Certified Massage Therapist
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Susan makes her home in Englewood, Colorado where she maintains a private practice in Integrative and Therapeutic Massage. She is also a contract therapist for the Progressive Health Center (www.progressivehealthcenter.org) and has an office at the Swedish Medical Center in Englewood.
Susan is an active member of her community, an avid volunteer, and is a board member of the Greater Englewood Chamber of Commerce.
Prior to her work in massage therapy, Susan’s numerous career paths involved both fine and commercial art. From 1991 until 2006, she worked as a professional therapist, helping individuals and families struggling with addictions and mental illness. She holds undergraduate degrees in both Fine Art and in Human Services, and maintains an active status as a Certified Addictions Counselor III in the State of Colorado.
Susan views the healing aspects of massage therapy as a natural transition from her work in cognitive/behavioral therapy. Having spent many years engaging individuals with “talk therapy,” facilitating changes in thought & behavior patterns, she now values the “wordless therapy” of healing touch. Beneficial changes can take place immediately, in a realm that does not require “staying in our heads.” Touch is a powerful and healing element for release: the letting go of tension, stress, toxins, and congestion in nerves, muscle fibers, and circulatory systems, which allows the body to better perform its constant, 24/7, quiet efforts to simply heal itself.
“The greatest reward I have is in knowing I’ve helped someone on the way to having a better, healthier start. At any given point in our day, we are each given opportunities to start over: again, and again, and again. It is simply our choice.”
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Susan's training includes completion of a one-year program at the Massage Therapy Institute, meeting the requirements for a Certified Massage Therapist in the State of Colorado. This certification includes training in Swedish, including Range of Motion, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy, and Myofascial Release. She returned to MTIC in January of 2007 for a year as a Teaching Assistant.
Continuing Education remains an essential aspect of Susan's work, and includes the following, most recent trainings:
- Massage for People Living with Cancer, Jamie Elswick, LMT, BSc, Providence Cancer Center, Anchorage, Alaska, 2012
- Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) Certification (the Vodder Technique), Boulder College of Massage Therapy, 2012
- Comfort Touch, Massage for the Elderly and the Ill, Mary Kathleen Rose, BA, CMT, Boulder College of Massage Therapy, 2012
- Women's Wellness Workshop, Breast Health/Breast Massage, Mary Kathleen Rose, BA, CMT, 2012
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The Treatment of Mental-Emotional Disorders with Essential Oils, Peter Holmes, L.Ac., Snow Lotus, Inc., Santa Fe, New Mexico, 2010
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Massage for Breast Cancer Care, Valerie Brown, CMT, Denver, Colorado, 2010
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Certified Yoga Instructor through Rishi's Crossing Studio, Lakewood, Colorado, 2009
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High Touch Jin Shin Jyutsu (Level I & II) with Isabelle Hutton, RN, 2008
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Reflexology (Levels I through V) with Isabelle Hutton, RN, 2008
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CranioSacral (Level I) with the Upledger Institute, 2006
Since 2005, Susan has maintained her standing as a Certified Member of the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals, which also provides liability insurance for her private practice.