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MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS

The following individuals are registered Instructors in the United States. They are BTAA qualified to teach Bowenwork® and are highly skilled practitioners themselves. Only courses taught by instructors registered with the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia (or Bowtech) will count toward your BTAA education.

Pratiti

Pratiti Beldner, San Francisco, CA
503-397-0429
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Pratiti's strong interest in complementary healing led her to study massage and bodywork in 1984. In ten years of doing deep-tissue massage she accumulated some long-standing repetitive strain injuries, and she was surprised to notice that they began to heal immediately after her first Bowenwork session.

Excited to learn that gentle touch could stimulate such profound and rapid healing, she studied Bowenwork in 1996, began introducing her clients to the work right away, weaning them off massage and soon deciding to retire from doing massage therapy altogether. Since then she has focused her practice exclusively on Bowenwork.

The BTAA authorized Pratiti in 2007 as a Registered Bowenwork Instructor. Her prior experience in training, management and software development were put to good use in overseeing the upgrade of BAUSA's website. She currently serves as BAUSA's President while splitting her time between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

Pratiti's teaching style provides a relaxed, comfortable classroom atmosphere. She honors each student's questions, prior experiences and learning style and incorporates them into the classroom experience for the benefit of all.

kellyKelly Clancy
206-508-1265
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Kelly is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist practicing in the health care field since 1987.She enjoys treating the whole body to affect long-term changes in symptoms and function.
By assessing not only an individual’s structure and how myofascial asymmetries may be contributing to pain and dysfunction, she also helps the client look at ergonomic contributions in their work and home environment, and lifestyle choices that may be causing "dis-ease".


Kelly introduced Bowenwork to Swedish Medical Center in 2006 and became a Bowenwork instructor in the fall of 2011. She currently runs a busy private practice where she provides Bowenwork, exercise-based rehabilitation, ergonomic consultation, wellness education, and continuing education.You can find out further information regarding her clinic at www.scfsm.com.

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Sandra Gustafson - Bodega Bay, CA
707-528-4372
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Sandra Leahy Gustafson BSN RN, is a senior instructor with the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia (BTAA), and lives in Northern California, USA. This is currently the third place on the planet that she now calls "home".· Sandra grew up in South Africa, where she trained as a Registered Nurse. The urge to travel bit her when she finished her Nursing training and she embarked on a travelling trip that took her to many places, exploring different countries and cultures, that peaked her interest in holistic and traditional medicine. Instead of returning to South Africa, she decided to settle in Australia for 15 years, where she specialized in Intensive Care Nursing and also undertook a 4-year Naturopathic course to become a Naturopathic Practitioner.

In 1991, she opened her Naturopathic practice in Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands (Far North Queensland), and looked forward to using all her new skills. During this time, she was afflicted with a persistently painful right elbow that did not respond to any of her natural therapy treatments, or any conventional methods. It became quite distressing, and she was unable to do the deep tissue massage and bodywork that she learned in Naturopathic School. Fortunately, one of her colleagues in the clinic (Manfred Zainzinger, who is now an instructor in Austria) had studied Bowenwork, and was able to help her fully recover. She was so impressed that she decided to learn this amazing work and studied with Ossie and Elaine Rentsch as soon as she could.

It was the beginning of another journey for her. She had never learned to work with something so simple, yet so profound and effective in helping people's bodies to heal, as with Bowenwork.· She gave up practicing all other forms of bodywork, and has been doing it ever since. To Sandra, Bowenwork resonates with her understanding of Homoeopathy. It has a profound effect on the Autonomic Nervous System, gently coaxing the vital force and the innate power of the mind, body and spirit to find homoeostasis (natural balance) again, and thereby facilitates healing.

In 1994, Ossie and Elaine invited her to join them in teaching this remarkable work and she became an instructor with BTAA. She has taught many students in Australia as well as in the States. Sandra has presented at international Bowenwork conferences and had the pleasure of teaching Bowenwork to healthcare practitioners from both conventional and complementary health care professions, and in recent years, has held classes at Bastyr University and Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, WA.

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Andrew Kressel - Commack, New York
631-543-2444
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Andrew Kressel has loved bodywork all his life. He became a Licensed Massage Therapist in 1999, then discovered Bowenwork in 2004. Andrew continues to work on his own education, and strives to help others find their paths.

