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About Our School
The MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy is a new program designed to meet the growing need for massage therapists in Alberta. We are different from other programs because of our format, a combination of classroom and distance-learning, and also by our principles.
Our approach works: 92% of graduates find work in the massage field within one year of graduation. The school itself is a purpose-built facility located conveniently in a business park near the Whitemud Freeway in southeast Edmonton. It is bright and spacious and fully equipped for both lectures and practical instruction. Our Students Our school is not for everyone. We are designed for those students who want or need to study independently, working in their own communities and following their own work schedules. We spend time in our intake interviews helping students understand the time commitment and workload involved in this kind of independent study. We are Growing Each year, we have increased our enrollment, adding new classes and new instructors. As a student-driven school, we are committed to continually improving our program in response to student feedback and as new research and resources become available. Faculty and Staff
Instructors The instructors in this school are an interesting group. Although very different in background and style, they all have this in common: an uncompromising commitment to the quality of their students' growth and skill development, and a great enthusiasm for their own life-long learning. All have years of experience in successful private practices. They are also funny, smart, and tireless. This is our current roster: Linda McGeachy, RMT, Director of Instruction Linda monitors the quality of the classroom experience for our students. A former laboratory technologist, Linda had years of experience training student technologists at a teaching hospital in Edmonton. She has taught at the Alberta Institute of Massage in Red Deer, trained spa therapists in the private spa industry, and taught in the Metro College’s massage therapy program before joining us in September 2003. Linda has developed the weekly modules for both first- and second-year students, and continues to oversee changes to our curriculum and materials as they are needed. She is based at the Edmonton campus of MH Vicars. Lindsay Battershill, BPE, Advanced cert. Athletic Therapy, RMT Lindsay is a professional athletic therapist trained at Mount Royal and the University of Alberta, and a registered massage therapist who integrates both disciplines in her work and as an instructor at MH Vicars. A club soccer player, she is the athletic therapist for the Edmonton Wildcats Football Club, and works with other school and club teams in football, rugby, and hockey. Denise Currie, RMT, PFT At our school, we recognize that we are training massage athletes. Like other athletes, massage therapists need to be fit to be effective as therapists and to ensure that they have a long and injury-free career. Denise, who is a professional fitness trainer as well as a massage therapist and first-year instructor at MH Vicars, works with our Edmonton first-year students to demonstrate and encourage both aerobic training and resistance training for themselves and remedial exercise for their clients. Kelsey Gramson, RMT Kelsey’s interest and expertise in sports massage led her to her day job—she works for the University of Calgary Sports Medicine Centre, a multi-disciplinary clinic where she does sport-specific massage and injury prevention, including post-injury and post-surgery rehabilitation, and well as other therapeutic modalities. Kelsey trained at the Professional Institute of Massage in Saskatoon, and has been active as a trainer for examiners at the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta. Kelsey teaches at our Calgary campus. Sandra Greene, RMT Sandra is an instructor at the Edmonton campus and, until recently, the owner/operator of a clinic in the nearby town of Wetaskiwin that serves both a rural and urban population. Sandra is a graduate of the Alberta Institute of Massage in Red Deer. Her professional training and practice include Thai Massage, reflexology, Touch for Health and work with essential oils. Her particular contribution to the school is in the area of business practices and marketing. Robert Haviar, RMT Robert brings European expertise and experience to our school. A former English language teacher in Slovakia, he trained as a massage therapist before moving here in 1999 and has had more than 10 years’ experience in European and Canadian spas, clinics, and fitness centres. In his private practice, he leads personal development, meditation, and self-empowerment sessions, as well as providing both relaxation and therapeutic massage and Reiki. Robert’s particular interest is in the body-mind connection; exploring the connection between states of mind and healing. He teaches first-year classes in Edmonton. Pamela Kats, RMT As with Kelsey Gramson, Saskatchewan’s loss is Alberta’s gain. Pam also trained at the Professional Institute of Massage Therapy in Saskatoon, and in the more than 10 years since her graduation, she has continued to learn, adding assessment, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, and prenatal massage to her successful Calgary practice. For the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta, Pam has been a member of the examination committee and an examiner. Pam teaches at our Calgary campus. Stephanie Nunez-Braatz, RMT Stephanie’s massage practice focuses on rehabilitation of soft-tissue injuries. Stephanie's original training was at Mount Royal College. Since then, she has trained in Asian therapies and earned a a certificate in Comprehensive Orthopedic Assessment. She works in a sport physiotherapy practice, where she specializes in orthopedic assessment, working with athletes. She is in particular demand as a therapist to dancers and musicians, and has toured Europe and North America with different bands and as therapist to high profile dancers and entertainers. Stephanie has been very active with the Association of Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners. Julie Patan, BSc. (Physiotherapy) Julie is a bit of a Renaissance woman of physical therapy. She is a second-year instructor at our Edmonton campus, using her physiotherapy background to add depth to our instruction in orthopedic assessment, pathology, and treatment planning. She is a certified Pilates instructor, and incorporates Pilates-based remedial exercise into her private physiotherapy practice, which also specializes in detailed postural analysis. Julie teaches Pilates mat and equipment work, and teaches anatomy to yoga and Pilates instructors in several Edmonton-area facilities. Janine McCulloch, RMT A massage therapist trained at the Alberta Institute of Massage in Red Deer, Janine owns a clinic in Lacombe and as an employer, became interested in massage training because of her experience in on-the-job development of recent massage-school grads. She has been active in the education work of the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta, and is enthusiastic about working with adult students. Janine teaches in the Edmonton campus. Natalie Volmer, RMT Natalie’s first career was as a social worker, and developed a successful private agency working with parents and children at risk. While she finds the child services field satisfying, for a number of years she has also been developing a successful massage therapy practice. She was part of the first-ever class at MH Vicars, and counts sport massage, deep tissue, craniosacral therapy and orthobionomy among her specialties. Natalie works with competitive athletes and is one herself: for years she has played and coached women’s soccer in Edmonton. Administration Maryhelen Vicars, BSc, CMT Maryhelen took her massage school training at Grant MacEwan Community College and the Northern Institute of Massage, after 20 years of experience in writing and editing educational materials for adults. As the founder of the school, Maryhelen researched and developed the program with the expert help of our experienced teaching staff and outside consultants. She is responsible for ensuring that the program continues to evolve, responding to the needs of students, employers, and the community. Roberta Brosseau, BA, BEd, RMT Roberta comes to the school after seven years as a program leader, first of the massage therapy program at Metro College in Edmonton and for the past four years, of the massage therapy program at Lakeland College's Sherwood Park campus. She has taught massage therapy classes since 1999. As principal, she divides her time between teaching and administration, working closely with both applicants and students, and maintains our reporting relationships with the Alberta government and other agencies and professional organizations. |
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© 2008 MH Vicars School of Massage Therapy |
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