About Us
The Hand Therapy Specialists is a small, private, personalized clinic located in beautiful Santa Cruz County. We will approach your needs individually, holistically and with sensitivity during treatment following an injury or traumatic condition.
Jo Tennyson Samson, MA, OTR/ L, CHT, CLT, is a licensed occupational therapist, certified hand therapist, and certified lymphedema therapist with over 30 years of experience in the treating upper extremity issues.
She has presented on hand therapy topics throughout the United States for The American Occupational Therapy Association and the Occupational Therapy Association of California. She is an author and researcher on hand therapy topics.
To obtain the advanced certification and be designated as a certified hand therapist (CHT), a rigorous certification exam must be passed that shows the candidate meets and demonstrates competency in the practice of hand therapy. To sit for this exam to become a CHT, the therapist must practice a minimum of three years and accumulate at least 4,000 hours of clinically supervised treatment in hand and upper extremity disorders.

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“This was my first visit for therapy, and I was very impressed with the service I received from Jo. She listened to my issue, helped me understand, and overall made me comfortable with the process. Best service ever!!”
