Meet our Staff

Ellen Halpern, NCTMB, LMT, BFA

Ellen has been practicing massage therapy since 1990. She is a graduate of the Massage Institute of New England (MINE). At MINE she taught classes ranging from the core hands on classes to an Advanced Deep Tissue Series. She was their Educational Director for many years and wrote the hands on curriculum. Currently she is on the faculty at Cortiva Institute in Watertown MA and teaches a Deep Tissue Series in their continuing education program. She is also a member of The Bodywork Education Project and is teaching classes with them. Ellen is certified in Kinesis Myofascial Integration and Zero Balancing. She is also a graduate of the Gestalt Institute of New England. Ellen has extensive background in working with the elite athlete as well as the weekend warrior and strives to combine her treatments with physical therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors, personal trainers and psychotherapists. The modalities Ellen uses are Deep Tissue, Kinesis Myofascial Integration, Prenatal Massage, Structural Alignment, Swedish Massage, Zero Balancing and CranioSacral Therapy. She is an approved Category A provider for National Certification.

Lori Herman, M.Ac., L.M.T

Lori Herman is a licensed acupuncturist and massage therapist. She is a firm believer in preventative maintenance and a balanced lifestyle. Lori promotes acupuncture along with massage, exercise, and proper nutrition in order to strive for health and wellness. In many cases, Lori incorporates both acupuncture and massage within a session to achieve the maximum benefits that both have to offer. She treats many ailments including back pain, headaches, arthritis pain, infertility, menopausal symptoms, gynecological issues, depression and general well being.

Sharmane Simard, MEd.,LMHC, LMT

Sharmane is a graduate of the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy and is a Registered Jin Shin Do® acupressurist as well as a licensed mental health counselor. She is certified in music therapy, Transformational Kinesiology and Gestalt Therapy. Her sessions provide a wide range of holistic techniques for the purpose of pain relief, repetitive motion injury correction, stress reduction, and body/mind integration. The modalities Sharmane uses are Deep tissue massage, prenatal massage, Sports massage, Swedish massage, Hot Stones therapy, Acupressure, Body/Mind Psychotherapy and Transformational Kinesiology.

Bob Ell, LMT, BA

Bob is a graduate of MINE from the Deep tissue program focusing on neuromuscular changes in the body through massage. He is also an accomplished amateur athlete, which includes a Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon world championship finish in 2000. Bob continues to expand his knowledge focusing on neuromuscular techniques and sports injury. The modalities he uses are Deep tissue massage, Sports massage, Swedish massage, and Structural Alignment.

Tricia Silverman, RD, LDN, MBA

Tricia, a licensed and registered dietitian, has been a fitness and nutrition enthusiast since she was a child. She graduated with honors from the State University of New York and the Babson College MBA program, and completed a clinical internship at the rigorous and competitive Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital Dietetic Internship program. Tricia has extensive nutrition education experience including time spent as the Director of Nutrition for the prestigious Canyon Ranch Health Resort in the Berkshires. Tricia enjoys helping clients set and reach their nutritional goals.

Cindy Gillan, LMT, NCTMB, MA

Cindy is a 1993 graduate of the Cortiva Institute - Boston (formerly the Muscular Therapy Institute) and a faculty member at CI since 1997. Some of the modalities she teaches and uses in her practice include Swedish Massage, Neuromuscular Therapy, and Sports Massage. She has also received training in Orthopedic Massage, Reiki, Thailand Massage, and working with clients living with cancer. Cindy also works with elders in a retirement community setting as part of her practice.

Cindy enjoys working with a wide variety of clients including athletes, elders, and those experiencing pain from a wide range of possible sources. Cindy is a strong believer in educating clients about their own bodies and self care to facilitate the healing effects of massage.

Kate Osterheld , ZBT

When Myotech founder Linda Jaros wanted to grow her sports massage business, she selected Kate as one of two recent graduates from the New England School of Muscle Therapy, where Linda was an instructor. After practicing sports massage for five years with the benefit of Linda’s mentoring, Kate ‘retired’ from Myotech to raise a family. While she did so, Kate maintained a small private practice for adults, and learned infant massage.

Invited by Newton-Wellesley Hospital Community Education to create and instruct an infant massage program, Kate coordinated elements of massage with music and touch-oriented fingerplays. Her work evolved into NWH’s very popular toddler “Singing Bee” music program; Kate directed both programs for twelve years.

Kate continued her education in various deep tissue, neuromuscular, and trigger point therapies, then began her study of Zen Bodytherapy under the direction of Dub Leigh and Audrey Nakamura, its founders. Dub, a former Marine and successful businessman, was a committed student of Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais and Tanouye Roshi. Combining the structural work of Rolf, the movement awareness of Feldenkrais, and the Universal Energy grounding of a Zen master, Dub’s detailed training taught how to work the plasticity of connective tissue to restore balance, rejuvenate and revitalize. After a decade of weekend seminars and years of practice, Kate received her Advanced ZBT practitioner in 2001.

Starting in 2005, Kate served as the principal massage therapist at the Divina Day Spa located in Westwood. During this time she earned them the distinction of #1 Readers’ Choice Award for Massage each year since 2006. Now, after 25 years of therapeutic practice, Kate returns to Myotech.

Kate customizes her therapeutic massage to respond to her client’s needs and wants. Whether you seek relaxation or structural work, Kate hopes to exceed your expectations.