A Twist of Fate Leads Massage Therapy Graduate from One Helping Career to Another
Posted on Aug. 31, 2009
A Step in the Right Direction
Before attending Northwestern Health Sciences University, Deanna Benson, a 2001 School of Massage Therapy graduate, took a few different career paths throughout her life. An unexpected accident piqued her interest in massage therapy and led her to explore a new field in natural health care.
Massage therapy wasn’t the first service-based career Benson held. Prior to her enrollment at Northwestern, Benson worked as a regional director for Robert E. Miller, Inc., where she managed a group of homes for individuals with disabilities for 23 years. After a car accident in 1991, Benson received massage therapy treatment for rehabilitation. “While I was going through treatment, I thought if I ever were to make a career change, massage therapy would be something I’d look into,” she said.
New Place, New Opportunites
“The year I attended Northwestern was an exciting year,” says Benson. “I took a year off of work to concentrate on school. I enjoyed learning new things again. I also enjoyed meeting new people in the campus community.” Benson adds that the integration of the three schools was a benefit. The School of Massage Therapy was very new at that time. There were no clubs or organizations for massage therapy then. At the time, only chiropractic students were involved with Student Senate. Benson was involved in a committee to integrate acupuncture and massage therapy into Student Senate.
One of the things that impressed Benson about Northwestern was the credibility of the instructors. “Each of the instructors is very good; they each have their own practice besides teaching, and were able to give us the picture of what it will be like in practice.”
A Rewarding Career
After graduation, Benson volunteered at Courage Center. When the facility was looking to expand its care, Benson was offered a job. She began her job at Courage Center in fall of 2003; 10 months after she had graduated from Northwestern.
Benson is currently employed at Courage Center, a Minneapolis based rehabilitation and resource center that advances the lives of children and adults experiencing barriers to health and independence. She works with patients with a variety of conditions including spinal injuries, head traumas, strokes, Parkinson’s disease, a variety of neuropathy conditions, auto accidents, severe arthritis, etc. “The patients are what I love most about my job,” she says. “This is a unique clientele that creates a patient base that I would not be able to draw if I had my own clinic. Courage Center is a well-known and trusted institution.” Benson adds that she also enjoys the staff that she works with there.
Along with working at Courage Center, Benson also owns her own chair massage business, and has been working at Sandburg Middle School in Robbinsdale, Minn., providing massages to the staff.
Giving Back
Northwestern contributed to shaping Benson’s profession by providing her with sound ethics and professionalism. “Northwestern emphasized the importance of always thinking about our professionalism,” Benson says. She added that the strong biology background and cadaver lab were unique and valuable learning tools. “There’s a big difference between looking at something in a text book, and seeing it three-dimensional in front of you. Everyone’s different and not built the same, so to be able to see that in the cadavers is very valuable.”
Benson has remained active at Northwestern as an alumnus. She’s on the alumni board, has attended almost every massage therapy symposium, helps with luncheons, ice cream socials, and speaks in classes about the “working world.” A career in massage therapy may not be what Benson imagined for this time in her life. But her drive to learn and love of helping others led her to a successful job in natural health care.