About Marie Holt L.C.S.P. (Phys.) Registered Massage Therapist

How Massage Therapy became My Passion

About Marie Holt L.C.S.P. (Phys.), Registered Massage Therapist - 35+ Years Practice in Massage Therapy

I got into massage at about the age of 16 when I still lived at home with my parents on the farm. I grew up on a dairy farm and we were never short of things to do or work to do. I learned some very good values and a strong work ethic. We worked together as a family and we each had our share of chores and responsibilities. Mom worked long hard hours and would come inside after chores at night with upper body pain and often the start of a headache. She would ask me to rub her neck and shoulders and I had a knack for it. I could relieve the tension and stiffness and stop the headache so she could relax and sleep well when she needed it.

I began dating my late husband when I was 17 yrs. old and he and his family were close friends with a lady who worked near Westlock by the name of Joyce Raiiwet. She was a Massage Therapist who had been practicing for about 45 yrs. She owned a massage therapy practice and also owned a school, was an LCSP Instructor for the London and Counties Society of Physiologists in London, England, and had opened up a therapeutic massage services practice and a massage therapy college under the name of The Northern Institute of Massage, and was given the LCSP curriculum as a satellite school of the LCSP in London, England. She had been treating my husband and his family members for many years, and when he would go to her for therapy, I would go with him and watch her work. I was already working on my husband and his family just for a hobby and would watch her intently and try to mimic her techniques. She was an amazing therapist and well ahead of her time in terms of deep tissue massage and medical based therapeutic massage and corrective therapy. Joyce’s school program, as well as the LCSP school program in London, focused learning on therapy for injuries, pain management and therapeutic treatment. It was a focused program to learn medical based massage therapy, as opposed to spa-type relaxation massage or general complete body massage. My husband’s father told me that he thought I had a natural ability and good strong hands and offered to pay my enrollment and registration fees if I would consider doing the two-year program. I was already working full-time at another job, but it was a distance learning course, with weekend classes and practical training, and I was young and pretty ambitious, so I took the program and continued to work full-time. I learned anatomy, physiology, pathology, disease processes, and all about the broad range of tissue injuries and specific treatments for them.

I graduated with honors and received a written commendation from the LCSP in London England for my lessons and finals. I worked for about 13 years on my own practicing massage and then had an opportunity to go to work with my former instructor Joyce, at her clinic and as an instructor at her school. It was the busiest clinic I have ever worked at, and all we did was therapy! I saw and treated things in the three-year period I worked for her that would have taken me about 30 years to be exposed to. It was a tremendous learning experience, both in terms of clinical work and in terms of teaching at her school. I worked at her office during the week and taught on weekends at the school. I also ran clinical training workshops for the second-year graduates so they could gain experience working on a broad range of problems that typically present to therapy-based practitioners, and had a large clientele base of those kinds of varieties of problems to draw from for the clinics. Joyce also gave me extra help and instruction when I ran up against tough cases in the clinic, when I would struggle with complex problems and her many years of experience that she passed on to me is a tremendous asset to my practice now.

I left her clinic and school when my son started going to school, and then was asked to join the ARMTS as an examiner for the Provincial Level Exam for Massage Therapists. The ARMTS was a society that was formed for the sole purpose of pursuing the regulation of Massage in Alberta and worked alongside and in conjunction with numerous Massage Therapy Associations that took an active role in that mission. I worked for the ARMTS as an examiner for one to two exams per year and took training each year to improve upon my skills as an examiner. I did this for about six years, then was asked to join the ARMTS board as a director and committee volunteer. I served as a board member for two terms, a period of six years, and in that time, served as Committee Chairperson for almost every committee on the board over the six years. I ended my final term as Committee Chairperson for the Provincial Level Exam for Massage Therapists in Alberta, which I did for two years. It was an immensely rewarding experience and I learned much about examination processes through multiple workshops. I also served on the Steering Committee for two years which lobbied the Government of Alberta to be legislated into The New Healthcare Act, and also finished my term having worked hard in helping the profession move closer to achieving that goal.

Massage Therapy is now becoming a regulated profession under the Provincial Government and Healthcare Act and the public will be assured of standards of education, practice, and ethics to ensure their safety. This process was also a very rewarding experience. I worked with many competent and intelligent people on both our board and with the Massage Associations on this team and again, learned a lot about regulation, standards of education, and practice and made some very memorable friends.

I am a widow, with two children, a son and a daughter who is still in school. We also have a client greeter, our family pet, Lola, who is a chihuahua/pomeranian cross who LOVES people and is annoyingly friendly. She is however, old, slowed down, and sleeps a lot. If you prefer NOT to be around the dog, you need only let me know and I will put her into my bedroom before you arrive and leave her in there until you leave. Don't worry, my pet is NEVER allowed in the treatment room so it is pet-dander-free.

THE ROLE OF A PROFESSIONAL MT

The role of a professional massage therapist is to treat the source of the pain, identify the root cause (assessing skills) and provide appropriate massage application and techniques to correct the problem. The ultimate goal is long term relief and restoration of function. Unlike many pain medications, massage therapy is not a mask to cover the symptoms, but a means to quick, efficient pain relief at the source of the problem. For these reasons, deep tissue massage therapy has become increasingly popular in the treatment of painful conditions such as sacroiliac joint (“SI joint”) dysfunction, whiplash, TMJ, tendonitis, back pain, plantar fasciitis and carpal tunnel syndrome to name just a few.

Not all complaints or problems can be addressed with massage therapy alone. Massage is often used in conjunction with other forms of therapy, such as Chiropractic, Acupuncture and Physiotherapy. Clients are often referred back and forth between these practitioners, and massage can be used to complement and enhance the effectiveness of other therapies such as these.

