Sorlie, Matthew - LMT
Matthew Sorlie has been a massage therapist and educator for more than 20 years. He graduated from the Brian Utting School of Massage in 1998, and began teaching there soon after, where he focused on teaching anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology, and structural and treatment manual therapies. With the closing of the Brian Utting School he transitioned to become the Director of Education for Cortiva - Seattle. He currently teaches continuing education and maintains a private practice and is driven by the idea that we are stronger practitioners if we understand and utilize science and research in our clinical reasoning. This expands to all areas of his practice and teaching, whether it is understanding the pathophysiology of various conditions or diving into the latest research about pain or tissue repair -- to include diving into the science of COVID-19. These days his practice focuses on working with people who are limited by pain and/or injuries and want to move and function in more optimal ways.
Blake, Robbin - LMT, Certified Aston-Patterner®
Ever since Robbin graduated from the Brian Utting School of Massage 1000-hour professional licensing program in 2004, the focus of her practice has been helping people to recover from injuries or chronic pain by using orthopedic massage and structural bodywork. She has completed an advanced certification program in Orthopedic Massage and a 750-hour training program to become a certified Aston-Patterner (structural bodywork with movement and ergonomics coaching). In total, Robbin has taken over 1,500 hours of continuing education.
Robbin has been the owner and operator of the Therapeutic Training Center, Inc. (TTCI) for the past 12 years. TTCI provides continuing education classes in massage therapy in Washington and Idaho. Robbin has also been a volunteer for the Washington State Massage Therapy Association for the past 6 years and its Government Relations Program Director since January 2019.
As the coronavirus hit the United States, Robbin delved into the science and pathology of COVID-19, the recommendations and regulations of the CDC, WHO, WA State DOH, OSHA, WA State L&I and the recommendations and practice guidelines recommended by the American Dental Association, American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Medical Association and other organizations. With the help of other WSMTA volunteers, she co-created the Interim Guidance documents on PPE, Sanitation and Practice Guidelines.
Before practicing massage, Robbin had been the Director of Operations for several manufacturing companies and was responsible, among her many duties, for the creation and implementation of employee safety programs, which helped her through the WSMTA process. During 2020, Robbin and Marybeth Berney (WSMTA President) provided numerous “Back to Practice Q&A” live webinars focusing on PPE, sanitation and safe practice guidelines for our profession. Since August 2020, Robbin has also been a co-presenter in all of the "Massage Therapy in the Age of COVID” symposiums and presentations co-sponsored by the Therapeutic Training Center and Brian Utting’s Pacific NW School of Massage.
In addition to discussing current best practice guidelines to work through the pandemic and current state and federal regulations, Robbin will discuss how COVID-19 affects the body in many different ways – affecting some people severely with lengthy recovery periods, killing some, while leaving others with almost no effects. She will review the various issues that survivors are recovering from and how these impact massage therapists in their treatment of patients/clients.