Andrew opened U Kneada Massage in 2009, a Wellness office in Commack, NY, where he holds Bowenwork classes as well as meetings for health-oriented practitioners and other interested individuals. Through U Kneada Massage, Andrew strives to work with his clients and students to help them improve their everyday quality of life. He takes a look at their lifestyle, posture, and ovement, to help them become relaxed and healthier.

Andrew has also studied Deep Myofascial Therapy and Swedish Massage. He is very active in the networking world around Long Island, and is available to travel around the country for groups of students wanting to learn Bowenwork.

 

suzette Suzette Lake
925-947-0780
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Suzette began studying massage in 1996 after a lifelong affinity for hands on bodywork.  In 2001, she began studying Bowenwork after being stunned by the results of the work.  She began to convert her massage therapy practice to a full time Bowenwork practice quickly after beginning to learn the work.  She has continued to study Bowenwork as a modality exclusively since 2001.

She has also been trained in Infant Massage Instruction, Muscle Balance and Function and Active Isolated Stretching.

At an SP2 course, she was approached by Ossie Rentsch and was invited to become a Bowenwork Instructor.  She accepted the invitation and is excited to be able to teach this work to anyone who is interested.


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Abby LaRock - Peterborough, New Hampshire
603-924-7814
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Abby LaRock has been a practicing Occupational Therapist for over 32 years, serving infant through geriatric clients. Certified and licensed in many health and healing modalities, Abby has worked in private practice and in traditional rehabilitative settings, including hospital outpatient and inpatient, long-term and acute care facilities, public schools and a variety of developmental programs.

Abby was at a turning point in her career when she found Bowenwork. She wanted to understand and treat the body in a different, gentler way. She now feels that Bowenwork found her.

Since beginning her Bowenwork practice in 2005, Abby has focused on this wonderful therapy. Her knowledge of traditional medicine, disease processes and rehabilitation supports the healing that clients achieve through Bowenwork. Every patient she has served through an active, full time Bowenwork practice improves more fully and quickly and with results deeper in the body than with traditional medicine alone.

Having fullfilled the requirements to become an Instructor in Bowenwork, Abby is now ready to share her knowledge with others. She looks forward to guiding and sharing experiences with students as she helps them master the Art of Bowenwork.

Vicki

Vicki Mechner - Springfield, VA
703-455-0111
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Vicki Mechner has been a Bowenwork practitioner since 1996 and an instructor for the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia since 2001. She teaches primarily in the area around Washington, D.C., and maintains a private practice in Springfield, Virginia.

Vicki discovered Bowenwork quite by chance in 1995 while recovering from a repetitive stress injury. Amazed by the results, she took the first available training she could. At first she split her practice almost equally between Bowenwork and Rubenfeld Synergy (a type of body-oriented psychotherapy she had trained in previously). But after observing that Bowenwork was often effective with complaints ranging from anxiety and panic attacks to depression, Vicki's practice evolved to where it is now exclusively Bowenwork. She is nationally certified in therapeutic massage and bodywork.

Vicki's original training was in curriculum design and educational technology. Her insight into the way that different people learn contributes to her effectiveness as an instructor. She keeps her classes small in order to ensure ample individual feedback. In addition to teaching Bowenwork to massage therapists, Vicki has also taught acupuncturists, chiropractors, homeopaths, occupational therapists, osteopaths, and physical therapists, as well as lay-people. She enjoys learning from her students as well as teaching them.

Unlike most Bowenwork instructors, Vicki studied anatomy, physiology, massage and bodywork after she was already a Bowenwork practitioner, rather than before. As she often tells her students, "If I could learn this, anyone can!"; Committed to her student's mastery of Bowenwork, Vicki is noted for her precision, innovative teaching aids, good humor, and between-class support.

In 2002, Vicki was an invited speaker at the Australian BTAA Conference in Adelaide, on the topic of research into Bowenwork. Since that first trip, she has returned to Australia several times for additional research and study in and around the city where Tom Bowen developed and practiced his work.

Vicki is an advisor to the Tom Bowen Legacy Trust Fund, an Australian charity that benefits children with disabilities. She reported on the activities of the Trust Fund at the International Bowenwork Conference at Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) in June 2006.

Gretchen

Gretchen Miles, Snohomish, WA
360-568-7075
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Gretchen Miles' passion for bodywork originated when she was very young and encouraged while attending college. Her formal bodywork training began as a second career or "late in life", when she realized that her call to work with
people was to be in a "healing art" not in the corporate world.

