Abbey, Jason - LMP

Jason Abbey is a Licensed Massage Practitioner (LMP), Reiki Master, Nationally Accredited Instructor of two bodywork modalities, Sound Practitioner, Tonal Healer, and Holistic Personal Chef. Jason launched his own massage practice in 2004 and has since followed his passion around the globe. Most recently, he traveled to Thailand for a month to study the time-honored practice of Thai Massage to deepen his knowledge of what he has learned in the US. In his training in Thailand, he focused on Thai Bodywork and Thai Herbal Compress therapy. Jason has been teaching Massage Cupping (MC) and Contractive Release Technique (CRT) for nearly 5 years. NCBTMB #450472-07.

Archer, Pat - LMP, ATC of Sports Connection Seminars

Pat Archer has been a sports health care specialist and educator for over 35 years. After a few years of teaching high school physical education, Pat became a Certified Athletic Trainer in 1977 and worked as the head women's athletic trainer at the University of Montana until 1983. She became a licensed massage therapist in 1985, and started teaching at the Brenneke School of Massage in 1986. Pat served as Director of Education until 1997 and continued to teach until 2008. This combination of massage therapy and athletic training provided Pat with a unique combination of advanced manual therapy assessment and treatment skills that continue to guide her in a successful private practice called Seattle Somatics. As a therapist, Pat has served as the lead massage therapist for the Seattle Sonics (NBA), the WNBA Seattle Storm, and the University of Washington swim teams. She was chosen to be the Direcator of Massage Services at the 1997 USA Track and Field National Championships and served as both Athletic Trainer and Massage Therapist at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Pat has a warm and personal style of teaching that keeps students actively engaged in both their head and hands. She is a popular and highly regarded speaker who has presented at state, regional, and national conferences for both AMTA and NATA, as well as multiple CE courses for private schools and businesses. Her courses cover a variety of manual therapy topics such as event and clinical sports massage, lymphatic facilitation, orthopedic assessment and manual therapy applications for specific injury management. Pat is also an author, having published journal articles, such as, "Massage for Sports Health Care" and a workbook for the self study video course of the same title for Human Kinetics in 1999. In 2006, her textbook, Therapeutic Massage in Athletics was published by Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, and is now required reading for many massage students around the country. Pat is involved and committed to serving both her athletic training and massage professional associations, having served as chairperson for several committees, including the AMTA sports massage education council, the AMTA special committee for evaluation of the National Sports Massage Team and the NW Athletic Trainers Association's scholarships, awards, history and archives committees.

Bacon, Julie - LMP

A Seattle native, Julie is in her 33rd year of massage practice, having first graduated from the Lindsey Hopkins School of Massage (Miami 1975), and later from the Brian Utting School of Massage (Seattle 1990). She was a guest instructor from 1991 to 2007 at Brian Utting, teaching her unique style of full body massage which utilizes Russian massage techniques and targets circulation with deep, broad-hand pressure and is systematic and vigorous. Julie is in awe of athletes. She is certified in Event Sports Massage and Clinical Sports Massage and has been a member of the WA State Sports Massage Team since 1991. Julie has worked with the Seattle Sonics and considers a highlight of her career to have provided sports massage in the Sonics' locker room during the '91-'92 and '92-'93 playoffs and training camps. She has worked with members of the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and Red Sox.

Julie is a Certified Onsen Techniques® Therapist, Instructor and Examiner. She spent 8 years studying with Rich Phaigh, LMT (Nike Track West fame; Eugene, OR) who is the founder of the Onsen Techniques®. Julie has been an Onsen Instructor since 2001. She is a firm believer that humor lends to the learning process and insists on having fun throughout all classes.

In treatment work, Julie's goal is to identify the source of pain and alleviate it, permanently, whether it's acute or only chronic and nagging. She considers giving a full body massage to be equally important and still is amazed at the positive transformation that happens both physically and mentally for her clients in just one hour. Julie is passionate about relieving human discomfort. She has a broad store of knowledge toward that end and she continually adds to it because gaining more knowledge and applying it is fun and exhilarating.

Karen Clay LMP holds a BA in Dance and has been a movement artist and performer for 30 years. Licensed as a massage practitioner in 1985, she maintains an active private practice. In 1996 she was certified by the Zentherapy® School of Structural Integration, and in 2007 she earned certification from the KMI School of Structural Integration. Karen has been a continual student in the field of Somatics for the past 29 years. Her studies have included classes in Skinner Releasing, Biokinetics/Hanna Somatics, Aston Kinetics, Feldenkrais, Kinesis, and Continuum.

