Skip to content
Direct PTof Huntsville
Patient Education·5 min read·October 13, 2026

Written and clinically reviewed by the Clinical Team at Direct PT of Huntsville.

What Does a Physical Therapist Assistant Do?

A physical therapist assistant (PTA) is a licensed clinician who treats you under your physical therapist’s plan of care. Here is who does what at our Huntsville clinic.

#physical therapist assistant#PTA#PT vs PTA#who treats me#Texas rules

A physical therapist assistant (PTA) is a licensed clinician who treats you under a plan of care written by a physical therapist (PT). In Texas, the physical therapist does your evaluation and sets the plan; the PTA carries out your treatment sessions and keeps the physical therapist informed about how you are doing.

Most articles on this question are written for people thinking about a PTA career. This one is for patients in Huntsville and Walker County who want to know who will be treating them and why. It matters to us: our founder, Cassie Fry, PTA, has been licensed as a PTA since 2007.

PT vs PTA: who does what

  • The physical therapist examines and evaluates you, then writes your plan of care: your goals and the treatment to reach them
  • Only the physical therapist can change your plan of care or your goals
  • The PTA provides treatment once that plan is in place, and may adjust treatment techniques as the plan allows
  • The PTA records every session and names the supervising physical therapist in that note
  • The physical therapist reevaluates you and writes your discharge summary; the PTA can contribute what they have observed

These rules come from the Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, §322.1, which sets out how physical therapy is provided in Texas. They apply to every clinic in the state, not just ours.

What a PTA does in a typical session

  • Checks in on how you have felt since your last visit and how your home exercises went
  • Guides your exercise and movement work, progressing it as your plan of care allows
  • Provides hands-on treatment when it is part of your plan
  • Updates your home program so the work continues between visits
  • Notes any change in how you are doing and tells the physical therapist

At our clinic, cupping may be done by our physical therapist or our physical therapist assistants when it fits your plan. Dry needling is done only by our physical therapist, Dr. Sean Chen, PT, DPT.

What a PTA does not do

  • Evaluate a new patient or decide what your treatment should be
  • Write or change your plan of care or your goals
  • Reevaluate you or discharge you from therapy
  • Start treatment before a physical therapist has set your plan of care

How the PT and PTA team works at Direct PT

Your first visit takes about 60 minutes and includes a one-on-one evaluation of about 30 minutes with Dr. Sean Chen, PT, DPT, our Physical Therapy Director. If your doctor referred you, new referrals are evaluated on Tuesdays, and we e-fax the evaluation to your referring doctor with Dr. Chen’s name and number.

After that, your treatment sessions usually run 45 to 60 minutes, often with one of our PTAs, Cassie Fry, PTA, or Tony Delclos, PTA, working from Dr. Chen’s plan. We see no more than 2 patients per clinician at a time, so whoever is treating you is actually watching how you move.

You may also meet Florencia, our PT Tech. A PT tech (sometimes called an aide) is not licensed: Florencia supports the therapists and assistants on the floor and helps keep your session on schedule, but she does not evaluate or treat patients on her own.

Questions to ask any clinic before you start

  • Who will do my evaluation, and who will I see for most of my treatment sessions?
  • How many patients does each clinician treat at the same time?
  • When will the physical therapist reevaluate me?
  • If my doctor referred me, how will my evaluation reach my doctor?

If you would like those answers from us, call the clinic at (936) 439-4770. We are at 3200 Robinson Creek Parkway, Suite B, Huntsville, TX 77340, open Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Next step

Want this looked at properly?

A full evaluation at our Huntsville clinic tells you what is actually driving the problem — and most patients in Texas can start without a referral.

Request an appointmentCall (936) 439-4770
ShareFacebookXLinkedInEmail

This article is general education, not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for evaluation by a qualified provider. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, call 911.

Keep reading

Related articles

All articles →
Patient Education·4 min read

How Long Is a Physical Therapy Session?

Treatment sessions at our Huntsville clinic usually run 45 to 60 minutes. Plan on about 60 minutes for your first visit. Here is where the time goes.

October 8, 2026Read
Patient Education·5 min read

What Happens at Your First Physical Therapy Visit

A first visit is mostly testing and conversation. Here is the whole visit, start to finish, so nothing about it is a surprise.

September 20, 2026Read
Patient Education·5 min read

Direct Access Physical Therapy in Texas: What to Know

You can generally start physical therapy in Texas without a referral. The limits are real but narrow — here is exactly how it works.

May 5, 2026Read

Get started

Ready to move better?

Request an appointment and we’ll confirm a time — usually the same business day. Most patients in Texas can start without a referral.

Request an AppointmentCall (936) 439-4770

3200 Robinson Creek Parkway, Suite B · Huntsville, TX 77340
PhysicalTherapy@dpttx.com

Insurance & benefits

Medicare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Humana, Kelsey-Seybold and self-pay

Direct PT of Huntsville accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and HMO plans, Blue Cross Medicare Advantage, Kelsey-Seybold, Cigna, Humana, Medicare and Medicare Supplement plans. UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage is accepted for out-of-network benefits only, and we see patients on any PPO plan with out-of-network benefits. Self-pay is available, and we can give you a superbill to submit to your insurance yourself. We verify your benefits before your first visit and give you a clear cost estimate up front — no surprise billing.

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO and HMO
  • Blue Cross Medicare Advantage
  • Kelsey-Seybold
  • Cigna
  • Humana
  • Medicare
  • Medicare Supplement plans
  • UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Medicare Advantage — out-of-network benefits only
  • Any PPO plan with out-of-network benefits
  • Self-pay — a superbill is available on request to submit to your insurance yourself

Payment: Cash; Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover; Apple Pay and Google Pay; HSA and FSA cards, including Texflex HSA; and insurance benefits.