Northwest School of Animal Massage, Large Animal Massage Practitioner 2010

Associate of Applied Technology in Massage Studies 2004-2005

I am a transplant to Washington from the Midwest.  I grew up in Missouri and received my Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.  I moved to Tacoma in 1996 after a visit to my brother (he moved out in 1994 to follow his college sweetheart).  After several years as a legal secretary in Tacoma resulting in back problems, I decided to go back to school for massage because of the relief I found on the receiving end.  In 2005, I graduated, with honors, from the massage program at Clover Park Technical College and began my practice at a busy chiropractic clinic in Tacoma.  Since that time, I have attended continuing education courses in Thai Yoga massage, the Trager Method, Trigger Point Therapy, body mechanics, and ethics, to name a few. In 2010, I completed studies at the Northwest School of Animal Massage and received my Large Animal Massage Practitioner certification through the State of Washington.  I moved to the Aeneas Valley in 2009 and began to prepare for my dream of having horses.  While wintering a friend's horses, I found the book "Beyond Horse Massage: The Masterson Method" by Jim Masterson and found an equine bodywork modality that truly resonated with me (www.mastersonmethod.com).  I got Donnie D, a Rocky Mountain/Akhal Teke/Appaloosa in June 2012 and sought out continuing education in this modality.  I now have 3 horses and am a Certified Practitioner, Coach and Mentor in The Masterson Method ®.