Our Team

Meet our highly skilled and passionate team of Client Care Providers and Coordinators

TJ UNGER - PHYSIOTHERAPIST

After graduating from the Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology program in 2010 and then the Masters of Physical Therapy Program in 2012 from the University of Saskatchewan, TJ accepted a position at the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre Rehabilitation Department and was quick to call Cold Lake home. 

TJ has a diverse care experience including acute care, long term care, post surgical/fracture, neurological, cardiac care, chronic condition management, pre/post natal care, sporting injuries and treating muscle, joint and nerve conditions. TJ continued her educational pursuits completing courses in Kinesiotaping, Functional Dry Needling (Level 1 & 2), McKenzie Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy and Orthopedic Manual and Manipulative Therapies (Level 1 & 2 Lower). 

TJ fell in love with the Physiotherapy profession and prevention based approaches to healthcare while studying at the University of Brisbane, Australia. While there she had the opportunity to work as a Sport Trainer along side an Adolescent Sport Physiotherapist. Rural health disparities has always been another area of interest after growing up in Northern Saskatchewan. She believes that people who live in rural areas should have access to the same opportunities for healthcare as their urban counterparts. There in lies the premise of Elevation Health. To offer a coordinated multi-disciplinary care innovative facility to Cold Lake and surrounding communities. 

Continuing with her love of sport and physical activity she has been the Volunteer Coordinator for the Run for Ronald Macdonald House Charities Northern Alberta for the past two years and has had the opportunity to assist coaching in the Jr. and Sr. Female Volleyball Programs at Cold Lake High School the past several years. When TJ is not busy you will most likely find her doing some form of outdoor adventure activity, such as paddleboarding, white water canoeing, snowboarding or her new favorite past time, hiking mountains with her young family.

ANGELA PLAQUIN - PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Angela Plaquin was born and raised in the Lakeland region. Always involved in athletic pursuits, she grew up as a jock. Using her body through sport was a form of self-expression. This love of movement combined with the desire to be in a helping profession led her to pursue a career in Physical Therapy. Following graduation with distinction from the U of A in 2000, she settled for a few years as a newlywed in Fort McMurray, AB. Being a PT in the remote city provided her with exposure to a rich variety of clientele. She worked in both private and public practice, in outpatient orthopedics, inpatient medical, surgical, pediatric and intensive care wards, burns, amputees and more. Following the arrival of baby boy #1 in 2006, she and her husband chose Cold Lake as the place in which to raise their family, which was rounded out by baby boy #2 in 2008. After a brief stint at the Cold Lake Health Centre, she spent 10 rewarding years working with Alta-Sask Wellness. In her continued pursuit for learning and development, she has represented the profession as a board member for the Alberta Physiotherapy Association, participated in a research study relating to inter-disciplinary collaboration. She is Level II AFCI acupuncture and spinal manipulation certified and often works often in the field of Woman’s Health. Angela is fond of and has a knack for public speaking, and uses this skill one on one and in groups to help
educate people about their bodies. She feels strongly that an individual will have more success in recovery if they understand their condition and how they must be active participants in their care. Her approach to rehabilitation is largely based on functional anatomy, looking at the interaction of whole systems and tailoring treatment to each individual’s needs. She is known for her positive outlook, suddenly breaking out into song, random jokes and her desire to make clients laugh as part of their journey to wellness.
Where you will often find Ang, is on her yoga mat practicing or leading a class at Yoga Cold Lake, of which she is co-owner. An avid yogi of 15years, she finds physiotherapy and yoga endlessly complimentary. She is looking forward to this next chapter in her
professional life as a member of the Elevation Health Team.

KATIE YOUNG - PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Katie was always interested in the human body and how it moved. Growing up playing soccer, tree planting her way through University and traveling the world to learn about yoga are some of the accomplishments that sparked this interest. She pursued her Kinesiology degree and Masters of Physical Therapy at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon where she was born and raised. She started her career there working at a private clinic with a wide variety of clientele. Everything from work place injuries, car accidents, sports injuries, chronic conditions, to rehabilitating pre and post-surgical candidates. Since starting her career, she’s taken courses in functional dry needling, orthopaedic manual and manipulative Therapies (level 1 &2 lower), Running Injury Prevention and Recovery, and attended a Glut Lab seminar put on by Bret Contreras. Outside of work you will find her spending time with her family enjoying activities like camping, hiking, cycling, fishing, and snow boarding.

