Meet Ellen

Years of Experience

It is important to know the practitioner you have chosen to assist you on your journey to well-being and wholeness. I bring to your Rolfing table many years of hands-on experience in holistic nursing and various modalities, combined with a dedication to helping individuals achieve a deep sense of healing in body, mind and spirit.

Personal Commitment

My commitment is to listen to each individual and their body’s unique needs. Helping people come to a sense of relaxation and awareness in relationship to their bodies can be tremendously powerful in helping to heal not only on the physical level but also on an emotional, mental and spiritual levels as well. It is my profound honor to serve in this way.

Health Philosophy

Our bodies are truly our homes, serving as the structure for our mind/spirit. What our body is subjected to in its physical environment, its nutritional input, emotional content and social interaction all impact this personal structure. In my work, I hold a compassionate and safe space for my clients to experience a new awareness of their “home” and integrate change in their body’s alignment that feels natural and allows whole-self healing.

Licenses & Certifications

• Registered Nurse through the NC Board of Nursing
• Certified by The Rolf Institute since 1991
• National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, Certification #6491-00, Certified since 1992
• Board Certified Structural Integration by The Certification Board for Structural Integration Since 2007
• Certified Integrative Nurse Coach by the Integrative Nurse Coach Certificate Program. This program is recognized by the International Nurse Coach Association and the American Holistic Nurses Association as well as the American Nurses Association (2016) (Click here for more information
• Board Certified Holistic Nurse by the American Holistic Nurse Credentialing Corporation since October 2018.

Professional Membership Organizations

• Rolf Institute for Structural Integration
• A.M.T.A 
• International Association of Structural Integration 
• American Holistic Nurses Association
• Blue Ridge Holistic Nurses Network
• Leadership Council for Blue Ridge Holistic Nurses Network
• Asheville Natural Wellness

Community Service Project

Working at the Buncombe County Detention Center teaching in the Relaxation Program

Professional History

It began with nursing ~ I began my professional career of helping people heal when I earned my BSN degree from Western Carolina University in 1977. For a decade I enjoyed my work as a nurse in Public Health in Western North Carolina and also served as a Child Birth Educator.

Nursing and complementary/alternative modalities merged ~ My interest in the holistic approach to healing and nursing led me to the American Holistic Nurses Association which supported my belief in integrating complementary/alternative modalities into clinical practice to support people’s physiological, psychological and spiritual process. I was motivated to work with the whole body in relation to wellness and earned certification in Cayce/Reilly massage therapy in Virginia Beach, VA., as well as from the Kripalu Center, MA. I furthered my study and received certification that I continue to hold with the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage ad Bodywork. Over the years, I continued to study and incorporate other modalities into my holistic approach to wellness: Neuromuscular, Cranial Sacral, Reiki and others. Deepening my personal yoga practice, I earned certification as a yoga instructor from Kripalu as well.

Holistic wellness led to Rolfing ~ In 1987, I opened the Well Being Center in Sylva, NC., where I provided massage therapy and taught classes on wellness and movement. Expanding my education I studied and earned my Rolfing® Structural Integration certification in 1991 and Rolf Movement® certification in 1994. In 2002, I traveled to Brazil and became a Certified Advanced Rolfer™. In 2007 I received Board Certification from the International Association of Structural Integration. As an Assistant Instructor for the Rolf Institute, I traveled in the United States, Japan and Australia from 2004 -2008.