Theresa Hallenen, DHSc, MS, OTR/L, CHT
I became an occupational therapist because I enjoy helping people. I have been both patient and provider and want to make sure that I treat every patient how I like to be treated. I specialize in hand therapy, and I enjoy the ability to use different techniques to help patients resume meaningful activities at home and in the community. I love being able to create custom orthotics for the arm as this allows me to use my creative skills. Additionally, I find lifelong learning and research incredibly rewarding. I am currently pursuing a Doctorate in Health Science (DHSc) so that I can add to the body of evidence supporting what therapists do to help clients with upper extremity injury, surgery, and related conditions. I relocated to Durham, North Carolina from the Washington, D.C./Maryland area in 2017. In addition to occupational therapy, I enjoy crafts, decorating, anything creative, yoga, hiking, traveling, spending time with family (including two dogs and two cats), and spending time with friends.