BETHANY COMPTON - PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Bethany has always had an interest for helping others and being active while growing up in a small town in Newfoundland. Throughout her entire life, she has been involved in playing sports, coaching, outside activities and volunteering within her community. Her decision to pursue physiotherapy as a career came from being fascinated with the function and movement of the human body. After graduating from Memorial University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology, she then went on to complete her Master’s of Science in Physiotherapy at Dalhousie University.

Bethany’s approach to rehabilitation focuses on education, functional dry needling, manual therapy and exercise prescription to achieve functional outcomes and goals. She is a strong believer of continued education and research, and is very motivated to continue taking courses to enhance her knowledge and skills in order to provide the best quality of client care and evidence based treatments. Since starting her career, Bethany has become certified in functional dry needling and has advanced vestibular rehabilitation training. She looks forward to helping her clients and working through individual challenges.

Outside of work, you will see her spending time outside, at the gym, travelling, or with family and friends.

JOELLE PARNHAM - PHYSIOTHERAPIST

Joelle’s passion for athletics, team-based sports and an active lifestyle is what sparked her interest in a career of rehabilitation. Her background has covered a variety of sports, however, volleyball was her true calling. She played 5 years of varsity-level volleyball, was an Assistant Coach for the CCAA nationally contending Fanshawe Falcons Women’s Varsity Volleyball Program in 2019/20 and previously coached club volleyball from 2014-2019.

Joelle graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 2020 with a Masters of Physical Therapy. She also holds a Diploma in Fitness and Health Promotion from Durham College (2014) and went on to complete an Honours Bachelor of Applied Health Science (Athletic Therapy) in 2018 from Sheridan College Institute of Technology.

She has a comprehensive and robust background in field-side injury management and athletic rehabilitation through working in varsity athletics. She has experience working with veteran, neurological, workplace injury, motor vehicle accident (MVA) and post-operative populations. Joelle has completed McKenzie Level A as well as her Level 1 in the post-graduate Advanced Integrative Musculoskeletal (AIM) Physiotherapy Program.

Joelle’s outlook on physiotherapy is widely based on patient education, manual therapy, and functional exercise. Most importantly, Joelle is a strong advocate for empowering patients to understand their injury/condition(s) so that they are able to actively participate in reaching their own rehabilitative goals.

BRITAINEE KELLAR - OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

Britainee grew up in a small town in North Western Ontario making the transition to Cold Lake a relatively smooth one. She completed her undergraduate degree and Master of Occupational Therapy degree at the University of Manitoba prior to moving to Alberta. She moved to Cold Lake in 2012 and has been employed primarily with Alberta Health Services as an Occupational Therapist. She has also most recently spent a year in the school system. As such, Britainee has a broad scope of practice with experience ranging from home and acute care, pediatrics, neurological, post-surgical/fracture, chronic condition management, and home and equipment assessment and prescription through AADL and NIHB. Britainee has continued to pursue further professional education including a Wheelchair Assessment and Prescription course through the University of Alberta, “The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism”, SOS Approach to Feeding, and the Level 1 Intensive Mentorship Program through the STAR Institute (to be completed). Britainee has a passion for helping people live to their fullest and complete meaningful occupations of life.

While Britainee is not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and twin boys, camping, working out, yoga, quadding, and biking.

CANDACE VAN DER VOORT -

REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST

Candace Van Der Voort attained her Bachelor of Arts Degree through the faculty of Kinesiology with a major in Athletic Therapy in 2005 from the University of Winnipeg. While in university she worked with the Wesmen Women’s Volleyball team for 3 years, several club football teams and spent many hours in the University’s Athletic Therapy clinic. Her program focused on the importance of proper assessments and rehabilitation of injuries and ignited her passion for integrating massage techniques into treatment sessions.

