Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster®

This class provides mind-body techniques that will help a patient feel calmer before surgery, recover faster, have less pain after surgery, strengthen the immune system, and use less pain medication.  Holistic nurses provide guidance in both groups and one-on-one to help you achieve your goals.  Class includes a book and CD.

Our Mission is to enhance the physical and mental well-being of individuals and the community by providing holistic options with responsiveness and compassion.

Our Vision is to create a ripple of peace, calm, and comfort that will radiate into the world.

Sharon O’Brien

Program Director, wellness educator

Sharon has been in the field of health promotion and wellness since 1988, teaching prevention and intervention classes, coordinating health screenings, and promoting wellness practices.  In 2002, she founded and then managed the Center for Integrative Medicine at Saint Francis Hospital to bring quiet attention, pain and anxiety reduction, and relaxation to patients, staff, and community members alike. Through the years she has received training and/or certifications in mind-body medicine, M-technique, Ayurvedic massage, Reiki, weight management, mindfulness, and stress management.  She believes in using holistic practices to enhance health and well-being, and strives to bring those modalities to those in need.

Karen Boutin

Life and Health Coach

Karen has combined her passion for helping people attain their personal life & wellness goals with her experience in interpersonal and business practices.  As a Founding Partner with the Holistic Health Options team, plus her years of experience in the Integrative Medicine Department at Saint Francis Hospital, she helps clients find a unique path for their wellness goals. As a certified Life & Health Coach she encourages individuals to cultivate positive changes which will bring about a healthy and happy life.  

Rio Comaduran, LCSW

Hypnotherapy

Rio is an intuitive healer, who is committed to helping others. Rio became certified as a clinical hypnotherapist by the American School of Hypnosis and American International Association in 2022. Hypnotherapy is a powerful modality that works with the subconscious part of the mind to incite real and lasting change. It can be used for a variety of issues, such as: self-worth, smoking cessation, weight loss, anxiety, wellness, attracting love and wealth, and so much more! From the deep somnambulistic level of trance, we can then also access the subconscious to resolve any physical, emotional, or spiritual issues. Rio is also a practicing Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Reiki practitioner, Past Life Regression practitioner, and Sound healer.

Tamera Green

Massage Therapist

Tamera has led an active career in the health care industry; working within an Orthodontist practice, as a Registered Nurse, and practicing as a Certified Licensed Massage Therapist. Having received and utilized massage for healing and stress management, Tamera supports and encourages the addition of this modality for the success of recovery and management of life events that individuals go through. Tamera provides services with compassion, respect, and individualized care based on each client's specific needs. Life throws many things at us daily, and massage allows us to help rid our minds and bodies of the excess in order to promote health and well-being in our lives.

Joan Harovas, RN, BSN, HNB-BC

Certified Hypnotherapist, M-technique practitioner,
Prepare For Surgery, Heal faster™ facilitator, wellness educator

A nurse for over fifty years, Joan brings unsurpassed experience to her work as a hypnotherapist and educator. Joan has been practicing Integrative Medicine since 1977 and is board certified as a Holistic Nurse, a Certified Hypnotherapist, a certified facilitator for the Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster™ Program, and is a wealth of knowledge with many additional certifications. She creates and teaches classes that are designed to foster safe and respectful work environments, bring mindfulness into everyday life and to reduce stress and anxiety. Joan most recently worked at Saint Francis Hospital’s Center for Integrative Medicine and was awarded a 2015 Nightingale Award recipient for nursing excellence. She, along with her family, also owns Granny’s Pie Factory, LLC. 

