Out of Fire’s Ashes, St. Charles Massage Therapist Gains Support, Temporary Home at NOVO: Renewing Joy in Life

Over the past two years, Dr. Vicki Alden has frequently sought the healing touch of Theresa Winters, a highly regarded St. Charles massage therapist.

But when Alden reached out to Winters in January, it wasn’t to make an appointment. Alden had heard a distressing turn of events: Winters had lost her practice space in a devastating fire on January 5th. Along with the rest of the building, all of the tools of Winters’  trade, Ameliorate Massage, were burned to rubble.

Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident. Winters was out of town with her family. When Alden contacted her by phone, she offered Winters the use of space at her own St. Charles-based practice, NOVO: Renewing Joy in Life.

“When you lose everything like that, it’s got to be totally chaotic,” says Alden. “What should I do? How do I get back to what I need to do? Since she is such a healer, my feeling was she really needed to get right back, because that’s her role, and it’s not always easy to find space.”

Through its professional counselors and therapists, NOVO provides a range of services geared toward enduring “brain change,” from psychotherapy, counseling and life coaching to neurofeedback, Jin Shin Tara and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing).

A week later, Winters began using the NOVO space at 104 South 2nd Ave. Through nearly two months of the arrangement, she had used the space for one or two days a week.

“NOVO is a beautiful location, so welcoming and so warm and comfortable. I am so thoroughly appreciative,” Winters says. “Vicki is just wonderful. She's been a big blessing to me in many ways."

Winters specializes in cranial-sacral massage and having a tranquil, professional setting is a crucial component of that experience. She describes herself as a “people helper,” a characterization that Alden readily affirms.

“She’s an amazing healer. She understands her craft very, very well and practices it wonderfully,” Alden says. “She’s a very calm, centering, balancing person.”

During this transitional time, and like so many others whose lives are particularly focused on serving others, Winters has grappled with being the recipient of support.

“For people that like to help people, it's hard to be on the other end,” says Winters. “It is a challenge, but it’s been part of the experience, of accepting that help. It’s quite lovely—the generosity and the kindness that I have received.”

For Alden, the arrangement has affirmed a vision that she has for NOVO to be not only a place for clients to heal, but as a resource for fellow professionals, whether it’s through continuing education courses or individual circumstances such as the one that has brought Winters under its roof.

The use of NOVO’s space has been even more helpful than Winters initially anticipated, since her search for a long-term space has taken longer than expected.

“I am working to keep my eye out on that silver lining,” Winters says. “I still have faith that I will land on my feet.”

Anyone who believes they may have a space that would suit Ameliorate Massage is encouraged to email her at theresa@amelioratemassage.com.

To learn more about her practice, visit www.amelioratemassage.com. To learn more about NOVO: Renewing Joy in Life, visit www.novocounsel.com.