Meet Sarah Moshier, LMT, MSW, MA, Finger Lakes School of Massage Featured Faculty for January! She actually graduated from FLSM in 2007 and returned in 2015 to work as an admissions guide. Sarah was originally inspired to attend massage school after receiving a massage as a student in a dual Master’s degree program in Social Work and Social Science at the University at Albany/Binghamton University. Bodywork seemed like the perfect compliment to social work and would allow her to provide a truly holistic approach to wellness. Sarah approaches every potential student with the belief that this work can change lives for the better. She continues to see clients in a private practice and enjoys the balance this career field has brought to her life.
How long have you been practicing massage therapy?
Since 2008.
What would you tell someone who is considering massage therapy school?
I would tell anyone who is considering massage school to go for it! Massage has served me in so many ways over the past 10 years. The education I received allowed me to learn so much about the human body as well as the many benefits of human touch.
What is one thing you wish you had known before you became a massage therapist?
I was a social worker before becoming a massage therapist and was drawn to massage because I like helping others. Social work has always been pretty emotionally taxing for me and the benefits often were very few compared to the emotional toll and stress that came as a result of that work. I wish I would have known that giving massage would make me feel as good as receiving massage. I also never knew how much I would learn about myself in massage school. Of course, we learned anatomy and physiology as well as kinesiology, but massage school really expanded on my social work education and sparked further interest in the mind/body connection.
Name one person who has had an impact on your life and explain why:
My mom has had the biggest impact on my life. She has always been the best example of a strong, independent woman and has always held herself to a high standard which I have followed throughout my life. She was a high-level executive in a male-dominated industry and although very small in stature she was a fierce negotiator. My mom has a heart of gold and has always gone the extra mile to take care of others.
What is your favorite thing about working at Finger Lakes School of Massage and why?
My favorite thing about working in admissions at FLSM is ushering in the new generation of massage therapists and knowing first hand how this program will change their lives.
Vacation…beach, woods, desert, or mountains?
Such a tough choice—I would have to say mountains, but beach is a close second.
Favorite meal?
Anything Thai!
Favorite quote?
“I beg you . . . to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer . . . ” -Rainer Maria Rilke
Describe your most significant interaction with a client or student:
One of my favorite clients was an elderly woman who was working with a physical therapist to keep walking without use of her walker. She came for massage every month and really benefited both physically and emotionally—she suffered from depression—from our sessions. She always reported feeling less pain and less depression after her massages and her physical therapist noticed the improvement in her walking.
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