Christine McDevitt, MS, OTR/L is the founder of Farfalla Integrative Health and a licensed occupational therapist with over 25 years of experience as a healthcare professional.
She provides acupressure sessions as a standalone service and as a complementary approach for adults experiencing persistent physical or stress-related symptoms that affect how they feel and function in daily life.
You’re welcome to schedule a brief phone call or video chat to discuss your situation.
Does your system need a different type of support?
Some people continue to experience symptoms long after an illness, injury, or stressful period has technically passed.
Even though you may have made progress with other treatments or self-care approaches, something in your system still feels like it needs attention.
These aftereffects can show up in different ways such as:
- chronic pain or muscle tension
- bodily fatigue or heaviness
- lingering symptoms that may or may not make sense
- anxiety or feeling “on edge” in certain situations
- sleep difficulties
- difficulty returning to normal daily activities
Your issues may or may not have a clear structural component or obvious cause. Either way, the discomfort is still very real and can affect how you feel and function.
If this sounds familiar, acupressure at Farfalla Integrative Health is a way to help you move forward so you can start feeling like yourself again.
What Is Acupressure?
Acupressure is a non-invasive, therapeutic approach rooted in East Asian medicine that involves applying gentle, sustained pressure to specific points on the body. These points have been found to support circulation, ease muscular tension, and promote balance within the nervous system.
Acupressure stems from the same body of knowledge as acupuncture but does not involve needles.
How Acupressure Services Can Help You
Your body is designed to repair itself at the cellular level after an illness, injury, or prolonged period of stress. It may need assistance (e.g., medication, therapy, etc.) if its capacity becomes overwhelmed, but the thing that helps is not actually the thing that heals. Your body takes care of that on its own.
When a physical or emotional issue seems stuck in your system, your body may need help rebalancing the underlying physiological rhythms that keep things functioning well. Acupressure provides support for your system to work through that process.
By gently stimulating specific points or sequences of points, acupressure can help the body shift out of unhelpful or protective patterns and into a more relaxed, regulated state that promotes healing and self-repair.
Over time, many people notice:
- Their body feels more relaxed.
- Their thinking is calmer and more focused.
- They feel lighter and have more energy.
- Their sleep improves.
- Symptoms become easier to manage and sometimes diminish significantly.
- They start returning to activities that had become harder to tolerate.
Research indicates that acupressure can be effective with a number of issues including pain, fatigue, side effects of cancer treatments, and anxiety.
Acupressure is an excellent complement to medical or psychological care but is not a replacement for that care. It can be especially helpful when you have a range of symptoms that, when viewed together, don’t easily fit into categories used by Western medicine.
Meet Your Acupressure Practitioner
Acupressure services are provided by Christine McDevitt, MS, OTR/L, founder of Farfalla Integrative Health.
Christine is a licensed occupational therapist with over 25 years of experience working with adults across a variety of clinical settings. She has additional training in clinical acupressure and other body-based approaches that inform her work with individuals experiencing chronic pain, post-recovery symptoms, and stress-related concerns.
Her work is guided by an understanding of pain science, nervous system regulation, and how stress patterns can become stuck in the body over time. This background informs how she uses acupressure to support clients experiencing persistent symptoms.
What To Expect During Acupressure Sessions
At Farfalla Integrative Health, acupressure is practiced through a trauma-informed lens. Sessions can be conducted either in-person or virtually.
In-person sessions
- You’ll be fully dressed (except for shoes) and lying comfortably face-up on a treatment table. Your needs will be discussed at the beginning of the session.
- Your practitioner will hold a series of acupoint combinations on various areas of your body. If there are any areas you aren’t comfortable with your practitioner touching, let your practitioner know; she will always respect your wishes.
- While your practitioner will be checking in with you periodically while holding the points, talking during the session is always optional. Some people prefer to discuss what comes up for them as it occurs during the session. Others prefer to remain quiet. Either way is fine.
Virtual sessions
- You’ll be fully dressed and either seated or lying down in a comfortable position with your camera positioned so your practitioner can see most, if not all, of your body. You and your practitioner will take a few minutes at the beginning to discuss your needs.
- Your practitioner will then guide you through a series of acupoint combinations and instruct you on how to hold the points on your own body. Your practitioner will be with you on camera the entire session and will tell you when and how to move from one point to the next. She will instruct you in modifications for holding the points if needed.
- Should you notice sensations in your body while holding the points or have questions or concerns during the session, your practitioner will help you navigate whatever occurs.
Your practitioner can also teach you how to use acupressure as part of a self-care routine when appropriate to help address specific symptoms, manage stress, and keep your body-mind better regulated.
New client acupressure sessions are 60 minutes long. Follow-up acupressure sessions last about 50 minutes.
For more information, see answers to frequently asked questions about acupressure sessions.
How Acupressure Fits Within Farfalla Integrative Health’s Services
At Farfalla Integrative Health, acupressure is offered as a standalone service and may also be used as a complementary approach within occupational therapy care when appropriate and aligned with treatment goals. Services are never automatically combined, and no modality is incorporated into your treatment without your consent.
Sessions are available:
- In-person at the office in Lafayette Hill, PA (near northwest Philadelphia).
- Virtually via secure video conference
Unlike occupational therapy services, acupressure sessions are not subject to state licensure laws and can be provided virtually across state lines using secure video conferencing.
Insurance and Payment Information
Acupressure services at Farfalla Integrative Health are provided on a private-pay basis. Acupressure typically is not covered by health insurance.
How To Get Started
If you’re interested in acupressure services at Farfalla Integrative Health, you’re welcome to take the next step that feels right for you.
You can:
- See answers to frequently asked questions about acupressure sessions.
- Reach out by email at christine@farfallaintegrativehealth.com if you have a specific question.
- Schedule a 20-minute phone call or video chat to discuss your situation and any questions or concerns you may have. This call is simply to see if we might be a good fit. There is no pressure or obligation to schedule services.
- Start the scheduling process online if you’re ready to move forward with an acupressure session.