TORRANCE, Calif. (July 5, 2023) – Dustin Beaver, who holds a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy from USC and has advanced practice approval in hand therapy through CBOT (HTC) joins the team at Atlantis Physical Therapy and Balance Center in Torrance, Calif. He will be providing personalized care for both the brain health and fitness program and hand, wrist, and upper extremity patients.

“We are delighted that Dustin has joined our practice, said Ruth Kurihara, PT, and co-owner.” He brings with him a high level of skill combined with compassion that will greatly benefit our patients. His innovative thinking and first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by cognitively challenged patients has shown him to be an outstanding therapist. Having the additional training in hand therapy and physical agent modalities (PAMS), gives him the expertise needed with our extensive hand and wrist rehab program.”

The brain health and fitness program at Atlantis Physical Therapy continues to raise the bar for patient care in the South Bay by making meaningful differences in the lives of those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, strokes, or other neuro cognitive and neuro muscular challenges. A key to its success is seamlessly integrating both physical and occupational therapies to maximize the benefits for the patients.

As an honors graduate from Santiago Canyon College, where he obtained a degree in kinesiology, Dustin went on to achieve a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy in the Philippines. During that time, he was a member of the Academic Honors Society, Best Intern Awardee for the physical dysfunction cluster, graduated ranked 8th in his class and earned the Lasallian Academic Excellence award for placing 8th in the nation on the February 2020 Occupational Therapist Licensure Examination.

Upon returning to California, he earned a Master of Arts Degree in occupational therapy at USC where he finished his final semester with a 4.0 GPA. Additionally, he continued his training becoming a Hand Therapy and Physical Agent Modality certified in the state of California.

Having experienced the value of rehabilitation through his own sports-related injuries and witnessing the benefits for his family members, Dustin has a deep appreciation for its impact.
Expressing his excitement with this new opportunity he says he feels fortunate to practice his two passions of neuro-cognitive rehab and hand, wrist, and upper extremity therapy.

“What pushed me to become an occupational therapist was witnessing first-hand the benefits occupational therapy treatments had for my youngest sibling who was born with developmental delays and with my grandmother who had been experiencing cognitive decline,” he said. “I have a passion for helping others reach their goals and become independent in all aspects of their daily lives.”

Dustin couldn’t be happier with his new position and finds inspiration each and every day from his patients.

“I never could have dreamed it would be so incredible working with a brain health program, because you are able to really connect with patients and help them when they previously thought there was no help,” he said. “The key to this success is having fun and laughing. I have never seen a group of people so committed to coming to therapy as they are, and it is truly inspiring and motivating for me.”

Atlantis Physical Therapy and Balance Center prides itself on treating each patient like family and designing customized plans to help them achieve their goals. Dustin’s approach to patient care adheres to this philosophy.

“Treating patients holistically and trying to understand their lives from a first-person perspective helps me design and create a client-centered and individualized rehabilitation experience,” he said. “I truly believe that the best treatment outcomes stem from listening and learning about each individual person and creating an experience that is not only fun but also safe, and conducive to learning and improving their quality of life.”

Celebrating more than 40 years in the Torrance and the South Bay, Atlantis Physical Therapy and Balance Center has become a trusted partner with physicians and the community. Specializing in physical and occupational therapy, Atlantis PT prides itself on treating the whole person and not the body part with the goal of relieving pain and restoring motion and function for an active lifestyle.