Gretchen has been licensed as a massage practitioner in Washington State since 1996.In 2003, she was introduced to Bowenwork by a colleague. Amazed at the results she experienced in her own body, she became a registered practitioner which quickly expanded her practice. She currently practices Bowenwork full time in her clinic.

Gretchen is thrilled to be able to share Bowenwork with others as an instructor. Whether a student is motivated to learn Bowenwork as an extension of his/her current healthcare practice or he/she would like to improve the lives of family or friends, Gretchen is very excited to be introducing this amazing technique to others. Bowenwork has the ability to expand a persons' exposure to healing, exponentially! Her classes are full of information, loads of hands-on time, and fun! Her students will learn more about his/her own path of healing and how to assist other's in discovering a way to live a whole, vibrant life!

Bowenwork is a tremendous tool to support each person's healing process. Gretchen has seen astonishing changes in people's lives!

Kevin

Kevin Minney, Alameda, CA
510-333-4324
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30 years, with nine years experience as lead therapist for a sports and orthopedic clinic, five years experience in the same capacity with chiropractic clinics. He came to learn Bowenwork in 1995 and became an instructor in 2001. He taught Pathology for Massage Therapists at Western Institute for Science and Health, and taught Anatomy and Physiology on-line. He was a state and local board member of the American Massage Therapy Association. He originated the use of models for Bowenwork training. He has presented Bowenwork for the AMTA, St. Francis Sports Medicine Center and at Stanford Medical school. He sees himself as an agent for healthy change, whether teaching or practicing Bowenwork.

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Alexia Monroe, Prescott, AZ
928-443-9355
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Alexia Monroe has been involved in holistic health for 35 years. In her teens, she became involved in yoga, meditation, and healthful eating. But after contracting a crippling arthritis at 25 years old, she had to add to her knowledge considerably to find her way out of that condition. Through focusing the next 7 years on healing her immune system, she became symptom-free. She explored the healing process again for 2 years after developing chronic fatigue syndrome in her late 30's. She thinks she might have gotten it right this time -- in her 50's, she is young and healthy.

She is experienced in a wide range of healing modalities. A licensed massage technician since 1984, she has also studied Reiki and hypnotherapy, and has practiced the Rayid Method of iris interpretation for 20 years. She edited three books on the subject by the founder of Rayid, Denny Johnson, and worked beside him on his tours of Brazil in 1994 and 1996. While in Brazil, she introduced Bowenwork to many enthusiastic people. The first classes in Brazil were taught in 2007.

Since Alexia first learned Bowenwork in 1993, it has been the exclusive physical modality of her private practice. She says, "I devote myself to Bowenwork because I have not found its equal in any other therapy in the world". She has been a Senior Instructor for the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia since 1996, and has taught actively throughout the U.S. She was President of the United States Bowen Registry (Now Bowenwork Academy USA) from 2002-2005, and is Chairman of the International Instructors' Committee, which helps to create global policies for the Bowen Academy.

Alexia has been a speaker at many global health conferences. Besides introducing Bowenwork to groups such as the American Holistic Nurses Association and Rayid International, she gives presentations on specialized topics. These have included immune system recovery, research on water in curing disease, and the discoveries of neuroscience and their relevance to the work. She has spoken at
Bowtech conferences in the U.S., Australia, and Cyprus.

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Nancy Pierson, Gentry, AR
512-750-4012
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Nancy Pierson has picked up her camp in Austin and has moved to northwest Arkansas, where she is building her house.

An escapee to bodywork from corporate restriction in 1990, Nancy thought she was doing really awesome work until an encounter with Bowen showed her an elegance and profundity she had hitherto not conceived of. Since then, her journey with Bowen has never ceased to amaze both her and those she is able to share it with. And, she has found it to be more recession proof than other modalities -- probably because it works!

Nancy teaches ongoing classes in NW Arkansas and will travel if a class can be made elsewhere.

Nancy

Nancee Rogers, Cincinnati, OH
513-527-4540
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Nancee Rogers, a graduate of Heidelberg College, is a Registered Bowenwork Instructor, Bowenwork Anatomy·& Physiology instructor and Professional Bowenwork Practitioner. She sees clients in her private practice in Cincinnati, offers online anatomy and physiology (A&P) classes specifically designed for Bowenwork practitioners and teaches Bowenwork modules in Cincinnati and throughout the U.S. where interest for a class is shown. Prior to her Bowenwork career, she was an adjunct faculty member teaching anatomy and medical terminology classes at Gateway Community and Technical College.

