Sofi Paco

About Sofi

Salutations! I’m a licensed massage therapist and a qualified mental health practitioner. I’ve spent more than 20 years as a mental health professional with an emphasis in child and adolescent development as a Residential Counselor, Educational Support Specialist, Intensive In-Home Counselor, and Behavioral Specialist. Prior to that, I was a Certified Nursing Assistant, and have Crisis Prevention and Intervention training. I currently reside in Washington and work as a medical massage therapist at Rebel Med NW clinic in Ballard and Restorative Health clinic in Shoreline.

I have a passion for my patients overcoming their physical and mental ailments through mind-body practices. My training is rooted in the principles of somatic therapy, naturopathic medicine, and the Jones Institute and Counterstrain Academy for fascial counterstrain. I work with the body’s natural responses to alleviate physical and mental discomfort. I specialize in Deep Tissue, Myofascial releases, Counterstrain, Trigger Point therapy, Cranio-Sacral, Body Positional releases, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), Muscle Energy Techniques (MET), Cupping, IntraOral releases, Mindfulness techniques, Deep Breathing practices, and Healing Light Energetics. I love to integrate all of my training to assist patients in their physical, psychological, and spiritual healing journey. By tackling one area means that we make space for other areas to heal and grow - Enso.

I pursue healing through hobbies such as Botanical Medicine, Wildcrafting, music, ceramics, and the outdoors.

My Work

I am a highly diversified licensed massage therapist. I’ve practiced for more than 20 years as a mental health professional, and I have a strong background in human development. Gifted with an especially intuitive touch and strong bodywork training, I couple my knowledge and skills of mindbody work to reverse the somatic responses that often cause pain and discomfort (both physical and emotional) in our bodies. I specialize in Medical Massages incorporating techniques such as Deep Tissue massage, Myofacial releases, Trigger Point releases, Cranio-Sacral releases, Body Positional releases, Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF), Muscle Energy Techniques (MET), Cupping, Intraoral releases, Mindfulness techniques, Deep Breathing practices, Counterstrain, and Healing Light Energetics. Many say that I’m a born healer and a Mind-Body specialist in authentic form, but I’ll let you be the judge of that…

I integrate all of my knowledge, skills, trainings, and unique perception of the world to help my patients heal physically, psychologically, and even spiritually. Understanding the intersections of these aspects within the human person while tackling one area means that we make space for other areas to heal.

My Journey

Since I was little, I had a passion for massage and would often massage my friends and family when their were in pain. I also grew up with a curiosity about the human mind, which lead to my passion in understanding human responses to pain (socially, physiologically, and emotionally). I earned my BS and MA in psychology to attempt to find a way to bridge the gap between these two disciplines.

Despite years of experience in the mental health realms, I wanted more for my patients. Repeatedly seeing my patients (young and old) taking a minimum of 5 or more medications, while understanding the intersections of physiology, energetics, and the psyche, I wanted more training to break this cycle. This lead me to pursue Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University.

When learning massage therapy, I realized that bodywork coupled with my understanding of mental health was my true calling for my practice. While learning Naturopathic Medicine at Bastyr University, working with the physicians at Rebel Med Northwest, and learning about holistic care at University of Washington, I realized that I had a whole resource system of providers to impart holistic care for my patients. I use my network of professional health care providers to work alongside a team of practitioners whom embody holistic care. I’m pursing my counseling licensure in Washington state so that I can expand my scope in trauma care using traditional counseling methods, in addition to biofeedback and EMDR, while continuing to practice the Somatic Mind-body therapy. By integrating holistic care with more traditional counseling, I’m bridging the gap to provide holistic and comprehensive interventions to best serve her patients’ complete wellness.

Currently, I’m in pursuit of both my second Masters of Arts in counseling and professional counseling licensure in the state of Washington. I continue to approach my patients with the Mind-body perspective that is innate in my skills and talents within my current scope of practice.

Resume

Click above to see my professional experiences and credentials.