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East West College of the Healing Arts

About East West College of the Healing Arts

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So far East West College of the Healing Arts has created 183 blog entries.

Expressions of Gratitude: What East West College Teachers & Students are Thankful for This Holiday Season

2014-10-16T16:53:43-07:00October 16th, 2014|

Just before Thanksgiving, we wandered the massage school, asking students and instructors what they were thankful for about our Oregon school of massage therapy training. Here’s what fills our teachers, staff, and students with gratitude:

Belief in Bodywork in a Safe and Productive Learning Environment
“Without a doubt I am most thankful for [East West College owners] Edie Moll & David Slawson. These two people do so much that none of us are even aware of in order to provide each and every one of us with so many opportunities. Their belief in bodywork, their support to make this institution as high caliber as […]

Avoiding Burnout: How to Enjoy a Long Career in Massage Therapy

2014-10-09T16:49:42-07:00October 9th, 2014|

Any compassion-based career has the potential for burnout. Teachers, counselors, doctors, and massage therapists who do not dedicate time to self-care may find themselves exhausted and lethargic—too tired and stressed out to help others. In extreme cases, a thoroughly burnt out therapist may even consider abandoning his or her practice due to excess stress. Today, we’re taking a look at how massage therapists can avoid burnout through self-care.

Massage schools do not consistently track their graduates’ career paths, so no comprehensive burnout statistics are available. However, various boards have researched attrition and concluded that burnout is a real threat for massage therapists. […]

Massage Career Opportunities in Spas

2014-10-05T16:47:57-07:00October 5th, 2014|

According to The International SPA Association Foundation, today’s spas are looking to hire more massage therapists. Indeed, in SPA: a Comprehensive Introduction, the association states that spas currently have 24,000 positions open for those with a massage certificate or license. This labor shortage bodes well for those looking into careers in massage therapy. Overall, Massage Bodywork tells us, the spa industry is the fastest growing work environment in the massage sector.

An education from our massage school in Portland enables graduates to work in a wide range of fields, from literal playing fields (in sports massage therapy) to hospitals (as medical […]

Join us on 10/18 for our Massage College Preview Event!

2014-09-19T16:46:45-07:00September 19th, 2014|

There are countless reasons for choosing a career in massage. Most of our students say their number one motivation is their sincere desire to help and heal others. But earning your massage license comes with other perks too: The freedom of setting your own schedule (assuming you choose to set up an independent practice); not feeling trapped in an office cubicle, and the joy of working with your hands, to name a few.

With that said, it’s not always easy to leave the stable job you currently have for the new career you crave. And even those who are kicking off their […]

Introducing the East West College Staff: Meet Cindy Boyum, Clinic Manager

2014-09-14T16:45:44-07:00September 14th, 2014|

Dozens of incredible individuals make up our Oregon school of massage. Each member of our staff has a unique story of how they found massage as a career. Today we’re kicking off a new series of staff profiles highlighting the talented people behind East West College. We begin with Cindy Boyum, our massage clinic manager and a talented LMT in her own right.

Ask Cindy to describe her career in one word, and she comes up with love. Ask her to add three more, and she tacks on calm, healing and giving. Altogether, those four words have guided Cindy’s journey into the […]

Computer Strain: How it Causes Tight Scalenes, and How Massage Can Help

2014-09-07T16:44:34-07:00September 7th, 2014|

While sitting at a computer or reading our digital devices, many of us unwittingly jut the chin forward. This forward head posture may also appear when driving. In this position, the upper back will tend to hunch, as the abdominals grow soft. Upper back and neck tension are common results, as these muscles must support the head when it’s pushed forward in this way. (With proper posture, the skeleton would support the weight of the head instead.) This shape also causes the scalene muscles on the neck to tighten, which in turn can cause pain and even numbness down the arms. […]

Deep Tissue Massage: Benefits, What to Expect, and After Care

2014-09-05T16:39:52-07:00September 5th, 2014|

Deep tissue massage can help alleviate muscle adhesions, or “knots” as they are commonly known. Dehydration, injury, and overuse of a muscle can cause adhesions to form. An adhesion is comprised of continually contracting muscles. Muscles may become “too tight” in this way when we use them repetitively.

Like all contracted muscle, adhesions suffer poor circulation of lymph and blood; waste removal is also restricted as circulation decreases. Deep tissue massage works on the sub-layers of muscle and connective tissues that may feel “frozen” in place through repetitive movement or injury. By breaking up scar tissue, deep tissue helps release waste toxins, […]

Join us on 9/20 for our Massage College Preview Event!

2014-08-20T16:28:07-07:00August 20th, 2014|

Do you find yourself Googling phrases like “massage schools in Phoenix and Portland”? Do you catch yourself daydreaming about how life would be as a Licensed Massage Therapist? Get your questions answered and learn how to make your dreams a reality—attend our next massage career preview event on 9/20.

Every month, we host a massage career preview to let potential students know about our Portland, OR massage program. We also address general questions about massage therapy careers. Here’s the schedule for our massage career preview on September 20th:

10:00am to 12:00pm – Massage Career Preview
Bring your questions about massage. We’ll discuss life as […]

Massage Therapy Continuing Education: Online or In Person?

2014-08-14T16:26:16-07:00August 14th, 2014|

Given Oregon’s continuing education requirements for massage license renewal, all active massage therapists must regularly add to their professional knowledge. As a leading massage therapy school in Oregon, East West College offers continuing massage therapist schooling for alumni and non-alumni alike. Our continuing education (CE) courses are offered in person, on our NE Portland campus. However, many Oregon LMTs complete their CE hours through online courses. Today we’re comparing the advantages of in-person vs. online courses for massage therapy continuing education.

Advantages of In-Person Continuing Education for Massage Therapy

—Support and Accountability. When facing a room full of fellow learners, people are […]

From Thailand to Portland: Meet East West College Student Abbey M.

2014-08-05T16:22:44-07:00August 5th, 2014|

East West College attracts students from around the globe. No matter what their homeland, they share a common goal: Earning a massage therapy license with the state of Oregon. Today we’re introducing first year East West College student Abbey Mark, who chose to come to our school all the way from Phuket, Thailand.

The Road to East West College of the Healing Arts

Abbey’s journey to our Oregon massage school has been winding. Growing up between Japan and Thailand, Abbey always knew that she wanted to help heal people. While attending an international high school, Abbey was also engaged in her own independent […]

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