Tessa’s Story…
I am a Registered Acupuncturist.
I also have experience as a practicing Massage Therapist beginning in 1996 after completing a 2200-hour diploma program in London, Ontario. In an effort to focus all of my energy and expertise on Traditional Chinses Medicine (TCM) Acupuncture I made the decision to no longer provide Massage Therapy services.
Massage, being a portable profession allowed me to indulge my wanderlust so I lived and worked in different areas of Ontario as well as spending a year in Australia. While I was in Australia many of the locals and fellow travellers I met would tell me about the beauty and gorgeous scenery of British Columbia and I vowed to myself I would go there one day.
That day arrived in December of 2001 and it was everything they said it was, stunning landscapes, white tipped mountains and any outdoor adventure you could imagine.
I started off in Whistler BC where I lived for 3 and half years making use of my time there to hike, bike and ski on the mountain trails that has made Whistler famous. When I wasn’t outside hanging out with the black bears and the marmots I was working in a clinic that also had Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists working there. Almost as soon as I was exposed to Chinese Medicine I knew I was destined to study it and practice it. It was love at first puncture I would say!
Getting into TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) school wasn’t the easiest thing. I had to invest some time, energy and patience into the process starting with moving to Victoria, BC.
The first thing I did when I got to Victoria was complete my massage upgrades so I could work as a licensed BC Massage Therapist, which at that time required approximately 400-500 hours of additional schooling. Plus a completion of written and practical provincial exams. In 2007 I successfully fulfilled the BC requirements and became a licensed BC RMT.
But what I really wanted to do was become a Registered Acupuncturist and in 2008 I signed up for a 3 year, 2100-hour acupuncture diploma program at Pacific Rim College in pretty downtown Victoria.
From 2008-2011 I immersed myself in Chinese Medicine (TCM) heaven, learning as much as I could during that time and preparing myself for the arduous provincial exams that have to be completed in order to become a Registered Acupuncturists in BC. In December of 2011 I successfully passed all the exams and was a Registered Acupuncturist (RAc). Ya-hoo!!
I think during my time at school for TCM I realized what a vast medicine it is and so ancient, that I think of myself as an apprentice to this medicine, a student who will always be learning about it and expanding my knowledge. A quest I am certain I will pursue for the rest of my life.
Now I’ve come full circle and am back where my journey began in scenic Kincardine, Ontario. The love for my close friends and family being a stronger magnet at this time in my life than the mountains, sea and rain forests of British Columbia.
I have the utmost conviction that Chinese Medicine has the ability to help everyone so encourage you to come and try it for yourself.
Health and Happiness,
Tessa
