Sophie Dhenin

Sophie qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist in 1988 and then as a Registered Osteopath ten years later.

Her main interest has always been in sports injuries - particularly since she has been so afflicted herself. She has been forced into premature retirement from squash, badminton, marathon running and tennis: and therefore feels well qualified to treat injuries related to these sports!

Sophie brought the ATM2 device and the Graston Technique from the USA to Scorpio in 2004-5. She has since helped several of the Scorpio therapists to travel to the US to train in these groundbreaking techniques.

In 2009 Sophie trained in both Gunn IMS and the Nielsen Technique of medical acupuncture and says this modern form of deep needling has transformed her work with chronic pain. In 2009 she also introduced the Dorn Method to Scorpio.

Most recently Sophie completed her Part 1 training in the Sarah Key method of treating back pain and will be attending the second part in November 2011

Viv Roe

Viv graduated from St Mary's Hospital, London in July 1988. She spent 4yrs working for the NHS then set up her own practice in 1992, which she sold in March 2004. After qualifying as a Pilates instructor, she joined Scorpio in 2004.

Viv trained in the Graston Technique several years ago. She specialises in using Graston to treat back and neck pain, particularly chronic problems, combining it with Pilates for full rehabilitation.

Viv is also an Accredited Healer.

Julia Dalby

Julia first trained in Exercise to Music with the YMCA in 1997. She went on to qualify as a Pilates Instructor in 2001 with the Pilates Institute, and recently underwent further training with the Pilates Foundation.

Before becoming qualified to teach Pilates, Julia had been attending regular matwork classes. Having come from a fitness background, she quickly realised the benefit of doing Pilates: she found it immensely helpful for balancing the muscles of the body, for flexibility and of course for improving core stability.

Julia joined the team at Scorpio in July 2005, and enjoys seeing clients improving their health and body awareness under her care.

Karl Dewsbury

After graduating from the University of London, Karl initially worked in Cape Town before settling locally to work in the NHS. He joined the team at Scorpio in 2000.

His main clinical interests are sports injuries (particularly golf-related) and spinal dysfunction. He has a very 'hands-on' approach in treating his patients and uses a wide variety of specialised techniques including the Graston Technique to achieve his goal of longterm functional improvement for his patients.

Christa Prosser

Christa qualified as Physiotherapist at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa and subsequently worked in private practices in Cape Town and as well as Portland Oregon before founding her own practice in Somerset West in 1990 where she remained until May 2006.

She completed the postgraduate diploma in Orthopaedic Manipulative Therapy (OMT 1) in 1993 and focused on chronic spinal related conditions. Having been a national level hurdler herself, she also has a strong interest in athletics/sport injuries and completed a sport injuries diploma course in 2000. Christa's approach is very hands-on and she combines her manual therapy with specialities like acupuncture (dry needling), the Graston technique, pilates postural rehabilitation and the use of the ATM2.

Matt Haycock

Matt is a New Zealand trained physiotherapist who has lived and worked in the UK since 2001.

He has a strong focus on manual therapy and the use of exercise in rehabilitation.

He enjoys the challenge of treating chronic conditions particularly hypermobility syndromes; and is also interested in sports injuries and occupational problems. He recently successfully completed The Nielson Technique course in Medical Acupuncture.

Katie Scampton

Katie is a member of the British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) and Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine (RCHM)

She first encountered acupuncture when she was an artist preparing to show her work in a local gallery. The stress she was under made her skin erupt into small red blistery lesions which massively undermined her self confidence. Rather than idly waiting weeks for a referral to a dermatologist she went to see a complementary therapist who treated her with a combination of acupuncture and herbs which resolved her problem completely. Ten months later, in 1993, Katie was enrolled in a four year course in Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine!

Katie has been teaching acupuncture to 1st and 2nd year students on the BSc: Acupuncture course at the University of Westminster for the past 5 years.

She has been part of the Scorpio team since 2004 and treats a wide range of conditions from musculo-skeletal problems, to infertility, to anxiety/stress related disorders.

Tanya Laing

Tanya moved from Edinburgh to London to pursue a dance career which was cut short by knee and lower back injuries. Having loved movement based exercise and particularly teaching it, she became fascinated by the Pilates technique and how wonderful it made her body feel. She realised that this was “the next best thing to dance teaching” and decided to train through the Pilates Foundation to become a machine and matwork teacher.

She duly qualified at one of the top London teacher training schools, Pilates Off The Square, 4 years ago.

Over the years Tanya has particularly enjoyed working with people with lower back and knee injuries. Having gone through the experience herself, she feels she can empathise with fellow-sufferers and knows instinctively which exercises are most appropriate for them. She loves helping people to recover and relishes the challenges Scorpio throws at her. She says it is a constant learning curve and enjoys the superb results that Pilates has produced in most of our clients

Jane Mayes

Jane qualified as a Chartered Physiotherapist at the University of East London in 1998 and worked in the NHS for 3 years. She has been working in private practice for 5 years and has also worked alongside personal trainers in Holmes Place gym.

Jane has three main areas of special interest: Women’s Health (treating urinary and bladder problems as well as injuries and discomforts associated with pregnancy); ergonomics (assessment of work station to minimise stresses on the body and the prescription of appropriate exercises); and knee rehabilitation particularly following injury in sport.

