Julia Grover
Julia Grover graduated from the Dalhousie University School of Occupational Therapy in Halifax Nova Scotia in 1990. She worked in several eastern Canadian provinces working in burns and plastics, physical rehabilitation, outpatient hand therapy and case management for the Workers’ Compensation Board. Julia started a private practice contracting with the Department of Health and Community Services to provide Occupational Therapy to children with special needs transitioning to inclusion programs within the public school system.

Julia relocated to Tucson Arizona in 1994 opening Central Hand Therapy, PC in 1998. Julia also became a board certified Hand Therapist in 1998. Her primary specialty has been the treatment of upper extremity conditions and post operative rehabilitation.

After adopting her daughter Maya, Julia revisited her desire to help children with special needs and pursued her interest in neurodevelopmental facilitation and sensory integration. Southern Arizona Community Occupational Therapy Associates, SACOTA, became a dba of Central Hand Therapy in 2007 committing to the development of programs to serve special needs children.

Today SACOTA serves many children of Southern Arizona providing Occupational Therapy support in several different school districts, as well as an outpatient clinical program.

Julia is married and lives with her husband Chris and their daughter Maya in Tucson Arizona. Julia is an animal lover and has a small hobby farm with horses, a mule, goats, chickens, dogs and one cat. Julia enjoys riding, exercising, cooking and most of all spending time at home with her family. Julia is committed to the children of Pima County and has served on the Foster Care Review Board 21 for Pima County since 2006.

Julia regularly attends continuing education courses in her areas of specialty and shares her extensive knowledge by providing continuing education courses to other therapists and medical professionals.

Lisa Murphy
Lisa Murphy has been a licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant since 1997. Lisa has over 12 years of experience in the areas of upper extremity rehabilitation and Occupational Therapy for children of all ages in community, school-based and clinical settings. Lisa completed a two-year training program on Autism Spectrum Disorder and has provided training on this topic. Lisa is involved with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) providing tools for early detection of emotional disturbance and mental illness in school-age children.

Lisa married her high school sweetheart and they have been together for over 30 years. Lisa and her husband, Randy, have two grown sons, two lovely daughters-in-law and three grandchildren who reside in Colorado.

Edna Trinidad - Office Manager
Edna Trinidad has worked for over 20 years in the medical support field holding various positions including front and back office assistant, billing clerk, surgery scheduler and receptionist. In her current role as Front Office Coordinator, she is responsible for ensuring patients and other visitors are greeted cordially and professionally, appointment scheduling, insurance authorization and general front office management.

Edna and her husband, Alphonso, have 4 children and 2 grandchildren, as well as many dogs they consider part of the family. Edna enjoys time spent with her family, especially watching her grandchildren ride their bikes.

Karyn Synnestvedt - Practice Manager
Karyn Synnestvedt brings over 15 years of diverse business and management experience to our practice. As our Practice Manager, Karyn is responsible for the oversight, planning and organization of all facets of our practice including insurance contracts, billing, human resources, continuing education and coordination of the continued growth and development of our practice.

Most recently, Karyn worked with Zelinka & Prince where she specialized in strategic growth consulting, legal recruitment and career transition services for legal firms and attorneys. A native Tucsonan, Karyn built a high-profile, service-oriented business in Tucson that consistently expanded in its six years of development. As a business owner, Karyn developed all facets of her business including administration, billing and management.

Karyn has two school-age children, Cassady and Garrison. She is an active leader and volunteer with the Sahuaro Girl Scout Council and in her spare time enjoys kickboxing, hiking, cooking and driving endless carpools.

Mission Statement
We are committed to providing each patient with the best, most effective, evidence-based interventions available. We are dedicated to improving and enhancing the quality of life for each patient in our care.