Our Practitioners

Heather M. Sweeney, CMT, GT, FOUNDER & CEO SADHANA HEALTH INC., CLINICAL DIRECTOR

Heather Sweeney is the Founder and CEO of Sadhana Health Inc. Heather has spent the past 12 years working in clinical settings, as well as spent six years as a Clinical Specialist at UCLA’s Center for East-West Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine in Los Angeles. After spending over a decade in the arts, Heather graduated from the California Healing Arts College in Los Angeles, California. As a clinical specialist for UCLA's renowned Center for East-West Medicine, Heather treated patients and provided instruction to medical students and residents, educating future health care providers on the modalities and benefits of manual therapy in integrative care.

Heather currently serves as Sadhana Health’s CEO and Clinical Director and while supervising our team of Manual Therapists. She specializes in Autoimmune Diseases, Rheumatological Conditions, Head, Neck & Shoulder Disorders, Vestibular injuries, Orthopedics, and Geriatrics. She has had her own private practice accepting patients on a limited basis since 2011.

Originally from the Midwest, Heather is a long-time resident of Santa Monica, CA where she resides with her husband and their dogs Zeke and Freyja. She remains actively involved in both professional and community education through public speaking engagements, workshops, and consulting on holistic lifestyle & stress management, and how to incorporate integrative manual therapy into an allopathic medicine setting.

Heather Mills, B.S., CMT, Manual Therapist

Heather has been a practicing manual therapist working in the allied healthcare field since 2007. A graduate of the University of Oregon and East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, OR, Heather is certified by the California Massage Therapy Council and has also been Nationally Board Certified (NCBTMB) and licensed in the State of Oregon.

Bringing almost 15 years of experience to Sadhana Health, Heather specializes in Orthopedics, Rheumatological conditions, Oncology support, vestibular injuries and post-concussion syndrome, Orthopedics, and Prenatal Massage.

Heather resides in the Los Angeles area.

CAMTC Certificate:
CA #190

Shawndra Ferris, B.S., CMT, NASM

Our lead Corrective Exercise Therapist, Shawndra began her career in the Eugene, OR area after graduating from the University of Oregon with her B.S. in Human Physiology. After spending a year teaching English as a second language in Jinju, South Korea, Shawndra graduated from the East West College of the Healing Arts in Portland, OR as well as received her NASM certification in Corrective Exercise and Personal Training.

Shawndra’s background as an athlete and personal trainer has greatly informed her career as a manual therapist. She specializes in holistic health & wellness coaching, fitness training, rehabilitation after injury, and Orthopedics.

CAMTC Certificate: CA #79901

Katy Frame, L.Ac., B.S., Acupuncturist

Katy Frame L.Ac, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology emphasizing in Physical Therapy in 2001 from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas. Board certified by the State of California as a Licensed Acupuncturist, she earned her Masters of Traditional Oriental Medicine and completed her clinical internship at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, California.

As a life-long athlete and competitive tennis player, Katy is familiar with the emotional and physical consequences that such a lifestyle creates. Repetitive, chronic injuries and multiple surgeries left her unable to play tennis. Determined to be pain-free and compete again (and at the urging of her mum), Katy was led to Acupuncture. She found Acupuncture to be extremely effective in not only her healing process but her mother’s cancer journey, as well. After a successful return to the court and a transformative study of martial arts and meditation, she was guided into Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine as a field of study.

Katy pulls from a wide range of experience and treatment modalities: Hara diagnosis, secondary vessels, balancing method, NADA and traditional Chinese Medicine. She creates an individualized treatment plan for her patients, looking at their overall wellness, emotions and thoughts. Focusing on the impact of thoughts on one’s health, she wants her patients to be involved in their healing process. Her gentle and experienced approach leaves patients feeling comfortable and relieved of their symptoms. Katy guides her patients through a healing plan that is achievable and easy to follow.

Richard Gonzalez, CMT, NASM

Richard Gonzalez is a graduate of National Holistic Institute and is a Manual Therapist and NASM certified Corrective Exercise Specialist and Personal Trainer. He brings his experience working in clinical, corporate, and spa settings to the Sadhana Health team. Richard specializes in Orthopedics, Head, Neck & Shoulder dysfunctions, and vestibular injuries including post-concussion syndrome.

Richard is constantly learning, and his continuing education has included all aspects of stretching, biomechanics and the use of percussion tools and Kinesiology tape. His goal is to help educate patients about factors that may be contributing to their pain and/or dysfunction. His methods are progressive and intentional, utilizing everything in his "toolbox" to provide effective therapeutic treatments.

Richard is an LA native, outdoor enthusiast, avid walker, and cyclist.

CAMTC Certificate: CA #72928

Andrea Mills, CMT, Manual Therapist

Certified in ASTON-PATTERNING® (Myofascial therapy, Spiraling Fascial Integrative Massage and movement techniques developed by Judith Aston )

Andrea became interested in bodywork and the healing arts as a modern dancer living in NYC. When she moved back to Santa Monica, she received regular treatment at the Tao Healing Arts and later studied at their affiliated Shiatsu Massage School of California where she received training in Shiatsu Anma, Deep Tissue, Prenatal, and Lymphatic Drainage massage techniques. She studied Swedish Massage at IPSB and Craniosacral Therapy with Hugh Milne (Visionary Craniosacral Therapy), Gary Strauss (Life Energy Institute), and various instructors from the Upledger Institute.

Her study with Judith Aston and the faculty from ASTON KINETICS gave her an awareness through her feet, pelvis, and ribs which helped her understand why the mild but chronic pain in her shoulder was developing and gave her the ability to make choices and employ tools that transformed and healed it. This experience has made her aware of how intelligent and informative the body can be.

She works as a Manual Therapist to release tension patterns that can limit optimal support of the whole body while in motion or sitting/standing and using arms/hands/head/eyes/neck to work. Andrea's Craniosacral Therapy sessions use listening hands that hold the bones, joints and fascial structures to support the body and the expression of the Nervous System as it relaxes and unwinds.

CAMTC Certificate:
CA #191