ATTENTION PATIENTS: Sutherland-Chan Student and Specialty Clinics are open. For more information please click here.

Student Services

Student Services

At Sutherland-Chan we pride ourselves in providing an excellent all-around massage therapy education and in maintaining a high standard in our courses and clinics, so we also do our best to assist our students to succeed. Our administrative team includes the Clinic and Education Services Coordinator. This position is designed for working with student support needs and being of assistance to students wherever possible.

We have the following services in place for students, all of which are included in your student services fee (no additional costs apply):

  1. Practice Clinic
  2. Science Subject Tutoring “Cirque de Science”
  3. Special Needs Support
  4. Emergency Response Team (ERT)
  5. Class Rep System
  6. Evaluations and Focus Groups
  7. Lunch and Learns

Practice Clinic

Practice Clinic provides students struggling with practical or technical skills an opportunity to work with an instructor outside of regular classroom hours. These sessions are done on a one-to-one basis or in small groups. The Practice Clinic schedule is posted in various locations around the school. There is no cost to the student. A student may be referred to the Practice Clinic by an instructor, but also has the option to self-refer.

Science Subject Tutoring “Cirque de Science”

We also offer a tutoring service twice a week that is focused on more academic subjects. These sessions are run by one of our instructors, who can be contacted directly to arrange tutoring in individual or group study sessions. Days and times for regularly scheduled tutoring sessions are posted around the school.

Special Needs Support

At the beginning of Term 1, the Clinic and Education Services Coordinator circulates the Student Special Needs Form to members of the new Term 1 class. This form captures information that the school asks students to share with us for several important reasons:

Category 1 – Physical Health: gives us information about students whose health considerations need to be taken into account in practical classroom and testing situations.

Category 2 – Learning Disabilities: informs us about students who qualify for accommodations (documentation is also required).

Category 3 – Emotional Health: provides an option for students who have mental health conditions or intense personal circumstances to mention them on the form; doing so means they can have access to advice and support, especially from the Counseling Service, who are automatically informed.

Shannon Marshall (shannon@sutherland-chan.com) is the point person for students who have special physical or learning needs, or for whom English is not their first language. Wherever possible, we try to be accommodating and supportive of individual needs.

Emergency Response Team (ERT)

We have an Emergency Response Team, which is made up of individuals trained in CPR and First Aid, as well as in the administration of AED and oxygen, both of which are on-site. Based on information reported from the Special Needs Form, the team maintains a list of students who have health issues that might require urgent attention or support.

Class Rep System

Each class elects representatives (usually two) to attend monthly lunch-hour meetings with members of the administration. The purpose of these meetings is to facilitate regular open dialogue about issues/concerns that arise and to promote timely problem solving. The meetings are chaired by the Clinic and Education Services Coordinator. They also meet with new class reps to have a chat about their role and how the monthly meetings work. Class rep responsibilities are determined by the needs of their role but also to some extent by the preferences of the class members they are representing.

Evaluations and Focus Groups

Course and clinic evaluations are conducted on a rotational basis to obtain student feedback about the school’s instructors and learning environments. As part of this process, students are requested to fill in confidential evaluation forms. This information is utilized by education team staff and individual instructors to improve our curriculum and delivery of the program.

Periodically, students are asked to participate in focus groups. These small groups of 8-10 generate comments regarding student services needs and student perspectives on the school and the program that are much appreciated and are used in a variety of ways to help enhance how the school functions.

Lunch and Learns

Lunch and Learns aim to introduce to the student body a variety of ways to enrich their careers as future Registered Massage Therapists and life-long learners. Through this initiative, presenters will offer a learning opportunity that can be of much value and interest.

Lunch and Learns are typically held on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays from the hours of 11:45 am – 1:00 pm. Some lunch and learn opportunities that have been presented in the past have included:

  • Trager Therapy – a new modality that students can learn and incorporate into their massage
  • Body Mechanics – a new treatment approach utilizing body mechanics from a shiatsu therapist
  • Myodetox – a lesson in business model, authenticity and social media
  • Financial Planning – saving for retirement, potential injury, RSPs
  • Stress Reduction – from a naturopath’s standpoint.
  • Ayurveda – an introduction to Ayurvedic medicine and its healing benefits
  • ELDOA – a different practice to introduce nerve flossing

If you know of someone who would be interested in sharing their knowledge with students through a lunch and learn, please direct them to click here for more information.

SUTHERLAND CHAN