Essential Health - Meet Our Therapists

ABOUT US

At Essential Health, our team of highly educated Registered Massage Therapists offer individualized care for you. We provide the highest quality care to resolve pain, reduce the occurrence of injury, improve mobility and decrease stress. We are a team built on trust, experience, expertise, and professionalism. All of our RMTs are members in good standing with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario.

Charity Freeman RMT

Charity has been practicing massage therapy since 2004, after graduating with honours from Algonquin College. She decided to pursue a career in Massage Therapy after receiving treatments for sports injuries in high school. She has taken extra training in Hot Stone Therapy, cupping, myofascial release and reflexology. Her specialties include neck work, headache treatments and trigger point therapy, although she can use different pressures and techniques according to what clients need. She believes that massage therapy has several benefits and wants to help people to feel healthy. Charity lives in the east end of Ottawa with her family and enjoys biking, camping and gardening.

Shannon Farrall RMT

Shannon graduated from the Massage Therapy program in 2010 from Everest College. Since graduation she has dedicated herself to her clients well being and care by expanding her skill set with a variety of modalities including peppermint scalp massages, deep tissue, hot stone, migraines and myofascial release. Through blending relaxation and therapeutic techniques, she enjoys facilitating the body's natural healing process to assist in its recovery. In her free time she enjoys being outside camping or hiking around Ottawa's beautiful trails.

Matthew Smith RMT

Matthew Smith is skilled at treating stress and sports related injuries with a focus in soft tissue manipulation. Matthew completed an Advanced Diploma of Massage Therapy at Algonquin College. Matthew enjoys working with all athletes, supporting them to meet their physical and wellness goals – working with them to recover from injuries, or to relieve stress. Matthew is experienced with treating clients with a wide variety of injuries such as plantar fasciitis, piriformis syndrome, frozen shoulder, and other similar injuries.

Matthew served as a reservist in the Canadian Forces as a Combat Engineer for over 7 years. In his spare time, enjoys reading, exercising, and spending time with friends and family. Je parle français!

Nate Shaw RMT

Nate has been registered with the CMTO since May 2016 after completing an intensive program at the International Academy of Massage. Since then he has gained a reputation for deep muscle release, with his pragmatic approach to treatment ensuring effectiveness and relief. He has gained extensive clinical experience - primarily treating concussion symptoms and whiplash - and has had training in myofascial restructuring and treatment of migraines. He enjoys creating individualized treatment plans to meet client-specific needs and is a strong believer in firm, consistent muscle stripping; he can't help but to have a therapeutic touch in his treatments.

Ryan McLaughlin RMT

Ryan became registered with the CMTO in 2010, and takes great pride in providing the best individualized treatment he can for his clients. He employs various techniques including acupressure, myofascial release, and deep tissue therapy, to best meet each individuals needs. Ryan has been fortunate to work in a variety of clinical settings. He has helped many achieve their pain management goals; whether, they be children, palliative care patients, or athletes looking to perform their best. Specialized treatment qualifications include: Assessment and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, acupressure, migraines and Myofascial Release.

Rae Quinney RMT

Rae has been a practicing RMT for 10 years, first registering with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario in 2011. Rae studied at Lambton College in Sarnia, graduating from the Massage Therapy program on the Dean's List. Prior to her massage therapy training, Rae graduated from the University of Windsor with a degree Human Kinetics. Rae has extensive experience in a variety of clinic environments. Rae values ongoing professional development, and by attending regular conferences and workshops Rae keeps her skills on the cutting-edge to provide the best experience for her clients. She believes that Massage Therapy has something to offer everyone - from the remedy of a current injury to the relief of stress in a hectic modern age.

Andreina Lujan Toro RMT

Andreina studied physiotherapy at the Universidad Central de Venezuela, where she acquired experience working with athletes, senior patients and patients with neurological, migraines and musculoskeletal conditions. Graduating from the Massage Therapy Intensive Program at Algonquin College with honours in 2012, she has worked with clients with scars, stroke, lymphedema and the public in general.

Andreina specializes in accurate assessment to prevent and rehabilitate injuries. Techniques such as Selective Functional Movement Patterns (SFMA) and Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT) bring to the table the tools for an accurate evaluation to guide the direction of the treatment. También hablo español!

Jeff Douglas RMT

Jeff has been registered with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario since 2006 after graduating with Honors from the International Academy of Health Education. Jeff started his career as an RMT working in a Fitness Center working with clients to help maintain their physical function and also to aid in the recovery from injury. Jeff was in search of a new challenge and found himself integrated with a multidisciplinary team of health professionals including physiotherapists, kinesiologists, occupational therapist and psychologists. This collaborative approach allowed Jeff to expand his treatment knowledge and to provide a holistic approach to rehabilitation for his clients. Jeff has now taken the next step in his career path which includes the great environment at Essential Health.

In addition to treatment, Jeff also works as a Subject Matter Expert with the CMTO.

Cindie Helmer RMT

Cindie graduated with honors from the Massage Therapy program at Everest College. Cindie employs a variety of techniques including Swedish, deep tissue, sport massage, myofascial techniques, and Active Release Technique (ART), in order to provide each client with an individualized treatment specific to their needs. Cindie has worked with professional level athletes, runners, children, expectant/postpartum mothers, and palliative care patients. Specialized treatment qualifications include: Migraine massage, Active Release Technique (ART) Upper Extremities, Myofascial Release/Myofascial Restructuring, Hot Stone Massage. Cindie is not able to accept new clients. Her 2024 calendar is fully booked.

Dennis Newhook RMT

Dennis has been practising massage therapy since 2004. Besides Swedish massage, Dennis’ treatments emphasize passive movement, joint mobilization, myofascial release, and postural re-education (largely informed by his certification in Iyengar yoga and Critical Alignment Technique). Dennis also incorporates acupuncture into treatment when indicated or requested. While happy to meet the needs of all clients, Dennis has a special interest in helping those with persistent pain conditions or those under constant physical stress such as dancers or athletes.

Outside of clinic Denis serves as a subject matter expert for CMTO.