| |
| About
AKS Massage School |
| |
- AKS Massage School,
Inc. (formerly Applied Kinesthetic Studies) has been training
massage therapists and bodyworkers since 1992.
|
- AKS serves the local community through seminars, fieldwork,
and affordable, student massage.
|
- AKS Massage School graduates have their own establishments locally and in other states, as well have created continuing education courses for other health care professionals.
|
- AKS is the only school that is approved for pregnancy massage by the American Pregancy Massage Association (APMA).
|
| |
AKS
Services | School
History | Professional
Memberships
A
Message from the Director | School
Staff | Facilities |
| |
"I have
been out here working for only 4 years but I am here
to tell you that your school is the only school that
I have found that gets people really ready for the work
as
a massage therapist. I would be really happy to get an AKS
graduate to work for me. They really come out of school
knowing what they need to know."
Debra
Sherbeyn, March 29, 2006
Healing Hands Massage Therapy, 540-439-6502
|
To visit AKS,
call for an appointment at 703-464-0333.
If you wish
to participate in periodic job fairs, please call us.
If you wish
to list a job offering or interview an AKS graduate,
please visit our Job Network.
If you want
an AKS student massage, please call the AKS
Public Clinic.
Thank you for
your attention to our school and to our graduates. |
| |
| AKS
Services |
|
AKS Massage
School services include: |
|
|
Professional
Certification Program - Our Certificate Program
prepares students for National Certification in
Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. |
|
|
Continuing
Education - Anyone interested in advancing
their knowledge of a wide variety of bodywork
practices may attend our Continuing Education
classes. Certified Massage Therapists may earn
Category "A" Continuing Education Units
(CEUs) to maintain national certification or membership
in professional organizations. |
|
|
Public
Massage Clinic - The general public visits
our clinic to receive massage from our students
at reduced rates. Professionally certified massage
therapists also offer many forms of massage and
bodywork at our school clinic. See Find
a Therapist for more information. |
|
|
Fieldwork
Program - Certificate Program students must
complete 12 hours of practical fieldwork as part
of their curriculum. We encourage the students
to explore different environments, such as clinics,
hospitals, nursing homes, sporting or healthcare
facilities, schools, business settings, and outdoor
events. |
|
|
Facilities -
AKS
Massage School offers classroom
and massage facilities at the Springwood
Professional Center, in Herndon,
Virginia. Professionals
may make arrangements with AKS to lease and
use these facilities for teaching and for events. |
|
|
|
[ BACK
TO TOP ] |
| |
| School
History |
|
Approved by the
Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Education, AKS has
a wonderful history. In 1992, V. Wendell Driggers founded
AKS Massage School in Herndon, Virginia.
Since the first
graduating class, our students have distinguished themselves
by their proficiency, professionalism, and personal talents.
Some have made AKS their first venture into higher education
and others arrive with the highest educational degrees.
Some come from the corporate world; some from medical fields.
Dedicated graduates provide therapeutic massages to children
and seniors, couch potatoes and elite athletes. Clients
have progressed from injury to recovery, from stress to
relaxation.
AKS massage therapists
serve healthy clients, stressed folks, people with injuries,
and physical disabilities; those living with cancers, Lupus,
Lyme, HIV/Aids, Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis, ALS, Muscular
Dystrophy; those recovering from surgery and fractures;
those bringing new life and those at the close of life.
AKS is present
at Special Olympics, Paralympics, triathlons, marathons,
senior centers, health fairs, employee benefits fairs, municipalities,
schools, and throughout the corporate world.
Employers
ask for AKS graduates.
Our curriculum
requires intense study and dedication to rigorous standards.
Students respond to demands for their time and energies
with physical and emotional fortitude. In fact, graduates
(and their families) tell us that AKS changes them. They
learn the anatomical language of muscles and bones and the
esoteric language of touch. Students learn body mechanics
that allow them to offer therapeutic massage without injuring
themselves. They learn to pay attention to themselves, and
to tune in to their clients with their ears, eyes, and hands.
Massage clients
ask for AKS graduates.
I invite you
to experience massages by AKS graduates. Please ask for
us. You can find us practicing in Virginia, Washington D.C.,
Maryland, West Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina,
New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Pennsylvania, New
Hampshire, England, Germany… Find us in therapeutic
settings, sports clubs, spas, rehabilitation centers…Please
make a point to meet us!
|
|
[ BACK
TO TOP ] |
| Professional
Memberships |
| AKS belongs to
the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and Associated
Bodywork and Massage Professionals
(ABMP). AKS Massage
School also belongs to the AMTA Council of Schools,
a group committed to developing and maintaining
the
highest standards in massage therapy/bodywork education
in schools throughout the country. |
|
| |
Students
and graduates of AKS may join any of several professional
bodywork associations, such as the AMTA. These organizations
provide industry research, insurance coverage, legislative
support and many other benefits to students and professionals.
See Online Resources for
more information. |
|
|
|
[ BACK
TO TOP ] |
| |
| A
Message from the Director |
|
Thank you
for your interest in AKS Massage School. We hope that
this website provides a comprehensive overview of
AKS that will assist your selection of a school of
massage. AKS holds the quality and essence of touch
and the interdependence of mind, body and spirit as
its guiding principles.
