Dallas McKay (CRS, My. A.)

My work is helping people identify and claim their innate strengths and skills, develop self-confidence, and take steps toward more fulfilling lives.  My interest in being of service began when I was about 12 years old and in the hospital for minor surgery.  An adult roommate arrived in the middle of the night in disabling abdominal pain.  I felt absolutely compelled, at great surprise to me and to her, to place my hands on her.  Immediately her discomfort subsided, and I became hooked on healing.

In addition to obtaining the degrees and certifications listed below, my many years in the corporate arena helped me hone skills in training, administrative operations and human resources.  In 2000 I began using these skills as a management consultant to California nonprofits, an experience that helped me appreciate the wide variety of challenges and possibilities that emerge as people strive to help each other and work together.

Currently I work in several areas:

I have a bodywork practice (see certifications, below) called Deep Relaxation Therapy. 

Via classes and workshops, I offer support to women who are rebuilding their lives after surviving abuse, assault and other trauma, and for people who simply want to get un-stuck or explore areas of their creativity.  I use a variety of experiential and therapeutic modalities to strengthen life skills.  My multi-modality wellness support workshops are offered biweekly to clients of the Women’s Resource Center and for the general public.

As a parent, I became interested in healthy rites of passage for youth.  When I discovered there were no established rites to help 10-year-old girls cross the threshold of adolescence, I developed a two-day ceremony for each of my daughters.  Shortly I will have completed a book and workshop materials designed to help other moms create meaningful rites for their daughters.

Degrees and Certifications

•     Bachelor’s Degree, Magna Cum Laude, 1985, City University of New York:  Psychology, Special Honors Curriculum, and Philosophy

•     Certification in the Rubenfeld Synergy Method (RSM) (600-hour training), 1985, Rubenfeld Institute of New York:  therapeutic intervention combining the bodywork methods of The Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Functional Integration with Gestalt psychotherapy

•     Certification as a Rape Crisis Counselor (20 hours), 1980, New York Women Against Rape

•     Completion of one year of the Minister of Healing Degree Program, 1987, Healing Light Center Church, Glendale, California:  manipulation of energy in the human body, sacred ceremony, anatomy and physiology, and the symbolic life messages found in physical disorders 

•     VOCA Volunteer (Victory Over Child Abuse) (28-hour training), 2005, The Healing Circle, Astoria:  served as a Big Buddy for VOCA camper 

•     Women’s Resource Center Volunteer (20-hour training), 2005, and Domestic/Sexual Assault Response Team advocate (10 more hours), 2007, and full-time staff member (several trainings), 2007 to present, Astoria:  advocate for survivors, facilitation of the trauma recovery program and support groups, and grant writer

•     Certification in Mystical Activism (300 hours), 2006, Return2Center, Portland:  identifying and launching authentic lifework; personal transformation through experiential processes

For More Information on Deep Relaxation Therapy Click Here.

Telephone Number: 503.298.9381