Sutherland-Chan Publications
Bulletin Board
Please submit your bulletin board items or classified ads to
Stephen at
(416) 924-1107, ext. 12; fax # (416) 924-9413
Make it a safari massage to remember! Leopard skin pillowcases
and tiger print sheets for sale
E-mail: [email protected]
Can‟t take the heat in this pad anymore, call 905-555-1234 for a
seldom used thermophore in mint condition.
Kick start the new millennium with a treasured literary
collection, Antonia‟s Physiology, Debra‟s Cancer Re-
search, Darby‟s Hydro, and Jerry‟s Neurology, avid bibliophiles
contact Snidley at 555-4321, will sell as a set
Each course will qualify Register Now!
The cost of each
course is $150
and the duration is
1 day
with CMTO
For 4 CEU credits
Continuing Education Courses List of courses:
Muscle Energy
Soft Tissue
Manipulation Working With Body
Image Multiple Sclerosis
Breast Massage By Debra Curties, RMT
Coming Soon!
For more information call
(416) 924-1107
Alumni Social
Exciting new video: Special New Technique for Massaging
Hibernating Bears, written, filmed and demo‟d by
Ellen Prose. Only $69.95. Box 24967
As you can see, we seriously need your classified ads. Place one
for no charge by calling or faxing Stephen at the number above.
Coming out in the new year: “How to Find Bones in Your Own
Backyard, “ a fully illustrated 58 page guide cre-
ated by Michael Bard and Peter Skoggard. Watch your OMTA
newsletter for the launch announcement.
Sutherland-Chan
Publications
Wenda Crawford
Winner of
Name the Sutherland-Chan
Newsletter
Classified
Theme: Blue Velvet
Date: January 30, 1999
Place: Paupers Pub
Time: 8:00 p.m.
RRSP Rene (416) 466-3997/Natalie (905) 430-5659
Next Alumni Association Mtg.
Date: Thursday, December 7
Time: 7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Place: 330 Dupont Street
Bring a friend and join us for
pot luck!
Sutherland-Chan
Publications
Massage Therapy & Cancer by Debra Curties, RMT
Order your copy today! See flyer for details
See flyer inside
by Rochelle Carnegie
Sutherland-Chan opened its doors on Sunday, September 20 to
celebrate our 20th
anniversary and to bring to a close National Massage Therapy
Awareness Week. Mem-
bers of the general public, massage profession representatives,
and business associates
of Sutherland-Chan were invited to join students, faculty and
alumni and partake in the
festivities. In all, over 250 attended.
A host of student and staff volunteers helped make the Open
House a very successful
event. Each classroom was set up to provide visitors with
information about massage
therapy and massage therapy training. Michael Bard presented his
Traveling Bone
Show, Ken Rezsnyak and MaryBeth Ferguson gave practical class
demonstrations; Pauli
Schell and Ellen Prose taught members of the public how to give
head/neck/shoulder
massages; and Diana Griffin supervised the mini-massage clinic
which raised $188.12
for the MS Society.
Our appreciation to Cynthia Stanhope for organizing the Alumni
Association table.
More than 80 alumni came to meet old friends and support the
school. It’s nice to
know that although you are gone, we are not forgotten. Special
mention to Term 3
students Margaret Hughes, Trish McMaster, and Andrea Collins who
offered baked
goods and drinks for sale. They provided us with terrific
refreshments and raised
$142.00 for their grad fund.
Special T-shirts were presented to Greg Boyd and Frank Benoit,
clients who have at-
tended Student Clinic over 300 times.
Grace, Trish, Debra and Jerry welcomed everyone to the
celebration, and gave a his-
tory of the school and thoughts about future directions. Our new
promotional materi-
als were front and centre and, along with the new look of the
school, received lots of
compliments.
A very special thank you to Trish Dryden who not only initiated
this event but cajoled,
prodded, and managed all the volunteers to make it a success,
and to Pat Madden who
did a lot of the leg work.
Thanks to everyone who made the Open House so special. See you
next year!
Volume 1, Issue 1
SUTHERLAND-CHAN CELEBRATES OUR FIRST 20 YEARS
November 15, 1998
SUTHERLAND-CHAN SCHOOLS, INC.
The Finger Print
Stressed Out?
2
Sutherland-Chan
Promotional Campaign
3
In Touch
3
Open House
4,5
On The Other Hand
6
Adventures In …
Outreach
6
Ask Fiona
7
Inside this Issue
Things to do: study for physiology test Tuesday and anatomy quiz
Thursday, work Tuesday night, dinner with boyfriend Wednesday
night, study group meeting Thursday after class, clinic Friday
night, phone Mom and Dad, call best friend, fit in trip to gym.
