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Health & Fitness

GCU's McAuley Institute Explores the Healing Power of Touch

Carol Strelic, a hospice-experienced Certified Massage Therapist, will lead an inspiring short course—Open Heart, Compassionate Hands—through the GCU McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning.

In 2008, research by Tiffany Field of the Touch Research Institute in Miami found that a massage from a loved one can not only ease pain but also soothe depression and strengthen a relationship. Learn how to use the power of touch and an open heart to improve the quality of life for someone in your care. Carol Strelic, a hospice-experienced Certified Massage Therapist, will lead an inspiring short course—Open Heart, Compassionate Hands—through the Georgian Court University McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning (MILL) through two Saturday sessions in April.

Explore the benefits of intentional touch and learn to compassionately communicate with the elderly, the infirmed, and those in the dying process. The course will take place on April 6 and 13 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The cost is $50 per MILL member and $75 per non-MILL member. Annual MILL membership is just $25.

Ms. Strelic is a Certified Massage Therapist who has practiced for more than 13 years. She received her certification from the Garden State Center for Holistic Health Care, under the inspiring tutelage of Gloria Coppola and Randy Jenkins. She also holds a Georgian Court University Certificate in Holistic Health Studies. After meeting Dr. Robin Shapiro, her mentor and teacher, at Georgian Court, Ms. Strelic deepened her studies with the author of Riding the Wind and Touchstones: Essays on Spirituality and Healing. Studying with Dr Shapiro, Ms. Strelic graduated from the Masters Academy of Meningeal Care.

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The course is one of more than 25 courses and programs for adults ages 50 and above offered by the MILL program in the Spring 2013 semester. Combining social interaction and learning without tests or homework, MILL offers social events for members and courses in subjects ranging from golf, T’ai Chi Chih®, and holistic home remedies to rose cultivation, Einstein, and the Korean War.

Pre-registration is required for all courses and may be done online at alumni.georgian.edu/mill. