. Our yoga and mat Pilates classes are small, all-levels, and open to everyone — an easy way to keep moving in the same calm space as our clinical care.
See Schedule & BookEarned one unhurried session at a time
“They are amazing. I have worked with several different providers over the years since they opened for my different medical needs. They have all been top notch in their field and so caring. I love that they don’t just get you recovered but get to the ROOT of your problems. Thank you all!♥️🎉”
“Kezia has lowered my pain level tremendously. I have chronic pain, but always feel better when I leave her office. I highly recommend her fabulous team!”
“Everyone at Root is so kind and helpful! Kesia and Kristi are both fantastic at dealing with all my problems and helping me learn how to strengthen and improve my body's functionality.”
Come see what care feels like when it's built around you
One-on-one sessions, a team that talks to each other, and a plan aimed at the root cause. No referral needed for most plans.
Bozeman, MT 59715 · on-site parking
Serving Bozeman, Belgrade, Manhattan, Four Corners, Three Forks & Big Sky
Phone: (406) 219-5388
Emma Gaenzle
OTD, OTR/L
Emma is an occupational therapist who works with clients across the lifespan, drawing on experience in outpatient pediatrics, acute care, and adult rehabilitation.
Specialties
Certifications
- National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certified
Education
- Doctor of Occupational Therapy — Creighton University, 2026
Emma is licensed through the Montana Board of Occupational Therapy and certified by the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy. She earned her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from Creighton University in 2026.
She has worked with people across the lifespan, in outpatient pediatrics, acute care, and adult rehabilitation. What draws her to occupational therapy is its reach — the way it can support someone at any stage of life by addressing the physical, emotional, sensory, and environmental factors that shape whether a person can take part in their own days. Her approach is holistic and client-centered, and she likes working alongside individuals and families to build routines that mean something and to make independence practical.
For her doctoral capstone, Emma developed a maternal health program supporting women through pregnancy and postpartum from an occupational therapy perspective. She hopes to bring that interest to Bozeman, supporting mothers through the physical, emotional, and lifestyle transitions that come with motherhood.
Outside of work, Emma is busy with everything Montana has to offer — skiing, hiking, being outdoors, live music, travel, and time with friends and family.
Hannah Haugen
PT, DPT
Hannah is a pediatric physical therapist, born and raised in Montana, who built her experience in Denver treating children with a wide range of diagnoses across clinic, home, and community settings.
Specialties
Certifications
- Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) — Registered Practitioner, Levels A and B
- Strider Bike Early Learning and Inclusive Learning Certified Instructor
Education
- Doctor of Physical Therapy — Northwestern University, 2019
- B.S. Exercise Science, Health and Human Performance — Montana State University, 2015
Born and raised in Montana, Hannah gained her pediatric experience in Denver, Colorado, working with children across a variety of diagnoses and settings before coming home. She works with the youngest patients at Root Pediatrics, including early intervention for children from birth to three.
Hannah treats the whole child rather than a diagnosis, and she meets families where they are — the goal is to leave them able to keep going on their own, working toward whatever mobility that particular child is capable of. Pediatrics takes creativity, which is the part she loves: finding what motivates a specific kid and getting there through play.
Much of her work centers on how a child moves: building the breathing and postural control that gross motor skills are built on, training gait, and managing foot position with orthotics, serial casting, or night splints where that is the right tool.
Clinical focus areas
- Early intervention (ages 0–3)
- Torticollis and plagiocephaly
- Toe walking
- Developmental delay
- Neurological, genetic, and other conditions — including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome, muscular dystrophies, spinal muscular atrophy, epilepsy, autism, and hip dysplasia
Additional training
- Foot management — orthotic prescription, serial casting, night splints
- Breathing and postural control
- Gait training
In her free time you can find Hannah boating, hiking, camping, cooking, skiing, and traveling with her husband and their two kids.
Tracy Heck
PT
Tracy has been a licensed physical therapist since 1994, and has spent two decades combining that training with yoga and mat Pilates.
Specialties
Certifications
- Pilates instructor certification — ProHealth and Fitness, 2003
- Hatha Yoga Teacher Training, 2008
Education
- Physical Therapy — Ohio State University, 1994
- B.S. Exercise Science — Ohio State University, 1991
Tracy became a licensed physical therapist in 1994, starting out in orthopedics, sports medicine, home health, and nursing homes. Over her career she has held physical therapist licenses in Ohio, Arizona, and Montana. In 2003 she began teaching Pilates and studying yoga, and in 2005 she opened a yoga studio she ran until 2019 — seeing physical therapy clients privately throughout, combining the tools of physical therapy, mat Pilates, and yoga. She found that holistic combination worked well for helping people move toward better health and well-being.
She has owned Rise Together Yoga, LLC in Bozeman since 2021.
Clinical focus areas
- Chronic pain
- Trauma-informed yoga, working with the somatic and visceral body
- Yoga- and mat Pilates–informed movement
- Flexibility and range of motion
Tracy has continued to take trainings, workshops, and continuing education in physical therapy, yoga, and Pilates throughout her career. She is currently training as a Roll Model Method practitioner — a therapy-ball approach to self-myofascial care.
Cathelyne Hollibaugh
MA CCC-SLP
Cathelyne is a pediatric speech and feeding therapist who has worked with young children and their families for the last 16 years as an early intervention provider.
Specialties
Certifications
- Certified feeding therapist — SOS Approach to Feeding
- Early Intervention Provider Training
Education
- M.A. Speech-Language Pathology — University of Colorado
- B.S. Psychology — The University of Georgia
Cathelyne is a pediatric speech and feeding therapist. She has worked with young children and their families for the last 16 years as an early intervention provider, and is excited to share her knowledge and strategies with families in Bozeman. She is a certified feeding therapist in the SOS approach to feeding and has worked with children with a wide range of feeding, language, behavioral, sensory, and speech needs.
She likes to use an integrative approach with children and their families — one that is supportive, and built around each individual child.
Clinical focus areas
- Early intervention
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Feeding — transitioning from G/NG tube to oral feeds, moving to solids, and addressing sensory aversions
- Parent coaching
- Phonological and articulation disorders, including childhood apraxia of speech
- Social and pragmatic language
- Stuttering and fluency disorders
- Developmental delays
Additional training
- Supporting the Development of Infant Feeding in the NICU and at Home when Tube Feedings are Necessary
- Overcoming Discombobulation: Interventions and Activities for Sensory Deficits in Infants and Children
In her free time, Cathelyne loves going to see live music, and enjoys exploring and traveling with her two young boys and husband.
Karna Johnson
PT
Karna has practiced physical therapy since 1999 across orthopedics, post-head-injury rehabilitation, and pediatrics — a range that shapes how she reads the way a child moves.
Specialties
Education
- M.S. Physical Therapy — Widener University, 1999
Karna earned her Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Widener University in 1999. Earlier in her career she worked in general outpatient orthopedics and in rehabilitation following head injury, including traumatic brain injury and stroke, alongside pediatrics, hippotherapy, and aquatics. That breadth built her understanding of how biomechanics, postural control, motor learning, and the sensory systems together shape the way a person moves through their environment.
She brings a holistic, team-based mindset to pediatric care, partnering with families rather than working around them. In sessions she leans on creativity and purposeful play — engaging a child in something genuinely fun while still working toward gross motor and mobility goals.
Clinical focus areas
- Gross motor and mobility development
- Postural control and breathing
- Motor learning
- Toe walking
- Torticollis
- Assessing adaptive equipment and mobility needs
Karna keeps up an active continuing-education habit; her most recent coursework covered toe walking, breathing with postural control, torticollis, and adaptive equipment assessment.
Outside the clinic she spends time with her husband, their two children, and two golden retrievers. She bikes, hikes, cross-country skis, gardens, and reads.
Katherine Northrup
OTD, OTR/L
Katherine is a pediatric occupational therapist who has worked with children across a range of diagnoses in both outpatient clinics and the school system.
Specialties
Education
- Doctor of Occupational Therapy — University of Mary, 2024
- B.S. Exercise Science — Montana State University, 2021
Katherine earned her Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Montana State University in 2021 and her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy from the University of Mary in 2024. She has worked with children carrying a variety of diagnoses, both in outpatient clinical settings and inside the school system — two contexts that ask quite different things of the same child, and give her a fuller picture of how a kid is actually doing day to day.
She is actively building her pediatric skills and education, and brings that appetite for learning into the care she gives her patients.