Sound famil-iar? Welcome to the life of the typical Sutherland-Chan
student. Considering how much time we devote to juggling the
various as-pects of our lives, it’s appropriate that the first
treatment we learn as Term 1 students is stress reduction. But if
diaphragmatic breathing just isn’t cutting it for you, and you
can’t scare up the cash to enroll in a yoga program, there is
another option. Perhaps you and a few classmates have already tried
it. It’s called the gripe session. But why is it that we feel such
relief from an activity that, at least on the surface, can seem
fraught with negativity? Sutherland-Chan is in the unusual
situation of having its entire stu-dent body enrolled in the same
program. For students, this shared academic experience can also
translate into a shared stress experi-ence. Lois Kunkel has seen
more than a few stressed-out students in her capacity as
Sutherland-Chan’s Coordinator of Counseling Services. Over the
years, she has noted that students tend to follow similar high-low
stress patterns as they progress from term to term.
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1 As Lois puts it, “Term 1 is all
about acclimatization.” Relief from this high stress time comes in
Term 2, as students adjust to the de-mands of school, and learn to
weigh the costs, prioritizing study, family, work and personal time
into a mix that works best for them. With the increasing number of
clinics and outreaches in Term 3, Lois notes, “Students often feel
anxious because they think they should know more, and lose sight of
the fact that they’re still learning.” But there’s light at the end
of the tunnel by Term 4, when students often feel a boost of
self-confidence, having conquered the considerable academic and
personal challenges presented to them. The sheer amount of
knowledge to be absorbed, and the very real physical and emotional
demands of massaging and being massaged every day can be difficult
to communicate to our traditional support groups. Have you ever
tried to explain to your friend the disconcert-ing feeling of an
ill-handled client closure, or relate to your parents the giddy
triumph of finally locating your first trigger point? It may simply
be unreasonable to expect friends and family to understand the
particular pressures and peculiar joys of our life at
Sutherland–Chan. For some, however, the energetic free-for-all of
an ad hoc gripe ses-sion may seem to give off an overpowering or
even negative energy. Those students may wish to explore a group
counseling session facili-tated by the school’s counselors. As Term
1 students we were intro-duced to this safe and respectful
environment through our “love lunches” or lunchtime counseling
groups. However, students in all terms are welcome to put together
their own 6 or 8 person group for regularly scheduled sessions. But
whether it’s a facilitated group meeting or a casual conversation
over coffee, when it comes to blowing off some steam, who better
than a fellow Sutherland-Chan student to feel your joy and
pain.
by Anne Wood
Page 2
Editor Debra Curties Production Coordinator Pat Madden Student
Representatives Anne Wood Christine Loch Alumni Representatives
Michael Lott Sunita Sodhi Faculty Representative Fiona Rattray
Admin Representatives Rochelle Carnegie Stephen Cormier We are all
very interested in your feedback and ideas about the news-letter.
Please contact your rep.
Newsletter Committee
(416) 924-1107, ext. 16
Page 7
For self care, besides stretching for the short muscles,
fol-
lowed later by strengthening for the weak muscles, the cli-
ent should be posturally aware at work. I‟m also assuming
that the client wants to control or decrease stress at work.
Stress management can include things like yoga, but given
your description of the client‟s personality, recreational
sporting activities may be more appropriate.
Fiona Rattray, R.M.T.
ASK
Dear Fiona:
My client has been coming for massages 2-4 times
per month for 4 months with chronic muscular back
tension. The client is an intense, driven person,
stressed at work, with no bad health habits. How
can I get this client to relax enough to get the mus-
cles (especially SITS muscles and scapular retrac-
tors) to stop spasming?
Spasming Fingers, RMT
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
Dear Spasming Fingers:
I‟m assuming that the muscles are hypertonic (have an in-
crease in resting tone and feel dense and tight), rather
than
actually spasming (a protective reaction indicating acute
injury, joint instability, or subluxation).
Have you assessed your client to find out why specific mus-
cles are tight? This includes a postural assessment to check
for postural imbalances, and length and strength tests for
shoulder girdle and SITS muscles, again looking for imbal-
ances.
Muscles can be divided into two groups – postural and pha-
sic – depending on their primary fibre type and their re-
sponse to overuse or stress. Postural muscles, for example
pectoralis major, are mostly slow-twitch fibres and shorten
when under stress. Phasic muscles, such as rhomboids and
middle trapezius are mostly fast-twitch fibres. They fatigue
and lengthen when stressed. The classic hyperkyphotic pos-
ture of tight, short pectoral muscles and tight stretched
rhomboids is often a result of muscle type.