Crafted Touch: Lauren Christman, LMP and Richard Polishuk, LMP

Lauren Christman has been a bodyworker since 1994. Her practice focuses on structural integration (KMI), craniosacral therapy and visceral manipulation for adults and children. As a certified teacher for Kinesis/Tom Myers, she teaches Anatomy Trains, Body³ and KMI, locally and abroad. With over 13 years experience teaching beginning and advanced massage students, Lauren brings a balance of precision, curiosity and humor to the classroom.

Richard Polishuk has been practicing bodywork since 1986, and teaching since 1989. As a teacher he is most passionate about the principles that create a strong ongoing link between assessment and treatment. His practice centers on Aston-Patterning and orthopedic methods.

Together, they teach classes in intraoral work, postural assessment and fascial release techniques, and they share a clinic from their home in Seattle, Washington. Their website is www.craftedtouch.com, and they are happy to receive inquiries about their work

English, Laurie LMT, RPP, LCICI

Laurie's practice of massage began as a little girl - her family role being to massage her grandmother. Combined with her disciplined training in classical music from the ages 4 through 16, she incorporates a heightened sense of musicality in her touch. After receiving her licensure in polarity therapy (RPP = registered polarity practitioner) she became a certified SynergyDanceTM instructor and has taught at the American Polarity Therapy Association Conferences.

With over 3,000 hours of training and a specialty in indigenous massage styles, Laurie is considered a master masseuse. She has over 10 years of spa experience as well as forming her own company SpaNomad, LLC which focuses on providing on-site services. One of SpaNomad's signature therapies is Champissage: Indian Head Massage. Laurie is one of only three teachers in the United States certified to train students in Champissage from the London Centre of Indian Champissage International.

Laurie not only trains, but is a practicing therapist. She provides between 10 and 50 Champissage treatments each week. Laurie's Champissage classes provide 21 CE hours and Laurie is a NCBTMB approved provider (#451035-09). She also holds a B.A. degree from Yale University in Psychology.

Hynes, Millie LPN/LMP

Millie Hynes graduated from Seattle Massage School in 1993. Prior to massage school, she worked as a Licensed Practical Nurse in a variety of settings. She especially enjoyed working in surgery, obstetrics, and physician offices. Toward the end of her nursing career (while she was in massage school), Millie was employed in long-term care, which gave her the opportunity to work with the elderly in the same care facility where her father was a patient. Seeking more information about alternative treatment for her father, Millie became acquainted with Dietrich Meisler, the founder of DAY-BREAK Geriatric Massage Institute. She took instruction from Dietrich while still attending massage school.

Through Dietrich¿s enthusiasm and devotion for geriatric massage, Millie made it her goal to start the first geriatric massage program in a long-term nursing care center in Seattle, which she did in 1993 at Mount St. Vincent. While he was at Mount St. Vincent's, Dietrich filmed an instructional video for health care providers about the benefits of touch for the elderly. Millie continued to stay in contact with Dietrich as a resource and friend. She has been practicing geriatric massage since 1993 and became an instructor in 2007 through DAY-BREAK. NCBTMB #22353-00.

Kohli, Nitika

Nitika Kohli is a certified Purna Yoga instructor with over 2000 hrs of training and has taught meditation workshops and yoga classes for the past 3 years at www.purnayoga.com. She is graduating from the Cortiva Institute of Massage in Seattle in July 2010 and is expecting to become licensed as an LMP by August 2010. While a student at Cortiva, Nitika has been holding classes in yoga, centering and grounding for her fellow students outside of formal classes. Nitika moved from Atlanta, GA at the end of 2009 to pursue her love for the healing arts. While she started on the path of yoga as a form of relief from her fast paced work environment, yoga has since become a way of life, of healing, of growth, and discovering potential in herself that she never even knew she had. The healing profession of massage has only complemented and enhanced this path of self discovery for Nitika, revealing even more of her true self and strengthening her intuition.

She is excited about offering Meditation "Snacks" and Self Care for Massage Therapists to help bring the best of both yoga and massage closer together creating even more depth to the practice of healing. The workshop supports her strong belief that to truly help others heal, we must heal ourselves and create balance in our own lives first.

