Filed under: Graduate Testimonials
by Juliana Santillanes I moved back to Alaska soon after graduating from the Scherer Institute over two years ago with the Class of Adventure. I remember my first introduction to prenatal massage with Elizabeth Rose and feeling my heart being pulled. I became certified a year later in Bodywork for the Childbearing Year with Kate Jordan and began my focused study on pregnancy. Soon after that I began working at the Anchorage Women’s Clinic in one of the main hospitals in Alaska. The OBGYN clinic adopted the massage therapy program along with counseling services a couple of years ago to offer a more complete healthcare package to their patients. I have had the opportunity to further develop the massage therapy program, and in the last eight months the clinic supported me to pursue two more certifications: one in Pre and Perinatal Massage Therapy with Carol Osborne Sheets, and to become an Infant Massage Instructor through the Loving Touch Program. In addition to working with pregnant clients and teaching parents infant massage, my practice continues to expand to include a variety other patients of the clinic. These include teenagers, pre and postmenopausal women, women who suffer from depression and anxiety as well as the employees and medical staff of the clinic. My fellow Scherer graduate, Monica Garcia moved up to Alaska a year ago. She recently started doing massage at the South Central Foundation, a nonprofit out patient acute care clinic affiliated with the Alaska Native Medical Center. The South Central Foundation’s vision is a native community that enjoys emotional, physical, mental and spiritual wellness. With a team of acupuncturists, chiropractors, and massage therapists, Monica works exclusively with Native Alaskans and American Indians. Their goal is to provide high quality care, and to empower their patients to take responsibility for their own health by providing health education classes, and a wellness center that offers exercise programs, yoga and pilates to help meet the needs of the individual. We are both in rare positions to provide healing quality touch in medical settings, and our respective clinics support continuing education and provide full benefits. Scherer graduates have a unique opportunity to guide the direction of massage therapy in Alaska, and to offer healing quality of touch to a diverse and open culture. Even thousands of miles away, we continue to feel the love and support of Scherer, and recognize the unique quality of our education. Monica and I work with a diverse clientele of people who are new to touch, and we feel that Scherer gave us the skills and sensitivity to establish a connection and build trust. The immense beauty of the land, mountains and water feeds our inspiration and supports a healthy lifestyle. Massage therapy is in its early stages of development up here and could greatly benefit from the loving touch and leadership of Scherer Graduates. Anchorage is an international city and there are wonderful opportunities in many directions, including working in rural and urban environments. We hope to continue to strengthen the connection between the land of enchantment and the land of opportunity. |
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Santa Fe School of Massage - formerly known as Scherer Institute of Natural Healing 