MAPTA INTERVIEW WITH FRED

Q1. Fred, anyone that talks with you will detect a hint of an accent,
where are you originally from and how did you end up in Montana?

  I was born in the Netherlands and ended up in Montana via Switzerland as
a result of giving in to the workings of a restless mind hungry for adventure.
The North American West has pulled me in since I was old enough to read.
Mostly for the natural beauty and opportunities for solitude in mountain
environments. The appeal over European mountain regions had to do with
wildlife and human population densities. Most of the European mountain
environments are devoid of wildlife due to human activity.

Q2. What types of physical therapy positions have you had since
arriving here?

  I spent 5 years working for different hospitals in Fort Benton, Great Falls
and Helena. In Fort Benton I was the only PT for the hospital, in the other
hospitals I was a staffer. Once I moved to the Flathead Valley I joined a
private practice and later became an owner. Currently I am involved in an
adventure called single owner private practice.

Q3. You have been engaged in a considerable amount of continuing
education and post- professional training. What has been most helpful
or rewarding for you?

  My most rewarding continued education has been in the field of
mindfulness in medicine. It has been most helpful as it brings my own
journey into conscious living to the practice of physical therapy. Some may
call it holistic physical therapy since the focus is on bringing the whole body -
mind into the practice as opposed to just dealing with the mechanical part of
the body.

Q4. With recently establishing a solo private practice, what piece of
advice would you have for anyone else contemplating doing the same?

  Anybody contemplating doing the same thing needs to be excited and
curious about the whole process without being too goal oriented. There are
lots of opportunities to face yourself over and over again until learning some
of life`s difficult lessons. Becoming more a part of the process rather than the
outcome can be difficult to learn. You would also have to be prepared to work
a lot outside of the 8-5 routine.

Q5. When you are not running your business, how do you like
spending your time?

  My passion continues to be mountain travel either by foot, ski, bike, kayak
or canoe. Lately I have taken up a different form of space travel called
sky-diving. I enjoy putting myself in an insane environment and finding out if
I can remain calm and aware. That actually has parallels with being in private
practice in an insane health care climate. I also explore music, kite-flying,
boomerang throwing, yoga, meditation, mythology and poetry mostly in the
pursuit of waking up to life and the taste of experience.

Interviewed by:
David L. Levison, PT, MHS, ACCE
The University of Montana-Missoula
Physical Therapy Department