After university she moved to Lake Louise to work at the ski resort and volunteered at a local athletic therapy clinic working alongside Canadian Olympic cross country ski athletes. There she was introduced to the effectiveness of active release techniques. The diversity in treatment strategies that she was learning sparked a yearning to sharpen her emergency management skills. She then completed her training as an Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) followed by Emergency Medical Technician from the Canadian College of EMS. Later that winter she put her skills to the test as ski patrol at the Snow Valley Ski Resort. She moved back to Bonnyville in 2007, where she still resides, and accepted a position as a physiotherapy assistant at Health First Physiotherapy. There she gained invaluable experience rehabilitating clients involved in motor vehicle collisions, worker’s compensation cases, local athletes and general public. On weekends, when she wasn’t in the physiotherapy clinic, she was working for the Bonnyville Municipal Ambulance, both of which she dedicated 7 years. During her years in physiotherapy she worked alongside an amazing massage therapist who inspired Candace to become one herself. In 2013 she completed her massage therapy diploma from Alberta Massage Training and moved her practice to the Oasis Spa in Cold Lake. In that time, she has worked alongside some great professionals and met many wonderful people and is looking forward to continuing to learn and grow at Elevation Health!

Massage is definitely Candace’s PASSION! She will tell you that she loves her career and this is what she is meant to do! All of her education and experiences have culminated to make your massage experience thorough and unique. She integrates her assessment and rehabilitative experience with massage techniques. Massage therapy is very dynamic, no two therapists are alike, they choose the path that best compliments their interests and techniques to compliment client treatments. Candace defines her approach as “therapeutic”, a mixture of relaxation and deep tissue, with complimentary adjuncts such as myofascial cupping, hot stone therapy, kinesiotaping, and athletic taping. Amongst these disciplines she also provides pre and post natal massage. The drive and pursuit for lifelong learning at Elevation Health is making us all Freakin’ Amazing Muscle Whisperer’s! When Candace isn’t at the office she loves to spend time with her friends and family cooking up a storm, playing games and enjoying life!

RACHEL DE VOLDER -

REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST

“Every body is unique.”

Our physiology is intricate, interconnected and individual; thus, pain can arise in areas seemingly disconnected from the actual source.

As a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT), Rachel uses her comprehensive education and broad clinical experience to tailor each treatment session to your unique needs. Rachel strives to alleviate chronic pain, facilitate recovery from injury and provide integrated home care strategies for stress and tension relief.

Cranial Sacral Therapy, Active Myofascial Release, Myofascial Cupping, Dr. Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage and Visceral Mobilizations are some of the specific techniques used to target your deep tissue restrictions, connective tissue adhesions or chronic pain. When such techniques are used in therapeutic combinations specific to your unique body, you feel the difference.

KYLA KORTE - REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST

Kyla was born and raised in Humboldt Saskatchewan. After high school she moved to Saskatoon to attend The Professional Institute of Massage Therapy. She has been a massage therapist for 6 1/2 years working in spas, massage clinics and also self employed with a mobile massage business. 

Over the years, she has seen a wide variety of clients, helping her become a very versatile therapist. This has developed her skills to make sure each treatment is specifically tailored to each client. 

She specializes in deep tissue massage and is passionate in the areas of pre and postnatal massage, intra-oral TMJ massage, and hip flexor work.

"I believe that the mental aspect of a massage is just as important as the physical aspect, to ensure every client leaves feeling their absolute best!"

ANGE MARTINEZ -

REGISTERED MASSAGE THERAPIST

I graduated from the VH Vicars School of Massage Therapy in Calgary, with 2200 certified hours. I was born in Venezuela and graduated as a computer engineer, working as a consultant for different banks in Latin America and Europe for more than 10 years. I moved to Canada in 2012 and made this great country our home!

I decided to take a 360 degrees change in my professional life by starting to do what I really love. Helping people to live without physical discomfort is my passion. I have been a Massage Therapist for 7 years working in spas, and also self employed with a home based business. As a Massage Therapist , I find great satisfaction in meeting the different challenges that each and every body presents, putting into practice all the knowledge I have acquired to help them feel better. I like to approach every session with an effective and safe treatment plan, and realistic goals, in an attempt to get the most out of your time. I understand that some people come for a specific treatment while others come just to relax. Either way, massage is a great tool to improve quality of life, and I am privileged to be able to help provide that.

I specialize in deep tissue massage, hot stone, and cupping. I am passionate about treating and relieving pain from musculoskeletal conditions, imbalances due to stress, bad habits, or poor posture. I am also passionate in the areas of pre and postnatal massage as well as infant massage.

