Bob Billings Rising Star: Lawrence Therapy Services, 2200 Harvard Road

In the eyes of two local businesswomen, therapy is more than just providing weekly medical assistance.

To Kim Hoffman and Laura Bennetts, co-owners of Lawrence Therapy Services, their specialties are a means to aid a person’s growth physically and mentally.

“We believe in helping the whole person,” said Hoffman, a Kansas native and occupational therapist.

Their willingness to accommodate their patients is one of the reasons they received the 2007 Bob Billings Rising Star Award in October. The honor is given by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce for a newer business that has potential to grow.

At the rate Lawrence Therapy Services has been going since it opened in 2000, it’s easy to see why the burgeoning clinic received the award. Bennetts, a physical therapist, said owning their own business has allowed them to “think outside the box.”

In 2001, they opened a branch in Baldwin City, and this year they began offering home visits there and in Lawrence.

One of Bennetts’ clients, Debbie Ellebracht, said the clinic has “done wonders” for her recovery from a September car accident. She said she was unable to leave her home because her leg left was crushed on the dashboard and her lower leg had to be “rebuilt.” Her left arm and right hand also were broken. About four weeks ago she began going to the clinic.

“They helped me tremendously,” she said. “I was basically unable to go see them. They were very willing to visit me at home. It’s something they were totally used to; it didn’t bother them a bit. It was great for them to come see me.”

There are 23 staff members who provide one-on-one treatment for physical, speech, occupational, marriage and family therapy and massage therapies. Counseling wasn’t in the owners’ original vision, but they have seen a high need for it in their clinic, Bennetts said. She said she has seen the stigma of seeking help decrease in their clinic, by being able to provide mental health in the same clinic a person is receiving other care.

Networking with other area businesses continues to play a key role in their success as well.

“In the time we’ve been open, we’ve wanted to build bridges between the for-profit medical community and the nonprofit medical community, and that’s really important,” Bennetts said.

They work with the social workers of Project Lively, a service for the elderly funded by the city and county, for example, to support their patients beyond their own clinic doors.

“We’re interested in not just working in an isolated way, but when we’re talking to social workers we wanted to meet them in person,” Bennetts said. “We’re interested in helping our patients in every way we can and not just doing our one little part.”

Bennetts said it’s important to provide patients with the same therapist, which leads to quicker progress, one of the reasons they offer flexible appointment times.

“We get very close to our patients,” Bennetts said. “That’s what I love about being a physical therapist, actually.”