Patricia has two certifi cations from the prestigious Desert Institute of the Healing Arts (now Cortiva Institute —Tucson) in Tucson, Arizona: 1000-hour massage therapy certification (1993), and 100-hour Thai massage certification (2004). She also holds an MC in counseling and a BS in speech communications. Patricia has been teaching since 1993, including 13 years as the instructor of the Onsite Chair Massage elective at the Desert Institute of the Healing Arts.
Currently, in addition to her duties as dean of students at Cortiva Institute — Tucson, she teaches Foundations of Massage and Introduction to Clinic, and coordinates the school ’ s Community Service Outreach Program. Both Introduction to Clinic and the Outreach Program involve teaching students chair massage, and the Outreach Program involves supervision of students as they provide chair massage to the public. Patricia also owns a private massage therapy practice — Mindful Touch Therapeutic Massage — in Tucson.