Remedial & Oncology Therapist and Facilitator
Remedial & Oncology Therapist and Facilitator
Founder
A remedial therapist since 1997, Kate is now recognised as one of the leaders in the massage community for her lymphatic and oncology work.
She was accredited with the Epworth hospital (neurological, oncology wards and drug & alcohol rehab), The Melbourne Clinic, and qualified with the highest level of training in lymphatic therapy, registering with the Australasian Lymphology Association.
In 2012 Kate assisted the delivery of the first Oncology Massage modules at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer, Research & Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital in Heidelberg. The success of this program led to Kate’s position as the first salaried Oncology Massage Therapist at the Centre in 2012. Two more therapists were employed in 2013 and the service has continued ever since.
In 2015, Kate co-authored the Cancer Council Handbook on Massage & Cancer, and continued her role as the Victoria Coordinator for Oncology Massage Training.
Right from the beginning, she was interested in working in a medical setting with chronic pain and lifelong diseases. Kate says she “likes to work physically and connect with people”, and that she is interested in the complexity of the specialised work in these areas.
Kate has presented at conferences nationally, including the Australian Association of Massage Therapists (now Massage & Myotherapy Australia), and at the Oncology Massage Conference in Canberra. She has also conducted in-service education sessions with organisations including the Cancer Council and the Prostate Cancer Support Group of Victoria.
Representing Australia, Kate has spoken at the Society for Oncology Massage in Minneapolis USA in 2016 on the Australian hospital advancements in oncology massage and current research.
More recently she led the facilitation of Oncology Massage in Spain and Argentina, training the trainers to deliver the program, and is now running Oncology Massage Global, delivering Oncology Massage to English speakers across the globe.
As a massage therapist, Kate feels privileged to help people who are suffering from complex problems associated with their disease process. She aims to ‘hold the space’ for them to facilitate a sense of release; physically, emotionally and/or spiritually.
It was at age 50 Eleanor went to massage school after working for 20 years in pathology laboratories and gaining national accreditation by the Royal College of Pathologists in cytology, diagnosing cancer. Eleanor was then the technical manager of a developmental neuroscience laboratory at the John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University for 10 years.
After completing a Diploma of Remedial Massage and Bowen Therapy, she wrote the first ten-week pathology course for massage schools in Canberra.
The NSW Cancer Council provided funding for Eleanor to bring Gayle MacDonald, author of Medicine Hands, to Australia. Gayle and Eleanor taught 48 therapists oncology massage techniques and Gayle lectured to full houses from Ballina to Melbourne.
On the residential programs with Petrea King at Quest for Life Eleanor developed her craft, wrote manuals and articles for professional journals and began teaching skilled oncology massage therapists to teach her program. Eleanor has developed and taught oncology massage to students around Australia and the world, including teaching Bowen-trained occupational therapists in Hong Kong, conducting a five-week lecture tour of Germany and has taught a oncology massage in the Netherlands.
Eleanor established Oncology Massage Global in 2017 to further her work in Argentina and Spain, The Netherlands and Australia.
Published frequently in professional journals and magazines, Eleanor is a passionate advocate of the benefits of oncology massage, having spoken at events in Australia and overseas.
Eleanor’s book: ‘Touching Cancer – My Journey of Self-Discovery with Oncology Massage’ describes her legacy.
After over 30 years in science and medical technology (CTASC) diagnosing cancer, Eleanor Oyston attained a Dip Remedial Massage and studied Bowen Therapy in 2000. She founded Oncology Massage Training (OMT) and developed course content to comply with the international body the Society for Oncology Massage (S4OM), advised by Gayle MacDonald author of Medicine Hands, in 2004. Under Eleanor’s leadership OMT became Oncology Massage Limited (OML), a registered charity, in 2009.
Eleanor taught OM in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands and Spain, presented at international conferences in Australia, Germany, Minneapolis US and Barcelona Spain, developed in-hospital training at the Olivia Newton John Cancer Research and Wellness Centre, Melbourne and the Life House, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, in Sydney.
Research and education continues to be the focus of Eleanor’s work as she firmly believes that will lead to respectful integration with medical services, Complementary Medicine (CM).
In 2015 Eleanor approached Western Sydney University, NICM, to develop a research project. Prof Caroline Smith and Dr Jennifer Hunter embraced Eleanor’s ideas and together they undertook a major research project, mapping Complementary Medicine services for cancer patients around Australia. Through Eleanor’s influence OM was a major focus in this research.
In 2017 Eleanor resigned from OML and established Oncology Massage Global (OMG) to begin delivering her programs in Barcelona, Spain, through the prestigious complementary therapies academy, ISMET. OMG has successfully accredited 2 teachers in Spain and two in Argentina via the online program.
Eleanor’s course content has been recognised by S4OM since 2009 and is now accredited with ThinkTree in the UK and MMA in Australia. OMG is an international program designed to inform the development of oncology massage in hospitals and general practice clinics around the world.