Katherine grew up primarily in Great Falls, Montana before moving to Bozeman, where she lives with her husband, their young son, and their cat. She backpacks, boats, and skis every variety she can, plays piano and cello, and reads.
Kristi O'Connor-Nyquist
MSPT
Kristi has practiced physical therapy for more than two decades, across outpatient orthopedics and cardiac rehabilitation.
Specialties
Education
- M.S. Physical Therapy — University of Montana, 2000
- B.S. Health and Human Performance — University of Montana, 1993
Kristi has been a physical therapist for over twenty years, with experience in outpatient physical therapy and in cardiac rehabilitation. Her treatment approach combines education, exercise, and manual treatment, aimed at the specific goals a patient brings in rather than a standard protocol.
Clinical focus areas
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Balance and falls
- Injury prevention and rehabilitation
- Hip and knee pain
- General deconditioning
Additional training
- Manual techniques including Maitland and Mulligan
- McKenzie techniques
- Treatment of spine and peripheral joint dysfunction
Outside of work, Kristi volunteers for several youth sports groups. She hikes, runs, works in her yard, and spends time with family and friends.
Kezia Peterson
OT, MOTR/L, SEP Candidate
Kezia is an occupational therapist, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner candidate, and the founder of Root Therapy and Wellness. Her focus is adult rehabilitation — chronic pain and upper extremity injuries — with deep experience across both.
Specialties
Certifications
- Somatic Experiencing training — SEP candidate
- Visceral Manipulation training (VM1–VM4)
- Craniosacral Therapy training (CS1–CS2)
- Myofascial Release training
Education
- M.S. Occupational Therapy — University of Minnesota, 2009
- B.S. Psychology — North Dakota State University, 2003
Kezia is an occupational therapist and the founder of Root Therapy and Wellness. Her practice is adult rehabilitation, and she brings deep experience to it — including more than 10 years of hand and upper-extremity work. Much of her caseload is people in persistent pain — the kind that has stopped responding to the obvious things, and that has started to narrow what a person can do at work, at home, and at play.
That focus is what sent her after training in several different modalities, from visceral manipulation and craniosacral therapy to Somatic Experiencing. Her goal with each patient is to meet them where they are, understand what they actually want to get back to, and make sure they have the right team of providers around them — so the work reaches the root of the dysfunction rather than chasing symptoms.
Clinical focus areas
- Chronic pain
- Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
- Upper extremity injuries — hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder pain
- Fractures
- Arthritis
- Sprains and strains
- Back and neck pain
- Headaches, migraines, and concussion
- Abdominal pain
Through her Somatic Experiencing training, Kezia supports patients in working through past trauma that may be holding a pain pattern in place.
Lindsey Petz
PTA
Lindsey found her way to physical therapy through her own recovery from a back injury, and now teaches the self-advocacy she needed then.
Specialties
Education
- A.A.S. Physical Therapist Assistant — Lake Washington Institute of Technology, 2021
- B.S. Health and Human Performance — Montana State University, 2017
Lindsey discovered her passion for physical therapy from the patient’s side of it, recovering from a lower back injury after a car accident in high school. Going through her own rehab is what made her want the career.
She believes in teaching self-advocacy and building lasting wellness through care built around the individual — giving patients the tools and skills to address the injury in front of them and improve their overall health, rather than making them dependent on the clinic.
Clinical focus areas
- Injury prevention and rehabilitation
- Back and neck pain
- Shoulder pain
- Hip and knee pain
- Core instability
- General deconditioning
Additional training
- Myofascial decompression
- Upper Quadrant Mulligan Techniques
- STOTT Pilates Matwork
In her free time you can catch Lindsey hiking or camping with her husband and their two dogs. She also lifts, cooks, and spends time with family and friends.
Joleene Souza
Joleene finds joy in helping others and being someone people can count on. Outside of work, she's most often somewhere in the mountains with her kids.
Joleene Souza is the Office Manager at Root Therapy and Wellness in Bozeman.
In her own words:
I truly find joy in helping others and being someone people can count on. I’m grateful to connect with people each day and be part of a place that makes a difference in their lives. Outside of work, you’ll most often find me somewhere in the mountains with my kids.
You can reach the front office by phone or text on (406) 219-5388, or send us a message.
