About Us

At Carolina Massage institute, we believe massage therapy is both an art and a science. The art lies in the therapist’s ability to create a conversation with the client, both verbally and nonverbally. Our program develops therapists’ ability to create a treatment plan to help clients feel balanced, centered, and deeply heard.

To support this intuitive conversation, we ground therapists in the best practices, using research-backed Western and Eastern approaches. Because any good conversation includes a lot of questions and careful attention to the answers, we teach our therapists to stay critically aware and up-to-date on the latest medical approaches to manual therapy. Our students graduate with a balanced sense of creativity and rationality to serve each unique client for the benefit of the individual and the greater community.

Program director Sara Owens is always available at info@carolinamassageinstitute.com. We encourage you to make an appointment to visit, ask all your questions, tour the space, and get to know us!

Faculty

Robert Green, LMBT, is our director of education and the lead teacher in the diploma program. In 2002, Rob was educated in massotherapy, an advanced form of soft tissue manipulation. This detailed modality uses manual therapy techniques to treat the soft tissues that connect the entire body. Rob’s work does not simply mask problem areas with feel-good techniques, but finds the source of his clients’ symptoms and corrects them through precision manipulation. He couples his detailed therapeutic techniques with his own form of relaxation massage to form a truly unique experience that has earned him the trust and admiration of his many devoted clients.

With 15 years of experience, Rob Green continues to improve his repertoire of techniques and skill. Currently he is working on completing his doctorate in naturopathy and a PhD in holistic natural health and nutrition. He is one of the few massage therapists listed as an approved provider for the prestigious International Pelvic Pain Association. Rob was named one of the best massage therapists in Raleigh by Expretese.com for 2016 and 2017.

Laura Terry is anatomy and physiology teacher at CMI. Laura graduated from UNC–Chapel Hill with a degree in exercise and sport science in 1995. She received her master’s degree in physical therapy at East Carolina University in 1998. Laura studied gross anatomy, functional anatomy and biomechanics, physiology, and pathology for her PT degree.

Laura has been practicing physical therapy for 18 years in many different settings, working with a variety of patients and clients. She currently has a private practice, Yoga and PT, where she uses yoga as a therapeutic exercise along with traditional PT. She uses bodywork techniques as part of her practice and has been specifically trained in a gentle manual treatment called Integrated Positional Therapy.

Her studies and work have led her to be amazed at the human body’s ability to locomote, to allow us to feel, to work, to heal, to learn, to give birth, to grow, to age. She has been witness to and participated in the body’s healing from trauma, disease, overuse, and neglect. The incredible ability of the body to process all of these states of being and work to bring itself to a point of balance is astounding and has fueled Laura to learn more about how the body functions and what we do to make our bodies better and healthier.

Laura will share her enthusiasm for learning about the human body and how it works with the students at CMI. It’s important for you as a massage therapist to know what feels normal under your hands, and which abnormalities are pathological versus normal variations. Clients will come to you with a problem, and you will want to know the anatomy of the area, what types of treatments will make it worse or better, when to refer a client to another medical professional, and the general pathology of the diagnosis with expected outcomes. This knowledge will make you a better massage therapist and holistic practitioner, and it will help your clients feel truly cared for.

Anatomy and physiology can be dry and require time and memorization, but Laura will help you feel awe for and be inspired to learn about the body and its amazing ability to function. We will use several different techniques for learning, including written, visual, experiential movement, and palpation, so that every type of learner can master the information.

Stacy Hewitt, L.Ac, LMBT, is our Eastern energetics instructor. Stacy’s journey to become an alternative healthcare provider started in 1997 when he graduated from the Carolina School of Massage Therapy and furthered his postgraduate education with advanced certifications in geriatric, orthopedic, and structural bodywork. He also pursued training in Jin Shin Do acupressure and Reiki. With his training as a massage therapist, Stacy volunteered at a Community Holistic HIV clinic. While volunteering, Stacy witnessed the healing power of Chinese medicine through the use of acupressure alone, and that sparked his interest to pursue advanced studies in Chinese medicine.

Graduating at the top of his class, Stacy received his four-year graduate degree in acupuncture at the Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine in Sugar Grove, North Carolina. While at Jung Tao he was fortunate to have studied in the lineage of one of the world’s great masters of classical Chinese medicine, Nguyen Van Nghi. Stacy currently practices acupuncture full time in addition to teaching acupuncture clinical skills at his alma mater.

Stacy’s expertise in acupuncture and acupressure combined with his enthusiasm for teaching and real-world clinical experience makes him an excellent resource for his students. Incorporating real-life experience and hands-on practice, Stacy’s classes not only provide an understanding of Chinese medicine and energy work, but more importantly provide valuable bodywork techniques that can easily be incorporated with any massage modality.

Munsie Davis, LMBT, is our ethics teacher. She has been a self-professed workshop junkie since her graduation from Hampshire College with a degree in what is now called somatics. She credits her parents’ holistic lifestyle with her interest in healthy living and the power of touch. As a holistic manual therapist, Munsie blends a variety of skills, using touch as a medium for accessing the homeostasis mechanisms in the body.