If your assessment indicates this presentation, lengthening
techniques (fascial work, stretching and post-isometric
resis-
tance) are used first on the shortened structures. This
allows
the tight, lengthened scapular retractors to achieve a more
normal length and tone.
◊ Kris Evans Regional & Pregnancy Massage
◊ Chris Hurst Therapeutic Relationships ◊ Sandra Bosich Regional
& Pregnancy Massage Treatments
◊ Ian Kamm Remedial Exercise Anatomy Palpation
◊ Rejanne Kroll Clinical Theory ◊ Kaisa Larsson Clinical
Assessment
Welcome to New Faculty
Fiona Rattray has
been an instructor at
Sutherland-Chan for
8 years. She is the
author of Massage Therapy: An Ap-
proach to Treatments.
Do you have a
question or issue
concerning your
work as an RMT?
Fax your letter to
Fiona Rattray at
(416) 924-9413.
Visit Sutherland-Chan’s Web Site at:
www.sutherland-chan.com
Page 6
The ‘R’ in R.M.T.
Nurses chose long ago to include the word registered in their
title
protection. We could do that, too, if we want certainty,
although
those who understand these issues, including lawyers for the
CMTO and OMTA, agree that adding the word „registered‟
before
massage therapist is covered by the language of the Massage
Ther-
apy Act.
Wendy Hunter, Sutherland-Chan alumnus and head of the
massage therapy program at Centennial College, said
recently that perhaps the reason that nurses, psy-
chologists, and massage therapists tend to place
qualifiers in front of their titles is that to nurse, coun-
sel, or massage are services that all of us provide
each other in different ways throughout life. Distinc-
tions between the public and professional levels of
these acts are easily blurred in the average mind.
Our profession has taken great pains over the past
several years to educate the public about the differ-
ence between the registered massage therapist and others who
may
hang up a shingle in their communities. Consumers are
nervous
about massage therapy for a variety of reasons, and knowing how
to
check whether the practitioner one is approaching has the
desired
credentials is a comfortable point of reference. “Are you
regis-
tered?” is a question more massage therapists are hearing from
new
clients, and this is a good thing. It helps establish our
professional
borderline, and it supports public safety.
Which leaves us trying to understand why the CMTO, our
regula-
tory body, has decided that it is important at this time to
begin using
M.T. instead of the R.M.T. we have happily adopted and are
suc-
cessfully promoting to the public.
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
ARE WE THERE YET?ARE WE THERE YET? It’s often said you never
really know people until you’re under the same roof with them.
Imagine how cozy it must be for eight Term 3 students, snuggled in
a rent-a-wreck, chomping at the bit, burning rubber to their Guelph
Outreach each Friday. Chomping indeed; let’s hope it’s on some
tasty morsel and not each other! After all, fuses can shorten
remarkably when you’re rubbing shoul-ders with the same folks for
eight weeks. So, what tactics could a motley crew employ to avoid a
vehicular coup? A medley of tunes, perhaps: ninety-nine bottles of
beer on the wall… you gotta fight, for your right, to p-a-r-t-y!…
pack up your troubles in your ole kit bag…(oops, a little too
vintage). A selection of board games may be just the ticket when
you’re stuck at the side of the road. Heaven forbid, but let’s face
it, anything with a motor can, and has, gone kaput. You never know,
bonding could actually take place while seriously Scrabbling, madly
Monopolizing, or poignantly Parcheeziing. The gift of gab, if all
else fails — captivating conversation for a captive crowd — what a
concept! Whatever the eventual technique, a sincere wish that any
post-surgical treat-ment is needed by the Outreach clients and not
the Guelphmobile occupants. Nevertheless, when things become truly
testy, keep in mind, the road to Guelph is the 401 paved with good
intentions.
This issue’s adventure is brought to you by
Stephen Cormier
My perception of why the College Council is proceeding with
the
use of M.T. is that it makes sense as a pure vision. Being a
qualified
massage therapist should be enough. Unfortunately, in our
real
world, dropping the quickly discernible „R‟ doesn‟t support
protec-
tion of the public and doesn‟t meet therapists needs. It also
does not
reflect any strong principle or present need that would give the
shift
in emphasis meaning.
In response to pointed audience questions at the Council meeting
in
March, members stated that they didn‟t survey the profession on
this
issue because they knew what we would say, if asked, and
believe
that their role is to take a leadership stance. Their ability to
reach
such a place of detachment from the corps of the profession is
aided
by the fact that they get little input from us. I haven‟t
encountered
any average massage therapist who favours the shift
to M.T., but Council members have had minimal
feedback and are tending to conclude that it‟s a non-
issue. (Is it time to call or write your representative
on Council?).