Nitika also holds degrees in Biology from Emory University, GA and Computer Science from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA. She is on the Board of Directors of the Golden Lotus School, a nonprofit organization founded in 2009, where she teaches heart-centered education to children ages 7 - 17. The school's website is www.goldenlotusschool.org.

Lee, Benjamin LMP

Benjamin Lee graduated from the Brian Utting School of Massage, where he also began teaching. He is currently an instructor at the Cortiva Institute - Seattle. He holds a bachelors degree in music (classical guitar), and loves to weave in a sense of musical artistry into his work. Benjamin also has certifications in craniosacral therapy, as well as reflexology, with additional studies in various fascial, neuromuscular, and positional release techniques.

Benjamin maintains a private practice in downtown Seattle where he works with a lovely variety of clients. He is a self-proclaimed geek in all things bodywork, and he brings his genuine passion, knowledge, and fun into his teaching. His work is deeply informed by his own profound healing experiences through bodywork and movement therapies, moving from severe pain and dysfunction, towards healing and wholeness. Borne of this experience is an implicit purpose in his work, and he is grateful for the opportunity to share his unique perspectives in bodywork. Benjamin thinks exploring what it means to be an embodied human being is a kick in the pants. He loves to dance and to hike barefoot--feeling the earth beneath his feet, and the motion in all 33 joints of each foot as they transmit movement and space throughout the rest of his body.

Lowe, David PT

David Lowe, PT has 13 years of experience in the orthopedic setting. He has extensive experience treating the spine, pelvis, shoulder, and lower extremities. His believes it is essential for body workers to be able to educate their patients in order to reduce chronic pain in their patients.

Lowe, Whitney LMT

Whitney Lowe is a premier authority in Orthopedic Massage and treating pain and injuries with massage. Lowe's career spans two decades and includes extensive research, publication, and teaching. He is the author of Orthopedic Assessment for Massage Therapy and Orthopedic Massage: Theory and Technique, used by schools, educators, and individuals. He is widely known for his expertise in assessment techniques and soft-tissue treatment approaches for musculoskeletal conditions. After years of clinical research and practice in the healthcare setting, Whitney developed his Orthopedic Massage approach for massage therapists challenged with the demands of today's clients. His courses demonstrate his dedication to research-based approaches. Whitney is a frequently featured author in "Massage Magazine, Massage Today", "Massage & Bodywork" and other journals and magazines. He is on the editorial advisory board of the "Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies". His educational offerings include: online & hands-on courses, DVDs, and books. For more information, please go to: www.omeri.com. NCBTMB #45671-00.

Morelli, Shuna LMP

Shuna Morelli is an upbeat and entertaining instructor who is known for her clarity and ability to teach in a way that makes learning new concepts easy and enjoyable. She is passionate about the profession of massage therapy and has successfully treated people with soft tissue injuries for over 12 years in various chiropractic offices and in her practice at Steilacoom Orthopedic Massage. Shuna has been a kinesiology and massage skills instructor in Oregon and Washington for the past 9 years, and has taught high school anatomy and biology for 18 years in Michigan, Guam, and Oregon.

Currently, Shuna has developed a series of continuing education classes called "Morning Minis^TM", designed to give the busy massage professional a variety of short, focused bites of skill-based information and practice in 4 hour sessions. Shuna holds a Masters Degree in Secondary Science Education from the University of Oregon. NCBTMB #451046-09.

The common thread in Ursula's life has been her work with people. Through years of working as a counselor in private practice and for the city of Zurich, she learned that she could not access her clients fully through talking and conversation; there was a significant aspect of the person that she was not able to address with counseling skills alone. This discovery led her to the field of bodywork. Shortly after receiving certification in Massage, she began her study of Cranio-Sacral work with Hugh Milne, Founder and Director of the Milne Institute. She found that this work deeply resonated with her core beliefs and values because of the focus on caring for rather than fixing, development rather than results, experience-based knowledge and wisdom, connection rather than separation, and the whole person rather than their problems.

After having taken only the first few cranial classes, Milne, recognizing Ursula's natural talent and aptitude for the work, asked her to assist him in teaching his classes. During this time, Hugh taught her more than she could have ever dreamed. Eventually, she became one of the core instructors for the Milne Institute, teaching all the classes in Europe as well as in the US for over 6 years, before leaving to develop her own Cranio-Sacral program in January 2002. Though academic information is a significant component of all of her classes, her greatest joy is supporting students as they master and embody this sophisticated therapy and discover their own creative ways of understanding and applying it.

