OSM Graduates at Work: Cheryl McDonald

Cheryl’s Journey

Oregon School of Massage graduate Cheryl McDonald brings a rich and varied background to her practice. For many years, Cheryl worked as a registered dietician in health facilities including senior living centers. She also worked as a teachers’ aid, performed children’s ministry work and was a manager of a document printing center. Prior to settling in Portland, Cheryl lived in several places – California, Arkansas and Boston, just to name a few. She is married and has two children.

While working at the document processing center, Cheryl had an important realization: the computer-intensive work helped pay the bills, but she did not find it fulfilling. That’s when she really began thinking about what she wanted to do next. Around the same time, she and her husband attended a Valentine’s Day couples massage class at the Oregon School of Massage. Says Cheryl, “I fell in love with massage on Valentine’s Day.”

Finding Her Path

That was 5 years ago – and was the first step on Cheryl’s journey to becoming a licensed massage therapist. During the couples’ class, Cheryl was introduced to the basics of massage, and discovered the feeling of touch resonated with her in a significant way.

Cheryl followed her new discovery and signed up for classes at the Oregon School of Massage. After the first few classes, it became clear that massage tapped into her professional and spiritual leanings, and that she had found the next phase of her journey.

As her studies progressed, Cheryl had another important realization: massage allowed her to work through some childhood trauma. “Massage helped me feel whole again,” explains Cheryl. “I felt confident and connected to my body. It felt very grounding.”

Cheryl’s deeply personal experience with massage informed the direction she wanted to take her practice. She was drawn to working with patients who had experienced emotional and/or physical trauma. Cheryl explains, “I found it gratifying to place my hands on people in need of a loving and caring touch.”

While at OSM, Cheryl was thrilled to study Hakomi, breathwork, chair-massage, and manual lymph drainage. She served as a teaching assistant for over five terms in Massage Fundamentals and Kinesiology. Cheryl became a licensed massage therapist in 2018.

Bio for Cheryl McDonald, LMT #24367

Cheryl practices massage in Southwest Portland. She wants to help seniors, people suffering from fibromyalgia, cancer patients, burn victims, and those who have experienced trauma. An OSM graduate, Cheryl is currently seeking certification in Trauma Touch Therapy™ and manual lymph drainage. Cheryl works at two assisted living facilities specializing in senior massage. She can be reached through email at:cherylmcdonaldlmt@gmail.com