SERVICES
ONCOLOGY MASSAGE CARE
“My passion lies in being able to provide clients with a very individual, nurturing and caring treatment to assist them with the management of their illness on a day to day basis”.
‘Oncology Massage Care’ enables clients living with cancer to experience another way of being. This form of massage (touch) therapy can be extended to many forms of chronic illness such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Motor Neuron Disease (MND), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.
This therapy provides care for people living with cancer and other chronic illness in a gentle, therapeutic and beneficial way. People who are ill are constantly subjected to many forms of treatment which tends to take its toll on the body, mind and spirit. This unique tactile therapy allows the person the opportunity to engage at a whole new level of being in relaxation, comfort and care in a safe environment with a qualified and experienced therapist.
This therapy can benefit clients in the following ways:- reduced anxiety and pain levels
- helps alleviate nausea
- improve bowel
- stimulates circulation and the lymphatic system
- reduced oedema
- enhanced mood levels, and
- assists with improved sleep patterns.
Testimonials:
“CiCi’s skills as an oncology massage therapist are at once intuitively responsive, and in every way, mature. CiCi has offered trusted complementary verbal and non-verbal therapeutic care throughout the course of disease management”.
Oncology Social Worker, Royal Women’s Hospital.
“Through CiCi's instigation I have been able to experience even more profound relaxation and wellbeing through mindfulness massage with the techniques being taught to my husband and I by CiCi. I have found the experiences very calming and helpful in coping with pain and improving my relationship with my carer husband who needs to be able "to fix" me if at all possible. There is no fix it but there is ease and assist so my husband feels he is making an improvement in my circumstances”.
RR (client)
“All patients should be offered this therapy as there is more to beating cancer than pills, potions, paperwork. Feeling calm, and relaxed, makes for a positive attitude and therefore a more positive approach to day to day living - not day to day survival”.
MN (client)
“When I was experiencing that treatment, I really felt you cared about me and what you do.”
LH (client)
CiCi’s background
CiCi has been working as a massage therapist for the past 15 years and as a Remedial Therapist for five of those years. Early in 2001, she began working in hospitals in the Oncology/Dysplasia Unit and Chemotherapy Room of the Royal Women’s Hospital. This experience allowed CiCi to extend her massage into many of Melbourne’s hospitals and patient’s homes, both in recovery management and palliative care.
In 2003, CiCi felt she needed to know more about working with people with cancer. She enrolled in a program developed by Eleanor Oyston, Massage Cancer & More – Dispelling the Myths. This program gave CiCi the opportunity to work with cancer patients enrolled on residential programs at the Petrea King, Quest For Life Foundation in Bundanoon, NSW over the next 5 years ( www.questforlife.org.au ). During this time, Eleanor had extended her vision further by developing Oncology Massage Training Modules 1-4 ( www.oncologymassagetraining.com.au ) of which CiCi has completed and co-facilitated with Eleanor at Quest for Life on Modules 1 and 2.
During the years subcontracted at Royal Women’s Hospital, CiCi saw the need for women, who were undergoing treatment and post treatment, to find a way of connecting to life once more outside of the hospital. CiCi initiated and coordinated a Wellbeing Program to help bridge the gap from hospital to home whilst they were trying to re-establish their lives after this traumatic event. This program provided additional support for patients, carers and families.
Whilst working alongside extremely ill clients, CiCi saw her role and needs changing, in particular, the need for ‘self care’ and ‘self enquiry’. CiCi decided to study Clinical Pastoral Education which she has continued to do over the last five years and now is working in hospitals as a Pastoral Care Worker.
In 2007, for approximately 2yrs, CiCi began working part time as a Health Promotion in Palliative Care Co-ordinator with the Southern Metropolitan Region Palliative Care Consortium. This role enabled CiCi to further build on her skills in educating people in the community about chronic and life limiting illness and conduct grief and loss workshops.
CiCi now combines different aspects of the work she has developed in recent years along with treating people living with cancer and chronic illness in her clinic room in Main Street, Mornington.
Other Treatments- Remedial Massage TherapyRemedial Massage treats the body holistically. The massage therapist
endeavours to identify the original biomechanical dysfunction, thus healing
the cause of the disorder, as well as the symptoms. Stretching of the muscles and
hydration of the connective tissue allows the body to work in a more balanced way
helping to avoid injury.
- Manual Lymphatic Drainage
Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD)is a special technique in treating
lymphoedema. It is a form of gentle massage which is intended to encourage
the natural circulation of lymph through the body whether you suffer with
lymphoedema or not. Clients are referred to OMC for rehabilitation using this
technique post surgery including: knee and hip replacements, falls, all cancer related
surgeries, or procedures where lymph nodes may have been removed e.g., in the
arm, breast (axilla) and groin (inguinal). Lymphoedema can be successfully managed,
and the earlier treatment is commenced, the more successful the outcome.
This will lead to a faster return to a more normallifestyle, especially post surgery.
“CiCi after the last treatment my leg has
never been better, thank you so much. We
are now able to go on our trip feeling much
more confi dent and comfortable”
Rosemary C (client)
- Relaxation
Relaxation Massage is an experience of a ‘truly deeply’ letting go of tension
and anxiety and feeling a profound sense of wellbeing. This form of massage
received regularly helps you to avoid muscle aches and pains, e.g., joints,
stress related symptoms, improves blood pressure and circulation, helps to
alleviate fluid build-up and increases your range of movement thus
feeling more motivated, flexible and mobile.
“I have never felt so relaxed in my entire life. I didn’t believe I could relax like that.
That was amazing”. Doug, 78yrs (client)
“My blood pressure is coming down since I
have started the massages” Joan, 76 (client)
Workshops
Please contact CiCi to register your interest in any of the following:- Lost For Words When You Need Them the Most: a 3hr interactive workshop – focusing on those caring for, and/or, treating people with a life limiting illness. Participants would include: medical staff, allied health, therapists, aged care workers, volunteers, general community.
- Caring for someone with cancer/chronic illness:
A 3hr ‘hands-on’ workshop focusing on ‘carers’ who wish to care for the person who is ill in a therapeutic and helpful way.
Qualifications
- Diploma of Health Sciences (Massage)
- Manual Lymphatic Drainage 1 & 2, Advanced
- Oncology Massage Modules 1-4
- Neuro Structural Technique (NST)
- Cert IV Workplace Training & Assessment
- Facilitator Australian Grief & Bereavement
- Clinical Pastoral Education Units 1 and 2
Registrations/Memberships- Australian Association Massage Therapists (AAMT)
- Australian Integrative Medicine Association (AIMA)
- Australian Lymphology Association (ALA)
- Lymphoedema Association of Victoria
- National Association of Loss and Grief Victoria (NALAG)
- Association for Supervised Pastoral Education in Australia (ASPEA)
Community Focus
CiCi originally began raising money for cancer many years ago through fun run events and voluntary work. Then in early 2001, whilst working as an Oncology Massage Therapist in Melbourne hospitals, CiCi became very aware of the challenges and hardships endured by so many families living with cancer. “This was not only a physical and emotional trauma but a financial one as well. There had to be more we could do to provide support”.
In 2005, CiCi founded the Stand By You Cancer Foundation, and with a small management committee began fundraising, “we believe, from our work with people living with cancer, that we can ease some of the pressures involved in chronic illness”.
www.standbyyou.org.au
QUALIFICATION DETAILS
Aromatherapy, Lymphatic Drainage, Oncology Massage, Remedial Massage, Remedial Therapies, Sports Massage, Swedish Relaxation Massage
|
|
|
