A woman with 20 years experience as a massage therapist will be opening a massage therapy and counselling practice in Kamsack on February 1.
Sarah Monaghan, who moved to Kamsack in November, is calling her massage and counselling business Soulward Bound. It will be conducted from Room 200 at Crowstand Centre.
Raised in Toronto, Monaghan obtained a bachelor of arts degree with a major in psychology from Trent University in Peterborough, Ont. in 1990. A registered massage therapist, she graduated from the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy in Ontario in 1994 and has been practising since then. In 2000, she graduated as a master practitioner from a 10-month Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) program which she had taken in Toronto.
She worked in Kingston, Ont., for 13 years and then after a three-month holiday in Corfu, Greece, she moved in 2009 to Newfoundland where she worked at a residence at Memorial University in St. John’s until 2013, and then moved here last year with Stuart Hollett (no relation to Don and Milena of Kamsack).
“We wanted to leave Newfoundland and my mother, Diana Monaghan, who now lives in Toronto, owned a house in Kamsack,” Monaghan said, explaining that her mother had come to Kamsack to help the late Brian Marion, a Kamsack-based First Nation artist, present a mural to Nelson Mandela.
“Mom came to Kamsack, liked it and bought a house here,” Monaghan said.
A member of the Remedial Massage Therapists Association, Monaghan said that although massage is regulated in Newfoundland, Ontario and British Columbia, it is not regulated in Saskatchewan.
“But all registered massage therapists are trained in Swedish massage,” she said, explaining that her treatments are “as light as they need to be or as deep as needed.”
People often require massage treatments following injuries, including from motor vehicle accidents, from stress or from strains, she said, adding that her work can be covered by several insurance companies including Blue Cross and Great West Life.
Those requiring her services need only to call her and book an appointment. Such appointments are for one-hour sessions.
The average longevity for a massage therapist is from five to 10 years, she said, underlining the fact that she’s been in the business for 20 years already.
Each case is different, she said. One looks at a patient’s health history and then recommends a plan. Each person responds to therapy at different rates.
Although many people enjoy a massage for relaxation, all massage is therapeutic, she said. “Good maintenance means sessions about once a month.”
The space Monaghan is renting at Crowstand Centre is a suite of three rooms, which she, Hollett and a friend were busy painting during the interview last week. One room is for reception, another for massage, and the third as the room for one-on-one counselling.
“In counselling, I focus on beliefs and patterns: Who am I? Why am I here? Why am I stuck? How do I get unstuck?
“Often a person would come for massage therapy, and in conversation, we agree that it would be beneficial for an in-depth conversation,” she said, explaining that she has facilitated body, mind and spirit retreats in Newfoundland.
“When I sit with a person, I can often see patterns and will work to help that person connect with himself or herself and his or her own wisdom. I’m the sounding board. I shine the light on what the person may not have been able to see on his or her own.
“With such counselling, one can help reframe a different perspective of what is happening in the subject’s life and often it is a confirmation of what he or she has already thought.”
Persons wishing to contact Monaghan may do so by visiting Room 200 at Crowstand Centre or may send an email to: [email protected].