Ursula's desire for a medical paradigm within which to better understand the human body ~ its structure, function, and disease processes ~ also led her to pursue a degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. Again, because this healing modality is ancient, holistic, energetic, and effective, she found it deeply resonated with her core beliefs. After being awarded a Master's in Acupuncture, she sought specialty training in Pediatric Acupuncture and Toyo Hari Japanese Acupuncture (a treatment where needles are not inserted into the skin).

In addition to her education and training, Ursula's fifteen-year Zen meditation practice has had a tremendous influence on how she thinks about health and well-being, and has deeply informed her approach to treatment and teaching. She believes that her work would not even be possible without the grounding and deepening effect of the Zen teachings, the rejuvenating benefits of regular sitting and meditation retreats, and the support from her teachers and peers. Ursula continues her spiritual development as a student of Deena Metger, poet, Shaman, and Medicine Woman, and has become a vital part of a vibrant healing community in Seattle called Daré, with branches all over the country. (Daré is a Shona - a tribe native to Zimbabwe - word that best translates as 'council'. It is a community of people who focus on right relation to everything and work toward healing of the individual, the community, and all creation).

For more information about Ursula Popp and her classes in Cranio-Sacral work, please go to: www.ursulapopp.com. NCBTMB #322123-00

Meg has been practicing therapeutic massage since 2001 with a focus in chronic pain, injury & stress relief and comfort care. She is passionate about oncology massage and dedicated to integrating complementary approaches, specifically appropriate massage modalities, with traditional forms of treatment. She is a graduate from the Peregrine Institute of Oncology Massage Training, which is the first hands on, supervised 300-hour continuing education certification program in the country that focuses on western, eastern and integrated approaches to Oncology Massage. Her MLD training is from the Klose Institute; Vodder Technique. Meg's business, Compassionate Therapies, is located in Everett, WA within the Providence Regional Cancer Partnership.

She is proud to be an instructor with the Oncology Massage Education Associates; teaching "Massage for those Living with Cancer". This course was developed by Gayle MacDonald, author of Medicine Hands, Massage Therapy for People with Cancer and Massage for the Hospital Patient and Medically Frail Client. It is a foundation course in Oncology Massage, with a hands-on component that qualifies the practitioner to provide comfort oriented Swedish massage sessions for a client living with cancer. Additionally, Meg welcomes any opportunity to speak about oncology massage, palliative care issues, and the value of touch.

Meg is the founding President of the Society for Oncology Massage, the professional organization dedicated to supporting the development of oncology massage as a profession, and connecting cancer patients with skilled therapists. S4OM is an international association of massage therapists with the particular interest, specialized training and extra-ordinary compassion to safely bring the healing powers of massage to oncology patients at all stages of their journey. S4OM provides a locator service for cancer patients and their families so they may find therapists trained in oncology massage locally. Please visit: www.S4OM.org. NCBTMB #153811-00.

Kay started her massage practice in 1988 after graduating from Seattle Massage School and began working in a health club, where she stayed for nearly ten years. Two years after her graduation, Kay began her Thai Massage studies shortly after reading a magazine article about Thai Massage. She was so pumped, she wanted to take the very next flight out to Bangkok.

After an exploratory trip to Thailand in 1993, where she experienced many different styles of Thai massage, Kay came back home and found Michael Eisenberg. Michael, at the time, took students on annual trips to Chiang Mai, to the Institute of Thai Massage (ITM), where he acted as an assistant instructor. A talented therapist and gifted teacher, he patiently taught Kay the whole routine as taught at ITM over a period of five years, a little at a time. By taking her time to absorb and learn, she was able to practice, integrate and fine-tune the moves. By the time Kay returned to Thailand in 1997, she took and passed the teaching certification course at ITM. with Chongkol and Attchara Settakorn.

Discouraged by the lack of adequate teaching materials, Kay created her own over a period of the next four years (1997-2001) which culminated in The Thai Massage Workbook. This workbook is the step-by-step guide that Kay wished she had while learning. The workbook includes a full three-hour routine. And now there is the DVD, a shorter, step-by-step guide to a 90-minute routine.

