ABOUT

Clients have asked me how I knew I wanted to be a massage therapist. I feel like I knew I wanted to be a massage therapist before I knew what a massage therapist was. I was young, maybe 4-6 years old. My grandmother had very painful rheumatoid arthritis. My mother would have me massage her hands. She was so grateful for the relief and it felt so good that I could relieve some of her pain. I think this his experience had great impact on me.

In High School, my mother set me up to job shadow a massage therapist. When I saw the anatomy charts I was just blown away. I had done a lot of figure drawing but I had never thought too much about what was deep under the skin and how the muscles were interconnected. I watched her work with a couple of complicated cases and was fascinated with the process of tracking down the core problem. I decided then that I was very interested in being a massage therapist but my fathers graduation advice was to "do it while you are young sweetheart". So after High School I went to Europe and the Middle East for 6 months during which time I temporarily forgot all about massage therapy.

After some "life experiences" overseas and finishing core classes in Maine I headed for the desert. I worked in Flagstaff, AZ while finishing a degree from Northern Arizona University in Health Education. After college I took a job as a supervisor for Americorps and the Forest Service building trails in a mobile residential program for youth. Then, finally, at 28yrs old, I remembered I wanted to be a massage therapist. I attended ASIS, Arizona School of Integrative Studies Massage School in Cottonwood AZ, passed the national certification exam and was licensed in 1996. I worked at the Enchantment Resort in Boynton Canyon, Sedona AZ for 3 years while taking the 350 hour Structural Integration Training and getting certified to teach. I knew working at a spa wasn't going to be fulfilling long term so in 2000 I moved to St. Augustine, Florida and opened a practice and closer to family. A couple years after setting up shop in historic downtown St. Augustine, I was voted the "Best of St. Augustine" by local vote 2002-2003.

I now practice Integrative Bodywork meaning that I incorporate the advanced trainings I've taken over the years into therapy sessions. I like to do very specific deeper tissue work for problem areas, hot stones to warm the area to make it easier to work with, cupping for stubborn trigger points and also add CranioSacral Therapy to reset the nervous system. This has proven to be an effective combination for most people. I work slowly and with intention to release the deepest muscles of the neck and back or wherever you need work.

When you come in for your appointment we talk about what areas you feel like you need work on and I cater the treatment to you incorporating multiple modalities of bodywork. I have also started working with with horses, as a hobby mostly, with the Masterson's Method of Equine Massage.

Education and Training

Cape Elizabeth High School, Maine class of 1986

University of Southern Maine core classes

Northern Arizona University NAU BS in Health Education 1995

Arizona School of Integrative Studies ASIS (650 hrs) Massage Therapy 1996

National Certification 1996

Structural Integration (off shoot of Rolfing) ASIS (150 hrs) TMJ

Teacher Training ASIS (350 hrs)

Movement Education for Massage Therapists (18 hrs)

Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage (16 hrs)

Ortho-Bionomy Luann Overmyer (18 hrs)

Tempormandibular Joint Dysfunction Syndrome (12 hrs)

Resistance and Release Work (24 hrs)

Precision Nueromuscular Therapy (40 hrs)

Getting Specific Head and Neck /Shoulder with Frank Merillat (20 hrs)

Cupping Therapy (18 hrs)

Touch of Presence Biodynamic cranial approach (24 hrs)

Upledger University (36 hrs; Pursuing Techniques Certification; completed 100+ sessions)

Experience

Over 20 years of Full-time Private Practice in St Augustine FL

Experience working with a chiropractor and physical therapists in St. Augustine, FL.

Anatomy and Physiology Instructor, FSMT Jacksonville

Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ Therapist for 3 years

National Certification 1996
Florida License #MA 31607