The change is being softened because the College
Council is not imposing it, although they are using
M.T. in all documents they issue. This to me is the
final affront. If this step is an important one to take,
why is it not important enough to actively promote
and implement? The transparent assumption is that we will take
to it
over time - catch on in our own sluggish way. Perhaps Council
be-
lieves that leadership means knowing what‟s best for you
sooner
than you know yourself. In the meantime, if the public is
confused,
it‟s a great opportunity for us to educate them.
In my view, the colloquial wisdom “if it ain‟t broke, don‟t fix
it”
applies strongly here. Leadership means sometimes having to
say
you‟ve missed the boat. There are lots of big issues requiring
our
focus as a profession. Let‟s get something meaningful done,
to-
gether.
by Debra Curties
No person other than a member
shall use the title “Massage
Therapist,” a variation or an
abbreviation or an equivalent
in another language (Massage
Therapy Act, section on
protected titles 7.1)
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1
Sutherland-Chan has launched a promotional campaign this
fall,
with a full set of new marketing pieces including a poster, a
new
school calendar, a general interest brochure,
and a bookmark. We also have a transit ad
presently on display in GTA subways and
buses.
Unbelievable as it may seem, the school felt
little need for promotion in the past. Times
have changed, though, and we have to become
much more savvy about communications and
advertising. We began working with Ken Bur-
gin at Context Marketing Communications in
the spring. His expertise and technical skill
have made possible a whole new look and
energy in our promotional materials.
An important theme of the recently released
Collis & Reed study about the future of mas-
sage therapy in Ontario, is the need to focus on
increasing consumer demand for massage ther-
apy. If we don‟t, we risk saturating our small
marketplace. With the uncontrolled explosion
of new massage therapy program approvals, schools are also
feeling tremendous pressure to meet enrollment. Although
Suth-
erland-Chan has the advantage of longevity and reputation,
we
are also starting to feel the crunch.
Page 3
effective if we could address these needs simultaneously, and
we
have consciously worked to create multi-purpose materials.
They
promote the school, and at the same time they can be widely
used
by practicing therapists to promote the benefits
and satisfactions of receiving massage therapy.
Sutherland-Chan wants an active partnership
with you - our students, faculty, and alumni -
because we all in our own arenas need to en-
sure that we survive and thrive in massage
therapy. The school needs to work harder to
keep attracting clients and topnotch students.
You need to be more resourceful in expanding
the circle of public awareness and interest in
massage therapy in your community. And all
of us benefit when Sutherland-Chan‟s profile
and name recognition are increased in the pub-
lic mindset. Let‟s work together.
You will find an insert in this newsletter offer-
ing to provide you with promotional materials
to display/distribute in your clinic. There is no
cost to you. Please consider what you yourself
can use, as well as supply to referring practi-
tioners and other good display opportunities in your area. You
can
fax or mail in the insert, or call Stephen at 416-924-1107, ext.
12
to request materials.
by Debra Curties
PERSONALLY
SPEAKING
The Sutherland-Chan
Community is increasing!
Our Systems Analyst
John Paul is looking
forward to becoming a
father on March 31st
Alumnus Kim Hartford
(class of ‘90) is due on
November 15th
Newsletter Committee
alumni representative
Sunita Sodhi is expecting
on January 20th
T3 Student Karri North
is expecting on Novem-
ber 23rd
R egistered Massage Therapists often lead a solitary
professional existence. Therapists spend most of our time
one-on-one with clients and little time with colleagues. This can
lead to feelings of isolation
and a sense of not being “in touch” with the field of
massage.
T here are many ways to stay in touch. The Sutherland-Chan
newsletter is one way therapists can get reconnected. This regular
column will be for alumni who want to communicate with one another.
We
will publish your messages to fellow graduates with whom you may
have lost touch.
W hether you‟ve got hooked on a new course, just been married,
or are organizing an alumni func-tion, this column is the perfect
forum. Let us help you stay in touch.
Setting up or taking a new and interesting course?
Organizing a class reunion?
Developing a colleague support group?
Planning research projects or promotions for massage?
Volunteering or looking for volunteers?
“In Touch”
Sunita Sodhi c/o Pat Madden
Sutherland-Chan School &
Teaching Clinic
330 Dupont Street, 4th Floor
Toronto, ON M5R 1V9
With Sutherland-Chan‟s growing alumni, the
possibilities for staying in touch in the field
of massage therapy are endless. Please send
your messages to:
Volume 1, Issue 1
