PRACTITIONER PROFILE
ATMS Practitioner Profile Amy Tyler
Which modalities do you practise ? I ’ m an accredited Remedial Massage Therapist . I was also lucky enough to complete a Diploma of Sports Therapies when that was still available , which has given me great skills in rehab-style massage and corrective exercise . However I have chosen to specialise in working with the cancer community . I have post-graduate training in Oncology Massage , Manual Lymphatic Drainage and Scar Massage , which all combine really nicely with the rehab techniques and of course my original training in Remedial Massage .
How long have you been in practice ? It feels like forever . I came straight out of high school into massage . It was what I always wanted to do , so it ’ s been 21 years now .
What have been the major influences on your career ? I grew up in a family who were quite medically orientated . My father was an embryologist ( so very science-based ), my mum a medical secretary and my sister got into cancer genetic counselling . Dinner table talk was always health-related stuff . So when I entered the world of massage I really wanted to be on the more medical side of it . That ’ s why I did the Diploma of Sports Therapies and then the Diploma in Manual Lymphatic Drainage straight after my Remedial Massage training . Little did I know then , that it would all lead me to working with people who have had a cancer diagnosis . So I was working on cancer patients before oncology massage was even a thing in Australia . When I saw Eleanor Oyston talk about oncology massage at a conference in 2008 I signed up then and there .
What do you like about being a natural medicine practitioner ? I love the energy that people have when they come into my space . No matter what is going on in their lives , how bad things might be at that moment , they are happy to be getting a massage . And when they leave , they are blissed out from having received a massage . There is no anger management necessary in my work place - it ’ s just such a lovely environment to work in .
What advice would you give to a new practitioner starting out ? Set clear boundaries for your work hours - you don ’ t need to be available every hour of the day . Also , ease into the work . Your body won ’ t be used to doing back to back treatments every day . Self-care is so important , so practise what you preach and book yourself in for regular massage .
What are your future ambitions ? Well , this is super exciting as my future ambitions are happening right now . I have just launched my own boutique training organisation , Institute of Oncology Massage . Teaching massage therapists to modify their skills to enhance life for cancer patients has been a passion of mine for almost a decade now , so to create world-class training and pass my passion onto other therapists greatly excites me . I cannot wait to see how the organisation grows . I ’ ll be continuing my work in clinic alongside this so I can continue to learn from patients and pass that knowledge on .
What are your reflections on the present state of the natural medicine profession and its future direction ? After 22 years in the industry I feel like we have moved backwards recently . Let me clarify that . Not us the industry , but the way everyone outside the industry sees us . The government dropping health funds for most of the industry is appalling . The fact that as qualified massage therapists our ABNs are registered under “ other allied health care ”, yet we are not classified as healthcare providers and need to charge GST , also shows what a mess we are in . Hopefully we can head down a path where we are recognised as healthcare providers in our own right . I hope with oncology massage that it becomes mainstream and all cancer patients know it exists and have the opportunity to benefit from it .
158 | vol28 | no3 | JATMS