Teaching Staff

Lois Orth-Zitoli, Mary Beth Hughes-Lacy, and Gretchen Klein are experienced massage therapists who have been certified by Dr. Benjamin to teach Soft Tissue Injury Assessment and Treatment.

Under Dr. Benjamin’s direct supervision, they have developed a dynamic team approach to presenting the Advanced Training Workshops, which employs a variety of teaching/learning styles designed to meet the needs of each student.

Their collaborative teaching provides a fresh and stimulating learning environment and ample one-to-one hands-on guidance.

LOIS ORTH-ZITOLI

Lois Orth-Zitoli trained in massage therapy at the Chicago School of Massage Therapy and was a member of their faculty. She opened her own clinic, Massage Therapy Professionals, Inc., and managed a staff of ten massage therapists from 1985-2003. She has consulted for Northwestern Memorial Physicians’ Group at their Center for Integrative Medicine.

Lois has written articles on soft tissue injuries for Chicago Athlete Magazine and Windy City Sports. Lois's group practice has specialized in the treatment of people with chronic and acute pain and injuries. Since 2003 Lois has focused on private practice in Orthopedic Massage and the partnership for teaching continuing education workshops in Orthopedic Massage.

Lois Orth-Zitoli is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago. Lois holds advanced certifications in Neuromuscular Therapy, St. John Method, as well as in the Assessment and Treatment of Injuries (Orthopedic Massage) from the Benjamin Institute of Advanced Studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

MARYBETH HUGHES-LACY

Marybeth Hughes-Lacy is a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist and trainer of other massage therapists. She graduated in 1998 from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy with honors and has been a full time massage therapist since that time. She managed the massage crew for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day walk in 1999, 2000 and 2001.

She earned her certification in Myofascial Release in December of 1998. She then completed a 250- hour program in Orthopedic Massage with Dr. Ben Benjamin, becoming a certified Orthopedic Massage practitioner in March of 2000.

Impressed by the positive results she saw in her client’s healing, Marybeth was motivated to learn Orthopedic Massage even more thoroughly and enrolled in Dr. Benjamin’s teacher-training program. Marybeth completed a 2-year Orthopedic Massage teacher-training program under the direction of Dr. Benjamin and currently conducts Orthopedic Massage workshops for other professional massage therapists 7-8 times per year. She also taught for the Chicago School of Massage Therapy for the first two years after graduation.

Marybeth is the principal of Therapeutic Massage Center, a company she started in 2000. She is currently working towards certification in Self Regulation Therapy.

Marybeth is a native of Virginia where she grew up in the Shenandoah Valley. She received her BA from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1977 in Fashion Design and moved to Chicago shortly thereafter. She lives with her husband and teenage daughter on the north side of Chicago.

 

GRETCHEN KLEIN

Gretchen Klein has been in private practice for over 17 years. She currently lives and practices in Champaign, IL.

In 1995 she became a certified practitioner of Pfrimmer ® Deep Muscle Therapy at the PA School of Muscle Therapy under master teacher Victoria Ross. Pfrimmer, a precision-based system of corrective massage, continues to be a strong component of her work. Gretchen subsequently worked at the Deep Muscle Therapy Clinic in King of Prussia, PA, known for treating clients with serious muscle problems and diseases.

Gretchen's interest in treating chronic pain and injuries led her to study Soft Tissue Assessment and Treatment (aka Orthopedic Massage) with Ben Benjamin. After completing that training, she immediately launched into the teacher training program and became a certified teacher of the Benjamin Advanced Training in 2002.

Gretchen is a graduate of Penn State University (BA, MA Econ). She has been nationally certified since the inception of NCBTMB in 1993 and is a member of AMTA.