Veronica W. Robinson, LMBT, AOBTA®-CP
Hi, there! I’m Veronica and I am the owner and founder of the Shiatsu & Wellness Services. My business is located on Oakland Avenue in the heart of Shorewood. I am a certified and licensed wellness practitioner who helps people manage chronic pain and other conditions through alternative health and wellness practices. I am an advocate of complementing alternative healthcare practices with conventional healthcare, when necessary. I believe this combination offers the most robust opportunity for overall good health and positive well-being. As a primary means of supporting my client’s with their wellness goals, I offer health coaching, shiatsu, massage, and energy work. I also offer a variety of other supplemental services. My practice is minority-owned, woman-led, and woman-centric and I am especially prepared to work with women in the mid to later life stages. Many of my clients are working to resolve issues with chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, low vitality, stress, inflammation, trauma, insomnia, and contraction. However, the services I offer can benefit the health and well-being of women and men, adults and children, and all are welcome!
As a 100% client-centered practitioner, I honor and dignify the people I work with by providing a restful, non-judgmental space to receive beneficial and therapeutic complementary or alternative care. Decision making around health and wellness is unique and personal. In some instances, lasting and permanent relief is not easily had and might not be achieved. At the Shiatsu Wellness Center, I do not “fix” people because I don’t see them as damaged. Instead, I intend that each person I work with feels heard, understood, safe, and respected in relation to the wellness goals they want to pursue. Although I work primarily with women, I also work with their care takers and support partners regardless of their gender. Below are a few relevant facts about my training and background:
- Licensed bodywork therapist/massage therapist in the State of Wisconsin
- AOBTA® – certified practitioner of Zen Shiatsu
- Graduate of Zen Shiatsu Chicago
- Graduate of Blue Sky School of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
- Health coach trained through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- Trained in Ohashi/Ohashiatsu method
- Certified Culinary Nutritionist
- Trained in The Kinesio Taping® Method
- Trained in Precision Neuromuscular Therapy
- Advanced training in pre-natal massage
- Trained in oncology massage
- Advanced shiatsu training
- Trained in seiki and sotai
I am also certified signing specialist and in my spare time, I enjoy a host of creative activities both inside my home and out and can often be found taking photographs of nature or sitting in the park listening to the birds. However, I have a special love for all things food and culinary arts. If I’m not in yard, you’ll probably find me in a moving meditation, singing and cooking in my warm kitchen.
If you would like more details about my specific training, continue reading My Bio.
Frquently Asked Questions
Do you work with people with all types of chronic pain conditions?
Yes, however, I focus my work on conditions common to post-adolescent women throughout their reproductive lifecycle such as, for example, muscular contraction or “tightness “ limited ROM resulting from periods of both activity and inactivity, PMS-related pain, and common pre- and post-natal pain conditions. Please review the APPOINTMENT PREP page for information detailing conditions not suitable for massage or not available without your doctor’s authorization. The letter should include any concerns that the practitioner might have. I also require a lengthy initial consultation, after which I will determine if it would be a good fit for us to work together.
Do you offer massage and bodywork to people who don’t have a chronic pain?
Yes. I agree with theories that suggest that pain often results from conditions that are rooted in habitual thought patterns and constrained emotion. While I am not a mental health counselor and my work does not replace appropriate mental health care, massage and bodywork have been proven to affect the nervous system in a positive, health-promoting way. This includes physiological, mood-enhancing benefits such as “significant decreases in tension, confusion, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and anger while maintaining high levels of vigor, which is representative of positive mental health”. (Weinberg, R. S., Jackson, A. J., & Kolodny, K. (1988). The relationship of massage and exercise to mood enhancement. The Sport Psychologist, 2(3), 202-211. Retrieved from the internet at https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-21624-001)
Do you work with men?
Yes, but not generally. My practice focuses on women’s health conditions. Generally, the men that I do see are partners, children, or family caretakers of my clients and have been referred to me by my clients. This limitation in my practice is based on the fact that my practice is woman-centric and focuses on issues that primarily affect women, such as PMS, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. For similar reasons, my client base of post-menopausal women is also low.
I don’t tolerate touch very well. Will massage hurt me?
There are many types of massage and bodywork techniques. Myofascial Release (MFR) is one massage technique that has had good results for people suffering with fibromyalgia. Shiatsu, a primary form of Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT), can be applied very lightly and even off the body with very good results.
During our initial assessment, I will find out more information about your limitations with touch and will develop a plan of care around your needs and restrictions. Together, we will discover a means by which to get you the complementary mind and body therapies that will help you reach toward your health and wellness goals.
Chokkan Shiatsu & Wellness Services