Naomi Lufkin, LPC, NCC

Transformation Counseling

Naomi Lufkin is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice. Naomi changed the course of her life, during Midlife, by closing the chapter of a business she owned for about ten years.  Naomi had a great desire to reclaim her authentic self, so she decided to attend graduate school at University of Saint Joseph, and majored in Community Counseling.  Naomi had worked in several nonprofit agencies, and then in 2005, she went into private practice, and became a Licensed Professional Counselor, as well as a National Certified Counselor.  She had an office in West Hartford for twelve years, and she specialized in Midlife Transitions.  In 2017, she closed her office practice, and spends the winters in Naples, Florida with her husband.  Directly before the pandemic, in January of 2020, Naomi decided to reinvent herself one more time, and opened a “telehealth” practice, whereby she continues to see clients in Connecticut to this day.  Naomi is extraordinarily passionate about helping others find meaning and purpose during the second half of their lives.  She values humor tremendously, and weaves it in to every session, and clients appreciate the lighthearted ways each and every one of them can look at themselves.  Naomi is a Board Certified Counselor as well, and looks forward to meeting new people along this next journey.

Tim Michaels

Intuitive Coach and Reiki Master

Coaching and Renewal is designed to provide a transformative experience, helping you achieve a profound sense of ease, balance, and rejuvenation. Through personalized coaching sessions, we guide you in shifting perspectives, setting meaningful goals, and achieving them in a way and timeframe that works best for you. At your request, we integrate powerful wellness practices such as Reiki, crystal therapy, mindfulness, meditation, and breathing techniques to further enhance your growth and restore harmony in your life.

Terry Nicholas, RN, BSN

Sound & Energy practitioner

Terry has been a registered nurse with a BS in nursing since 1982. From the adolescent surgical unit at Boston Children's Hospital to her current job at Saint Francis Hospital working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for some 28 years, Terry has worked mostly with children.  Terry sought out several holistic practices to help ease the stressors of life and career, and  found a love for Tibetan Singing Bowls in 2016.  She completed training as well as created her own personal collection of singing bowls to bring peace and healing to the soul.  She also trained to be a Reiki Master and loves the fact that she has been able to combine my Western Medical knowledge with Eastern Holistic practices. It is the perfect pairing!

Julie Olson Adams, LMT

Massage therapist, energy practitioner, wellness educator

For almost 2 decades Julie has worked in the field of wellness and integrative medicine and believes that therapeutic massage is an integral part of balancing mind and body.  Julie is a proponent of massage for reducing pain and relieving physical as well as emotional stress.  She strongly believes in massage as a viable modality for enhancing overall health and well-being.  Careful listening and mindfulness are earmarks of Julie’s therapeutic mission. Committed to constant growth and learning, Julie has certifications in pregnancy massage, oncology massage therapy and hospice massage therapy. Degreed in social work and aging studies, Julie is an alumna of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy and a professional member of the AMTA as well as a Preferred practitioner in the state of Connecticut with the S4OM (Society for Oncology Massage.)  

Jen Tartakoff, L.Ac, Dipl.Ac

Licensed Acupuncturist, Reiki Master

Jen is a life-long healer, delivering treatments that integrate acupuncture with hands-on energy work.  She has found this combination to have profound impact on the mind, body and spirit, for deep level healing and long term shift.  She is a licensed acupuncturist in the state of Connecticut, and nationally accredited through the NCCAOM.  She trained at the Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at NYCC, and has worked in private practice and collaborative wellness centers since 2015.  She has done extensive work treating musculoskeletal pain and internal body systems, with a particular focus healing trauma/PTSD. She is a Reiki Master, and has trained in Medical Qi Gong, Tuina/Amma, Eastern Dietary Therapy, Yoga, and Qi Gong.  Treatments draw upon all of these modalities, adapting to the specific needs of each client.  She focuses on patient education and the individual mind-body feedback system, to put each person back in charge of their own wellness path.

Barry Wixsom, LMT

Available for massages in the Men’s Spa and in Holistic Health location for women

Barry has been a licensed massage therapist since 2006.  He has worked in hospital settings in CT and FL assisting patients with chronic diseases, pain management, and symptom relief.  He is certified in oncology massage and manual lymph drainage.  He is a compassionate caregiver and has volunteered for Cut Out Cancer and frequently gives his time to help others.  He enjoys educating his clients on self-care techniques so that they can continue taking care of themselves between visits.