About Got Your Back Therapeutic Massage Services

My Passion is in Providing You Long Term Relief

I am a Registered Massage Therapist confident in my skills, dedicated to my work, and persistent in my ambition to relieve pain and restore functionality. My motto is to make you well enough that you do not need me anymore, or at least. very infrequently. I constantly study and train, always furthering my education and skill set with therapeutic and injury-based continuing education courses, First Aid & CPR, and full membership in good standing with the NHPC Association in Alberta. I completed a 2500-hour training course through the London and Counties Society of Physiologists, London England, and through the Northern Institute of Massage in Alberta. I have many years of continued education courses that are medical based and specialize in medical-based techniques such as Orthopedic Massage, Target Massage, Swedish Massage, Trigger Point Therapy, Deep Tissue Massage, Active Release Therapy, Plum Line Therapy, Golgi Tendon Organ Release Therapy, and Spinal Alignment techniques. I have great success with all the "tough stuff" and "tough cases" that a therapeutic massage services specialist will treat. I love a challenge, and I am very good at what I do. I deliver results!

History and Background

Established in 1989.

Trained through The London and Counties Society of Physiologists, London England, and The Northern Institute of Massage, under the instruction of LCSP (Phys.) Instructor Joyce Raiiwet, a Registered Massage Therapist with 50 yrs experience in the field. Practiced Massage Therapy for 10 yrs, then went on to teach as well as practice at Ms. Raiiwets clinic and school for 4 yrs. Member of ARMTS, examiner for Provincial Level Exam for Massage Therapists for 6 yrs, then board director for ARMTS (functioning Massage Therapy College at that time) for 6 yrs, and spent 4 yrs with The Allied Professional Association Steering Committee lobbying the Government of Alberta (HPAB) to have Massage Therapy regulated in Alberta and to be legislated into the New Health Care Act. Over 30 yrs in deep tissue massage and focused therapeutic massage services and practice. I also provide direct billing to numerous common insurance companies.

Helping You Feel Better

Therapeutic Massage Services is a series of tools including deep tissue massage, focused massage sessions, medical-based massage, and corrective therapies as skill sets utilized by a Registered Massage Therapist designed to help you heal, and can be used to either stimulate or inhibit the body as it behaves like a catalyst to effect positive changes through specific techniques. It can also be used to inhibit or soothe acute conditions to restore balance and prevent excessive reactions to injury or stress. Massage therapy can be utilized to stimulate healing and repairing, break down adhesions, stretch muscle and soft tissue structures, mobilize joints and range of motion, prevent excessive scar tissue formation, address acute and chronic tissue changes, reduce inflammation, reduce swelling, and restore function, provide postural alignment, reduce or eliminate pain, and ultimately, restore you to your life again.

Massage Therapy is a regulated profession in Alberta, and as such, a qualified, certified, and registered practioner should be competent to assess your complaint, your injury, and/or your presenting issues and be capable of

recognizing if your complaint is treatable by massage therapy. They should be capable of creating an effective treatment plan that will alleviate, minimize, or eliminate your complaints. Your therapist should be able to assess and identify specific issues to be treated, as well as modify treatment if necessary based on your history, and formulate a treatment plan to address the complaint.

Over 30 years experience treating the toughest complaints

Professional Experience and Education

Training: London and Counties Society of Physiologists (London, England) and The Northern Institute of Massage (Alberta) - 2250 hour original Course [Both are Accredited Schools]
Certified and Registered Massage Therapist for the practice of massage therapy, deep tissue massage, Swedish Massage, Orthopedic Massage, and Corrective Therapeutic Massage Services and Modalities and am in good standing with a recognized Professional Association, NHPC of Alberta.
Continued Education Courses in massage therapy, deep tissue massage, Swedish Massage, Medical & Injury based massage courses, and other modalities are done on an ongoing basis to meet the Continued Education standards of the Professional Association.
First Aid/CPR. Courses are mandatory courses required by the Professional Colleges and Associations to maintain membership in good standing.
This office can process Insurance Claims - Direct Billing is set up - see the list of Insurance Companies I direct bill to under the Services Tab on this website. If yours is not there, let me know their contact info and I will inquire with them about setting it up.
Spent 6 years as a Provincial Examiner for the ARMTS (the Provincial level College for Massage Therapists as per the requirement of the HPAB), Director for 6 years with the ARMTS, Provincial Exam Committee Chairperson for Provincial Level Exam for ARMTS for 2 years, served on the steering committee for 4 years which lobbied the HPAB in Alberta to have massage therapy regulated in the Province of Alberta and to be legislated into the New Health Care Act. We were successful with this bid. Massage Therapy is now a regulated profession in the Province of Alberta.
Injury & Pain Management Treatment Specialist: Orthopedic Massage, Target Massage, Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Spinal & Joint Therapies, Muscle & Connective Tissue Injuries, Musculoskeletal Pain and Injuries.
Focused Target Massage Session: I focus on the problem or complaint, not the whole body, and am extremely thorough. I don’t waste time on unrelated areas, as this takes away valuable time and focus on the complaint area of focus.
Full body relaxation massage can also be provided, as this is a first-year MT skill.
Experience with a multitude of common and not-so-common complaints and injuries. Whatever you are suffering from, I have in all likelihood, treated many times over the past 30+ years.
Massage Therapy Instructor at The Northern Institute of Massage, with Joyce Raiiwet, as an LCSP Instructor, for 4 years, teaching both 1st and 2nd-year levels of anatomy, physiology, and massage therapy. deep tissue massage, Swedish Massage, Target Massage, Orthopedic Massage, injury-specific therapies, and spinal and hip alignment techniques. I also worked with Ms. Raiiwet for 4 years at her clinic near Westlock, AB.
Competent, Educated, Skilled, Ethical, Practiced and Experienced.