I like to keep myself up to date and am always learning. I have completed courses in Kinesiotaping, Acupressure/Meridian/Essential Oils, Reconciling Biomechanics with Pain Science and Reiki 2.

When I am not working l enjoy spending time with my family and friends, traveling, photography, reading, re-decorating my house, yoga and most recently skiing.

NATASHA LUNT -

PERSONAL TRAINER / CLIENT CARE COORDINATOR

Natasha is a jack of many trades at the clinic!  When she's not helping clients crush goals in the gym as a Personal Trainer or helping you as a Client Care Coordinator, she is working hard behind the scenes on anything and everything billing as the Billing Coordinator, making it as headache-free as possible for you!

Prior to Cold Lake, Natasha was born and raised in Kelowna where she graduated from Okanagan College/ UBCO with a degree in Bachelors of Business Administration.  After graduating, she traveled around, living in a remote town in the Northwest Territories to Australia, with a few places in between, as she loves experiencing other countries and cultures.  While living in the Okanagan, she worked at a world-renowned winery for several years which allowed her passion for food, and sequentially wine, to flourish.  One of her favorite past-times is having a culinary adventure and creating some tasty business!

Natasha's other main passion is fitness.  From a young age, she played various sports throughout school and eventually got into weightlifting and trail running.  During university, she played on the women's city rugby team for 2 years before stumbling onto trail running.  11 years later, Natasha is still going strong and there is nothing quite like zooming around mountain trails on a beautiful day!  Being the driven individual she is, she can proudly call herself an ultra runner (a title that doesn't happen by accident!) and has competed in several ultra races over the past 3 years.  When she’s not on the trails or cooking, you can find her either outside: camping (even in the winter), hiking, quadding, skidooing, or cross-country skiing, reading, or drinking one of her bazillion teas!

Combining her experience as an ultra runner with her time at Elevation Health, Natasha has a solid belief that healthy living is a lifestyle choice and that anyone can do it, no matter what level you're starting from!  Whatever your fitness goals might be, her infectious personality and genuine care for clients will help you accomplish them!

Her dedication to offering clients a variety of methods for their fitness journey is made possible by tapping into the wealth of knowledge at the clinic and through continued learning.  She has completed courses in TRX Suspension Training, Kettlebells, and most recently, the RockTape Functional Movement Techniques Advanced Certification that covered different techniques of kinesiotaping as well as RockFloss.  Currently, she is taking a Piston Science course so she can help clients maximize their functional movement through proper alignment, core, and breath as these are “core” fundamentals at our clinic!

RANDI GONIE - CLIENT CARE COORDINATOR/ KINESIOLOGIST

Randi graduated from the Bachelors Degree of Kinesiology program at the University of Saskatchewan in April, 2021. She is hoping to enter the Masters of Physiotherapy program in the future to pursue her passion for helping others. At the University of Saskatchewan Randi had the opportunity to work alongside many Sports Physiotherapists while she worked as a Student Trainor for the Huskey Track & Field team and the Cross Country team. Randi was raised on a small farm by Pierceland, Saskatchewan. She is always ready to try new things, enjoys working on the farm, playing sports, kayaking and snowboarding.

JENNA CRONIN - CLIENT CARE COORDINATOR

Jenna was born and raised in London Ontario, but has called Cold Lake home for the past 12 years. She has an education studying various forms of art and has a passion for all things that require creativity. She brings 13 years of customer service experience to her position. She takes pride in ensuring that you experience the highest level of customer service and will work with you to ensure your experience with scheduling appointments and billing is as stress free as possible. Creating relationships with patients is very important to her and she loves seeing patients smiling faces from the good experience they receive when they enter the clinic.

Outside of Elevation you will find her spending time with her two young boys and husband, creating for her design business or visiting family in Ontario.  

GRACE PARKIN - Client Care Coordinator

Grace is so excited to be joining the Elevation Health team as a Client Coordinator. She looks forward to getting to know your story and helping make your experience in the clinic enjoyable every step of the way. Grace is educated in English, Literature and Administration. She is also slowly pursuing her Masters Degree. She brings experience in a wide variety of administrative and customer service roles. When not in the clinic she enjoys baking, hiking and reading.