Clinical Massage Therapy =
Clinical Massage Therapy =
Clinical massage therapy refers to the use of touch through kneading and manipulating the soft tissue of the body to aid with circulation, relaxing the muscles, and addressing problem areas. Massage is one of the oldest and most accessible forms of therapy.
The goal of clinical massage therapy is to increase your overall health and wellbeing through addressing the root causes that may be creating physical, mental, or emotional distress.
Additionally, touch is an essential part of wellness. As humans, being touched helps us feel connected and loved by others and positively impacts our mental and emotional health.
In our clinical massage sessions, we work with you to outline goals for your treatment plan and then provide hands-on therapy for 50-80 minutes, depending on your needs and long-term goals.
At Community Wellness Collaborative, receiving regular massage is a primary pillar of your integrated wellness plan.
What are the Benefits of Regular Massage and How Often Should I Schedule?
We hear from our clients that regular clinical massage sessions keep them feeling good, inside and out. Massage can help mitigate painful symptoms, rehabilitate your mobility, or just give you a place of rest and allow you to relax and practice self care.
If you’re coming in consistently, you might expect any of the following benefits:
So what exactly constitutes “regular” clinical massage? The answer really depends on your situation and your goals. Generally, we see clients that fall into these three main categories:
Goal 1: General Health and Relaxation
For general health and relaxation, clinical massage 1-2 times per month is recommended. This is ideal for those who are under light to moderate stress and would also include people who are sedentary or who exercise only occasionally.
Goal 2: Stress Management
For those who have high-stress occupations or living conditions or perhaps exercise often, a higher frequency of massage therapy is recommended. In this case, weekly or bimonthly clinical massage therapy helps the individual cope with their stress and muscular tension.
Goal 3: Pain Reduction and Management
If you’re looking for relief from conditions like fibromyalgia, lupus, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ disorder, or chronic low back pain, this is your category. Pain management requires a “diminishing frequency” approach.
As an example, if you’re in severe pain but do not require medical intervention, we’d recommend 2 sessions in your first week. This might continue for the second and third weeks of your treatment, depending on how you respond. However, as your pain decreases, so do the number of sessions you’ll need each week.
Our Practitioners
Michelle Morris, CMT
Focus Areas:
- Deep Tissue
- Tui-Na
- Numerous Sports modalities
- Injury rehabilitation
- Swedish
- Oncology
- Prenatal
Michelle Morris, CMT was raised in a small town in Southern California and served in the US Navy from 2004-2009. She began her massage journey in 2010, when she studied at the Cortiva Institute of Seattle, an all-Western modality program. In 2013, she went back to study Eastern modalities at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, where she obtained her Associates of Applied Science in Holistic Health. She has since maintained continuing education, to include Oncology Massage and a yoga teacher training.
Using her eclectic blend of modalities to create a unique massage for each individual, Michelle specializes in deep tissue, Tui-Na, numerous sports massage modalities, and injury rehabilitation.
Kristi Emanuel, CMT
Focus Areas:
- Deep tissue
- Trigger point therapy
- Tui-Na
- Sports massage
- Cupping
- Swedish
Kristi Emanuel, CMT is a graduate of Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego. She specializes in deep tissue, trigger point therapy, sports massage, cupping, and Swedish massage. She enjoys customizing sessions by blending different modalities, including Tui-Na, to address each patient’s specific needs.
Kristi has a background in competitive swimming, coaching, lifeguarding, and water aerobics. As a reflection of her well-rounded and fitness-based lifestyle, she holds a certificate to teach group exercise classes and is currently enrolled in a personal training course. She is also a qualified CPR instructor. In her free time, you can typically find Kristi outdoors doing open water swims, lifting weights, stand up paddle boarding, hiking, and learning how to surf.
Dmitry Pekurovsky, CMT
Focus Areas:
- Deep tissue
- Sports massage
- Neuromuscular therapy
- Sensory Repatterning
- Alexander Technique
- Feldenkreis Method
Dmitry Pekurovsky, CMT, is a graduate of International Professional School of Bodywork of San Diego. He approaches massage as one component in a whole person care, aiming for a lasting change in his clients’ health. He employs a unique style of bodywork tailored for each individual, drawing from his training in Swedish, Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy and Sensory Repatterning. The latter is a movement based modality that works great for overcoming chronic tension and energy blockages. It involves slow cradling flow and wavelike motions of body/limbs, inviting a natural sense of deep relaxation and ease.
Dmitry’s approach has been effective for treating clients from different walks of life and with a variety of issues, including chronic ones. The common theme in Dmitry’s practice is increasing somatic awareness, which not only provides short-term physical benefits, but also tends to result in an increased sense of ease and well-being. In addition, with better awareness and healthier movement patterns clients face significantly reduced risk of injury from everyday and sports activities.
Dmitry's work is informed by a long-standing interest in meditation, Tai Chi, Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method. He believes in working synergistically with the client. He happily shares home practices that clients may do to continue the treatment and anchor the positive changes.
Cale Deato, CMT
Focus Areas:
- Deep Tissue
- Russian Medical Massage
- Russian Sports Massage
- Circulatory/Relaxation
- Tui-Na
- Shiatsu
- Reiki & Sekhem Khrem energy healing
Cale Deato, CMT, is an Army veteran. She studied at Southern California Health Institute in North Hollywood (2014) and Healing Hands School of Holistic Health in San Diego (2021). Her approach to massage is both scientific and intuitive, working on both the physical and energy bodies. Her foundational studies are in Russian massage which is effective in treating pain and muscular imbalance. This technique melts the fascia and superficial muscles with manual manipulation to allow for painless access to the deeper muscles and ligaments.
She applies Tui Na and Shiatsu for those seeking an even gentler modality, creating uniquely tailored sessions that consider each client’s needs. She also infuses Reiki and Egyptian Sekhem energy medicine to her manual therapies. These attune with her client’s energy bio-fields to gently assist in restoring balance and catalyzing the body’s natural self-healing process. Her approaches are focused on helping to alleviate physical pain, emotional stress, and mental distress.
Cale has worked with professional boxers, long-distance runners, chronic pain patients, and those seeking relief from depression, anxiety, and everyday stress. She also specializes in ancestral trauma healing, breathwork facilitation, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), crystal healing, and is a proponent of personal growth.
Heather Russelle, CMT
Focus Areas:
- Deep Tissue
- Polarity Therapy
- Prenatal Massage
- Swedish
- Craniosacral
- Reflexology
- Myofacial Release
- Structural Integration
- Shiatsu
- Reiki & Shamanic energy healing
Heather Russelle, CMT, offers a unique custom experience with an emphasis on relaxation and transformation. With over 20 years of experience in massage and natural therapeutics, Heather provides an integrated approach to healing with techniques such as Swedish, Deep Tissue, Polarity Therapy, Reiki, Shamanic Healing, Prenatal massage, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Cranio Sacral, Myofascial Release and Structural Integration. No matter what your needs are for the day, Heather will help you relax and transform your body, mind, and spirit.
We Help San Diegans Heal from the Root Cause
I’m proud to support an organization committed to making integrative health care accessible to all San Diegans, regardless of their ability to pay. The work the Community Wellness team does each day makes San Diego a healthier, more just community.
Amanda Schultz Brochu
We love our volunteers
I’ve had experience with massages and acupuncture here, and both will work wonders on you. I had Gretchen as a <massage therapist>, and this woman works absolute miracles on your body! Aches be damned when you’ve got Gretchen on your side.