Each year, Paula and Neha Curtiss, Founding Directors for Healing Hands School of Holistic Health, have a difficult decision to make; selecting one Instructor to be honored as the Teacher of the Year. In 2018, a new addition to the Faculty, Christopher (Chris) Morgan, really caught Management’s attention. Although initially hired to teach the 100-hour Advanced Circulatory and Sports Massage course, in 2018 Chris expanded his expertise to include the 100-hour Deep-Tissue Manipulations course and the 50-hour Professional Practices course. Today, Chris is an essential part of the Faculty, teaching all three core classes at each of Healing Hands’ three campus locations.
On Saturday, August 24th, Paula and Neha hosted a Staff Appreciation Party during which Chris was formally awarded the honor of Teacher of the Year for 2018. “Chris distinguished himself as a compassionate and capable healer early in his Program”, said Paula. “According to co-Faculty, Chris grasped concepts quickly, retained information easily, and executed hands-on techniques with ease and confidence”, she continued. “Chris’ potential as a Healing Hands’ Instructor revealed itself when he became a voluntary mentor to a vision-impaired classmate, demonstrating both compassion and a talent for training in the process” said Staff Instructor Denise Fultz.
The decision to make Chris this year’s honoree, took into consideration Paula and Neha’s desired qualities for Healing Hands Instructors. These include: self-awareness, compassion, a passion for the Holistic Healing arts, a comprehensive understanding of their subject matter, an abundance of hands-on experience, strong communication and demonstration skills, plus a sincere desire to share knowledge and inspire good works. In addition, they must possess the emotional maturity to maintain a safe classroom environment, accommodate different learning styles, and inspire respect, compassion and hard work among students.
Chris originally came to Healing Hands after years of unsatisfying employment in the corporate business world. Seeking a career that offered flexibility, a sense of purpose, and a combination of mental and physical focus, Chris became interested in Massage and the Holistic Healing Arts. In addition to serving as a multi-course Instructor for Healing Hands, Chris is also a Certified Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Practitioner, and entrepreneurial businessman. He operates a mobile massage practice, Body Balance by Chris, for clients in Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and surrounding neighborhoods. His focus is clinical sports massage, therapeutic stretching and soft tissue injury rehabilitation.
Healing Hands School of Holistic Health has been serving residents in Southern California for over 27 years. To date, their highly qualified Instructors have prepared more than 7,500 students for rewarding careers as Massage Therapists and can do the same for YOU! To learn more about a career as a Professional Massage Therapist, visit us online at www.HealingHandsSchool.com or call us at (949) 305-2722 in Laguna Hills or (760) 746-9364 in Escondido or (858) 505-1100 in Kearny Mesa. ###