The right touch: Massage Therapy alumni making an impact

Posted on Wednesday, June 13th, 2018

Emilie McKay’s advanced diploma in Massage Therapy from Algonquin College has taken her in directions she never imagined. The skills and techniques she learned in the three-year program opened the doors, she says, but it was the self-assurance instilled by her college professors that allowed her to push through.

“The most important lesson I learned through Algonquin was to take any opportunity that was presented to me,” McKay says. “I’ve been very fortunate to have had a lot of opportunities in my career so far. Having that drive and confidence that Algonquin created for me meant that I’m not going to close these doors; I’m going to keep them open and see where they take me.”

Just six years into her career, McKay has worked as a Registered Massage Therapist in clinics in Ottawa and Perth, been trained in pediatric massage and touch therapy for children with autism, won an award for her research into massage as a treatment for scar tissue, and serves on two committees, on research and government relations, with the Registered Massage Therapy Association of Ontario.

She has found time to give back to her alma mater, as clinical supervisor for the Massage Therapy program’s Scars Outreach at The Ottawa Hospital. And since 2017, she has operated her own mobile pediatric massage therapy clinic in Lanark County.

“Algonquin College was pivotal to where I am now and continues to be to this day,” McKay says. “The faculty really helped to establish my confidence in the career and make sure I knew what I was doing. They still continue to be some of my biggest advocates (as I) pursue different ventures.”

At Algonquin, McKay says, “I learned about the profession as a whole and all the different avenues you can go down, not just hands on work, but a variety of different advocacy roles or business roles you can have through the profession. It was really great to get a well-rounded education.”

Working with children has become a passion for McKay. “It is an under-serviced population with massage and we forget that touch is so very important to children.” Even more so, research shows, for children on the autism spectrum, she says.

But working with children requires a different mindset as well as refined techniques, she says. “Children…don’t understand complex terms, they don’t understand parts of their bodies, sometimes. There might be larger communication differences, especially if you’re working with children with autism or other special needs You have to adapt so the child understands what you’re doing and what’s about to happen.”

Since children are a vulnerable population and touch is involved (pediatric massage is usually performed on clothed clients, McKay explains), parents and caregivers also have to be made comfortable with the treatment.

Her stint as a clinical supervisor for the Massage Therapy program’s Scar Outreach made her realize how much she loves teaching. “I love being a part of seeing the next group of students get through,” McKay says. She is now talking with the college about creating a new course in entrepreneurship for Registered Massage Therapists, passing on the business skills she had to learn on the job.

McKay praises Algonquin’s Massage Therapy program for its emphasis on quality skills and on evidence-based practice. “I still use those principles in my practice today to make sure that I’m using the best possible techniques and treatments for my clients and to make sure that they’re getting the proper care.”

 


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