She favours a hands on approach, but also has qualifications in acupuncture and pilates.

Vikas Bajaj

Vikas joined Scorpio in May 2009. He divides his time between Scorpio Clinics and the Royal Air Force, where he works as a specialist Musculoskeletal and sports injury physiotherapist treating elite athletes, rugby players, triathletes and parachute jumpers.
He qualified in 2002 and continued his education with an MSc in Musculoskeletal physiotherapy in 2005 from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He went on to gain a wealth of experience working with the NHS for 4 years, achieving the post of highly specialist Musculoskeletal physiotherapist/Team leader.

Vikas adopts a biomechanical assessment approach to identify the root causes of injuries. He believes in a combination of hands on manual therapy, together with preventative and self help exercise based rehabilitation.

Lucy Gardner

Lucy originally qualified as a chartered accountant in South Africa and worked for many years in industry, until she discovered the power of hands-on manual therapy. She first studied Shiatsu, a Japanese form of acupressure, over a period of 3 yrs at the European School of Shiatsu. She consolidated this knowledge by qualifying as an Osteopath from the British School of Osteopathy. She favours a structural osteopathic approach using key osteopathic techniques including manipulation, mobilisation, Muscle Energy Techniques and Positional Release.

Tara Bowling, BSc (Hons) Dip Nut

A graduate from The College of Naturopathic Medicine in London, Tara is a qualified Nutritional Therapist, and a member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) which imposes a strict Code of Ethics and Practice on its members. 

Having worked for many years with children, teaching conflict resolution and bullying prevention programs, Tara can attest to the many physical and emotional consequences of poor diet and lifestyle....from stomach aches, food intolerances or fatigue, to depression, PMS and headaches!  Having suffered all these issues herself, and seen the changes that can come from simple dietary changes, she is committed to motivate and inspire people to feel their best, by offering a balanced and realistic approach to nutrition. Each program is individually tailored to meet the needs of the person.

Tara also has a BSc degree in Biology and Psychology from Canada, and uses her qualifications as a hypnotherapist and life coach to offer practical methods to achieve optimal health in a warm safe environment, such that each person can tap into their own resources and make positive changes and choices for the future.

Tara regularly attends specialist conferences and post-graduate lectures designed to update and expand her knowledge in the field of nutrition, hypnotherapy and coaching.
Tara has special interest in working with stress management and its effect on the body, as stress is unavoidable in life and affects what we eat, how we feel and sleep. Stress can cause a plethora of unpleasant effects if not managed over time.
Tara also has a keen interest in children’s health and supporting families as they make changes toward optimum health and wellness. Before you start making changes, it is important to know what you and your family are doing right and what needs to be fixed.

Do not hesitate to contact Tara if you feel she may be able to help you or your family.

Kirsten Frost

Kirsten trained at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and moved to the UK in 2004. She has experience in both the NHS and the private sector, having worked closely with a team of back pain specialists and osteopaths, as well as running an ACL rehabilitation programme.

Since arriving in the UK Kirsten has taken a keen interest in sport specific rehabilitation as well as the treatment of back pain using a variety of techniques including osteopathic techniques. During this time she developed her skills in the diagnosis and treatment of Pelvic Girdle Pain in pregnancy.

Prior to joining Scorpio she also trained in the Nielsen Technique of medical acupuncture in 2009.

Mel Coupland

Mel Coupland has been a Pilates Instructor since 1999 and a student of Pilates since before that.

Mel's initial training in all levels of Matwork Pilates, was with Michael King, the founder of the Pilates Institute. Mel then continued her training in 2005 with Anne-Marie Zulkahari and Hana Jones, two of the founding members of the Pilates Foundation, the main accreditation body for Pilates in the UK. She then completed an 18 month Comprehensive Instructor Training in both Matwork and all the Pilates Equipment. The training required her to log a minimum of 800 hours of study during her training, of which 400 hours involved working alongside a qualified comprehensive teacher. To maintain her affiliation to the Pilates Foundation, and through that her insurance, Mel must take a number of Continuing Professional Development Courses each year.

Mel came to Pilates from a Gym background as an Instructor, Personal Trainer and Assistant Gym Manager.

Mel's other passion is Tennis, she no longer plays but is a Lawn Tennis Association Official. Having worked her first Wimbledon in 2009 she is now hoping for Olympic selection in 2012.

Chris Murphy

Chris joined Scorpio in Spring 2011. He qualified as a physiotherapist at the University of East London in 1994 and worked in the NHS for 6 years specialising in the foot and ankle and chronic pain management. He completed his MSc at UCL in 2000 and also runs PhysioUK, a successful countrywide physiotherapy training business.

He lectured at the University of Brighton from 2003 – 2007 in the undergraduate physiotherapy and postgraduate Masters course and remains a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Brighton, Nottingham and Coventry. He has spoken at a number of national conferences.

Chris continues to have an interest in the foot and ankle, complex musculoskeletal problems and chronic ongoing pain. He enjoys treating individuals using manual therapy combined with a strong focus on movement retraining so they can continue with the gains they make through their treatment in their everyday life.