Kay maintains a private practice of both Western style massage and Thai massage in Seattle. She returns to Thailand every year or two to concentrate on collecting new moves, refining old ones and exploring the many approaches taken by each individual therapist. There is no end to the learning process, so the work she does in her treatment room is always evolving. Kay has also worked with many creative Thai therapists from throughout the world, who have generously shared their knowledge and experience. In addition, Kay is a member of the Thai Healing Alliance International (www.thaihealingalliance.com), a non-profit association of Thai therapist, teachers and institutions committed to excellence and to the promotion of this great tradition. The association is working towards standardizing levels of achievement and study. For more information about Kay or to learn more information about her informative books and DVDs, please go to: www.learnthaimassage.com. NCBTMB 450656-08.

SAVI Training Partners: Ben Benjamin, Ph.D. and Amy Yeager

Ben E. Benjamin Ph.D. holds a doctorate in education and is founder of the Muscular Therapy Institute. He has taught communication skills as a trainer and coach for more than 30 years, and is a Certified SAVI Communications Trainer. He teaches extensively throughout the country on topics including communication, ethics, and boundary issues. Dr. Benjamin has written four books and publishes dozens of articles each year. In addition to his teaching, he has maintained a private practice for more than 40 years, and currently practices in Cambridge, MA.

Amy Yeager is a Certified SAVI Communications Trainer, and has designed and conducted SAVI-related workshops for multinational corporations, schools, health care organizations, and other nonprofit institutions. She has worked closely with Ben Benjamin and SAVI co-creator Anita Simon to write SAVI training materials and SAVI-related articles. Amy received her BA in Psychology from Harvard University, with a focus on the psychology of language and the physical manifestations of emotion. She continues to pursue these interests as a certified Alexander teacher and Self Regulation Therapy practitioner.

Schmidt, Dawn - LMP

Dawn Schmidt has an eclectic massage practice in Washington. With several decades in education, Dawn currently is an adjunct faculty member at Bastyr University, and is a former Director of Education and Instructor at Brenneke School of Massage. She holds a teaching credential in Physical Education/Kinesiology. Dawn served as commissioner on the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA), was a founding member of the Academic Consortium on Complimentary and Alternative Health Care (ACCAHC) and is also currently a contributing member of the Massage Therapy Research Consortium (MTRC). She consults on research as well as ethical and legal issues for the massage profession.

Laura Servid started working with Judith Aston in 1988. With 30 years experience in Occupational Therapy, Laura brings a broad spectrum of knowledge including neurological, biomechanical, structural, energetic and spiritual studies to her teaching. She has been a member of the Aston faculty since 1999, has published a number of articles about Aston-Patterning® and presented a session on Aston Movement at the 2nd Annual IASI conference in 2007. Laura has had a private practice in Seattle for the past ten years.

Sandra's interest in the healing arts grew with her personal journey of self healing. Sandra is a graduate of the Brian Utting School of Massage, class of December 1999. She has a private massage practice out of her home in Kirkland and one of her current pursuits is the study of cranial sacral massage. Sandra is also a certified Purna Yoga teacher at the 2000-hour level. She has been teaching yoga and meditation classes at Yoga Centers (www.yogacenters.com) in Bellevue since 1985.

Sandra has a strong background in the visual arts. She also has degrees in Development Studies and Education from University of Calgary in Canada. During the 80's she taught drawing and ceramics at an International School in South India. She is one of the founders of, and is currently on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization, Golden Lotus School, (www.goldenlotusschool.org), whose mission is teaching heart-centered education to children ages 7 - 17. As she watched her two daughters transform, as they practiced these techniques, she felt that she wanted to offer other children the opportunity maintain a connection with their inner wisdom and a sense of self love as they navigate through the teenage years.

As her two loves, massage and Purna Yoga, grew side by side, she has often had such a strong feeling that the massage community would receive so much benefit from what Purna Yoga has to offer. This workshop is the beginning of that process of reaching out to share the Purna Yoga techniques for self healing and self balancing with the massage community.

Utting, Brian - LMP

Brian Utting founded the Brian Utting School of Massage, located in Seattle, in 1982. Brian developed and evolved the curriculum and taught there throughout the school's history. During most of this time, Brian also served as the Director until he sold the school in 2006, where he continued to teach until 2008. Brian teaches with a rare blend of passion, precision, humor, common sense, and depth. He was awarded the AMTA's Robert N. Calvert Award for Lifetime Achievement in April 2009.

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