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Patient
Relaxation
Massage Therapy
4660 Marsh Road, Okemos, MI
About Kate Prouty
Owner of Patient Relaxation LLC
Being a massage therapist is a great joy and privilege in a life that has already known much joy.
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In order to take the best care of our higher-needs clients, I trained in critical-care massage through the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and was recognized as an Exemplary Graduate on the Mayo Clinic website.
Besides creating and teaching in our Advanced Skills Residency (post-graduate work for massage therapists), I taught massage at Lansing Community College, have a specialization in oncology massage therapy, and am a professional flutist with a Master's Degree.
Our business has grown to include our Okemos location, in-hospital massages for people going through cancer treatment, a Massage Apprenticeship program, and many public events, speaking engagements, and classes.
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Our practice actively coordinates with area physicians, physical therapists, researchers, music therapists, neurofeedback specialists and mental health counselors to raise the level of our treatments and to share our research with others.
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When a repetitive stress injury almost ended my orchestral career, I became interested in massage therapy. A few trips to a massage therapist did even more than the medications and physical therapy prescribed by my doctor. Massage therapy addressed the emotional stress in addition to the physical pain I was experiencing. Stress was the root my problems, not just a symptom.
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I embrace life in Michigan and adore its natural beauty, from the lakes and rivers I see from my kayak to the chiming of ice-covered branches I prefer to watch from under a blanket on my sofa.
My Training
My therapeutic massage training began at Lansing Community College, where I earned my certificate in 2012, and I am licensed by the state of Michigan. In addition, I have taken continuing education courses in Oncology Massage, Hospital-based Massage, and meditative practices.
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Oncology Massage Training allows me to work with people who have been diagnosed with cancer, who have had or are in the midst of treatment, in recovery, and those with uncertain outcomes. I studied in Boston with Tracy Walton, the nation's leading Oncology Massage Therapist and teacher.
The following year, I was accepted to the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science's Hospital-Based Massage Therapy program, where I was taught by the massage therapists, physicians, and staff of the Mayo Clinic, and provided massages to their patients. Among the patients were people who were preparing for bone marrow transplant, who had just had drastic surgeries, and who had received new organs (liver, kidneys, lung) in the past 24 hours.
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Because the Mayo Clinic tracks all of its graduates, they noticed the success my practice enjoyed the year following my Rochester residency, and I was interviewed by a representative from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and then was featured as a "Successful Graduate" on the College's website.
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Early in my career, my interest in working with people with complex medical conditions was sparked when I worked at the office of a chiropractor, and after a year there, Michigan State University asked me to work with them to start a relaxation service within the Student Health Center.
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I worked with their physicians, nurses, psychiatrists, and physical therapists to create the State of Relaxation, the culmination of my work at MSU, which provides massage, Reiki, Reflexology, and Koru Mindfulness Meditation to the 60,000+ members of the MSU community.
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My varied experiences have taught me that I do best when helping people with medical challenges and those who care for them. It's a great pleasure to treat people who require the specialized skills I've enjoyed learning and teaching.
IT MAY SURPRISE YOU
In 2005, the composer Daniel Powers was commissioned by the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra to compose a piccolo concerto for me! I gave the world premiere in March of 2006. It's called (adorably) "Concerto Piccolo."
I have a Master's Degree in flute performance from the University of North Texas, and have performed all over the USA, Canada, and Europe as a soloist and with orchestras. Besides the usual concert venues, I performed in a monastery in Nice, a hotel in Venice, and an outdoor amphitheater in Geneva, and once gave a concert in MSU's Butterfly Garden.