Nancee has been involved in healthcare for over 30 years. In 1972, after her junior year at Heidelberg College, she began medical school at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Shortly after, she developed collagen vascular symptoms and left the medical college half way through her studies to avoid further decline in her health. She did not return to OSU, but started working as a high-risk coordinator for an OB-GYN practice while raising her family and becoming healthy again. She then became a licensed nursing home administrator in 1984. After working over 17 years in that field, Nancee yearned to leave the corporate world and work directly with clients. She began training at SHI Medical Massage School in Lebanon, OH and became a licensed massage therapist in 2000.

She opened a private practice in the Greater Cincinnati area and began teaching anatomy·& physiology classes at Gateway Community and Technical College in Northern Kentucky. Three years into her massage practice, she read an article about Bowenwork and was totally intrigued by what it described. After beginning training in Bowenwork, she was convinced this was "the Holy Grail" of bodywork! The impact it had on her body alone made her a believer in the power of this modality. Since then, she stopped doing massage and made Bowenwork the center of her practice and professional work.

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Karin Twohig - Carmel, CA
831-622-9355
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Born and raised in Germany, Karin moved to the United States in 1978 to pursue a career in the healing arts. She became a state certified Massage Therapist in 1981 and has studied and practiced multiple modalities ever since. She is certified to conduct private group sessions in process inquiry which she studied with Dr. Stephano Sabetti.

Karin travels internationally to teach the Bowen Technique. In 2008 she will be instructing Bowenwork at the world renowned Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. She is the owner of the Bowenwork School in Carmel, California where she sees clients at her Bowenwork Center.

Her warmth and sense of humor is coupled with a communication style that makes learning fun and informative while maintaining a high level of professionalism. She strives to accommodate every student's learning style and ability which creates an atmosphere of ease and focus. Her enthusiasm for the work is underpinned by her drive to help people effect deep and significant shifts in their lives.

Karin's mission is to support every student in accomplishing their goals, whether it is to help their family and friends or to start a new career in the healing arts. They may want to change their current healing modality to prevent overuse injuries, or add to their already existing practice modality, such as chiropractic, physical therapy, traditional medicine, naturopathic health and nutrition.

Karin is dedicated to teaching more people to help others through the power of the Bowen Technique and will travel to accommodate those with a strong desire to learn.

She has had articles published in Inspiration Magazine and is a member of the Massage and Bodywork Association with over 25 years of experience as a body worker. Karin has been an accredited Bowen Practitioner for 13 years and a licensed Instructor for the Bowen Therapy Academy of Australia for 7 years.

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Sean Wolf - Santa Clara, CA
408-205-7469
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Sean has been a massage therapist and fitness trainer for nine years. He is trained in Trigger Point therapy, Myofascial release, Active Isolated Stretching, Sports massage, positional release, Bowenwork, functional training, core training, pilates, gyrotonic, Egoscue method and Muscle Balance· Function. Sean is a Certified Personal Trainer (NASM), Certified Postural Alignment Specialist (Egoscue) and a Martial Arts Instructor.

He stumbled upon Bowenwork at a massage convention, when he watched instructor Kevin Minney get these amazingly quick results with what seemed to be simple little flicks. He started to wonder why he was working so hard to help his clients if this worked better and faster. After taking module 1, he started to convert all of his bodywork to Bowenwork and was so impressed by Bowenwork that he asked during his first class what he needed to do to teach it. Five years later he is finally able to teach others this incredible work.

Meet Our Administrative Assistant

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Sue Rutter - Dewey, AZ
1-866-862-6936
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Before being hired as the Administrative Assistant for Bowenwork Academy USA, Sue was a Corporate Human Resources Manager for Amoco Corporation, a Fortune 100 Company, in Chicago, IL. Sue has a varied background in all
Human Resources functions including Team Dynamics and Team Communication Facilitation. Sue also worked with the Information Technology Department at Amoco and became familiar with database and web site management.

She and her husband moved from Chicago, IL to the Prescott, AZ area many years ago where she applied for a position with BAUSA. As the main contact for students, practitioners and clients throughout the United States, Sue hears daily positive testimonials about Bowenwork. She is proud to be part of this organization and feels very fortunate to have found Bowenwork. Sue's husband suffers from Sciatica and Bowenwork has provided miraculous relief. Sue is blessed with having no pain-related problems; however, she receives Bowenwork sessions often as they energize the entire body.