Ms Clara Caplice

Clara Caplice is a Chartered Physiotherapist with almost a decade of professional experience. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy from the University of Limerick in 2013 and is CORU registered.

Clara is the Founder of Helping Hands Physiotherapy in Dublin, where she supports both adults and children, and she continues to play an active role across the disability and physiotherapy sectors in Ireland.

She works as a Senior Physiotherapist in Enable Ireland’s Adult Services and runs a monthly specialist foot, ankle and insole clinic in Cork. In addition, she lectures in Paediatrics and Complex Disability at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). In 2021, she was nominated by the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists to join the Physiotherapy Subcommittee of the Disability Advisory Group for the National Clinical Programme for People with Disability.

Clara has developed an approach she calls “Tear-Free Therapy,” designed to combine evidence-based techniques with her own methods to provide physiotherapy without causing unnecessary pain or distress. This approach enables her to work effectively with a wide range of people, including babies, older adults, individuals with complex disabilities, and those who may have had difficult or traumatic therapy experiences in the past. She emphasises that physiotherapy should provide comfort, confidence and pride, rather than pain or feelings of failure.

Her training includes over 400 hours of formal postgraduate education, covering areas such as Complex Postural Care, Therapeutic Casting and Orthotics. She has trained under international experts including Dr Mary Massery, Amanda Hall, Susan Blum and Anat Baniel. Clara is one of the few physiotherapists in Ireland trained in both Total Motion Release (Levels 1 & 2) and Total Motion Release Tots & Teens (Level 1). She also incorporates techniques such as neurokinetic therapy, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation, neurodevelopmental therapy, taping, sensory processing interventions and the use of the Mollii suit.

She has been invited to lecture on topics such as the relationship between physical trauma and speech and organises training courses with international experts to support the professional development of Irish healthcare practitioners.