Graduates
from the Certificate Program are well prepared to
sit for the National Certification Board for Therapeutic
Massage and Bodywork examination required for practice
in the National Capital area. However, AKS offers
more than a "minimum" education. Students
receive a broad education that develops skills and
professional commitment expected of conscientious
massage therapists. The curriculum presents professional
ethics and business practice guidelines.
AKS teaches
students to tune in to their clients - reaching kinesthetic
awareness - to create a mutual, rather than purely
clinical, experience. AKS provides a fun, safe and
professional atmosphere where questions and the ability
to discern are encouraged.
The decision
to go to a massage school to undertake a demanding
academic program will mean a change in your lifestyle,
as well as a meaningful addition to your capacity
to care for others. It is fun, hard, exhausting, but
most of all, rewarding.
I encourage
you to look carefully at AKS as well as other schools.
AKS has a wonderful staff. They are capable and caring,
and the students tell me how much they like and respect
their teachers. We ask students to work very hard,
and they respond and succeed.
Please
feel free to contact me and ask questions. Read through
this material, then get your support network of family
and friends behind you, and come sit in on a class
before you enroll.
I wish
you every success in your endeavors.
Sincerely,
H. Katharine
Hunter, CMT, AKS graduate 1993
Owner/Director, Since 1999 |
|
[ BACK
TO TOP ] |
| |
| School
Staff |
H.
KATHARINE HUNTER
Katharine
Hunter, BA, CMT, NCTMB, directs and owns the AKS Massage
School. Katharine holds a National Certification
in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCTMB), Commonwealth
of Virginia certification, and belongs to the National
Capital Area Sports Massage Team. Katharine also holds
a B.A. in Psychology, with numerous courses in Education
and years of experience in public education.
WILLIAM
A. HOLMES, BS, MS
William
M. Holmes is the AKS Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Mr. Holmes has 28 years experience managing information
systems for Federal Government contracts. He is a
tax specialist for H&R Block and supervises retail
operations for the Wolftrap Foundation for the Performing
Arts. He has been treasurer for Hunters Green Cluster
Association for 12 years. Mr. Holmes has a BS in
Mathematics with courses in accounting, and an MS
in Information Systems. Mr. Holmes set up the bookkeeping
and accounting system for AKS in 1999, monitors all
financial transactions of the school, and coordinates
with the school’s independent Certified Public
Accountant.
MAYA
LEW, BS, CMT, NCTMB
Maya
Lew is an offsite Staff Consultant to the Director.
Ms. Lew comes to AKS with intimate knowledge of
the program as a 2000 graduate and as a university
intern at AKS. Ms. Lew holds a BS in Exercise Science
and Health Promotion from George Mason University.
Her administrative experience comes from working
at Proxicom for 6 years and as manager of Proxicom
University for three years where she scheduled
training for employees from 10 offices worldwide.
Ms. Lew also worked on website development, database
management, and curriculum development for web-based
instruction. She developed a course in stress management
for professionals. Maya maintains a private practice
in Oakton, VA, specializing in Swedish, deep tissue,
myofascial release, Bowen Therapy, and Reiki.
MARY
RUBARD, BA, CMT, NCTMB
Mary
Rubard; Staff Assistant is a 2003 AKS graduate
who helps with everything related to admissions
questions student schedules, student clinic, student
purchases, and teacher interface. She does all
of this with a smile and dedication. She is employed
as a massage therapist in Herndon, specializing
in Swedish, deep tissue, Thai Yoga Massage and
Reiki. And, Mary supervises in school and in the
student clinic. |
| |
| Instructors |
|
All
AKS faculty and staff hold the student's
learning
experience in highest regard with a goal to
help them become intentional and spiritual
massage
therapists with a thorough foundation in academic
and hands-on skills.
All
AKS instructors hold degrees in higher education,
as well as National Certification in Therapeutic
Massage & Bodywork. Our
adjunct lecturers, bodywork supervisors, and
administrative staff also share expertise and
personal interests with our students. |
|
JUDY HERR, CMT, NCBTMB
Judy Herr, AKS Instructor, is a 2004 graduate of
AKS. She comes to us with a background in psychology
and training. Her expertise is deep tissue, relaxation,
and sports massage. Judy is also certified in Equine
Massage. She maintains a private practice and works
at the YMCA as a massage therapist. She is a member
of AMTA.
SHANTI
HUBER, CMT, NCTMB
Shanti Huber, AKS Lab Supervisor and Instructor,
graduated from AKS in June 2000. She practices Swedish,
Neuromuscular deep tissue massage, Massage for People
with Special Needs, Sports Massage,
Hot Stone, and Myofascial Release. Shanti is educated
in horticulture with a specialty in tropical plants
and a generational background in herbal medicine.
Shanti has had experience working with an acupuncturist,
in the spa environment and maintains her own private
practice.
RICK
MORGAN,
BSN, CMT, NCBTMB
Rick
Morgan, AKS Instructor, is a 2004 graduate of AKS.
He comes to us with extensive
anatomy and
physiology background as well as palpation skills
and massage techniques associated with direct patient
care. Rick’s expertise is in pediatric trauma
and intensive care He has a keen awareness of contraindications
related to massage such as endangerment sites, thrombosis,
and an array of skin and disease disorders. Rick
maintains a private practice and massage instruction.
| | | |
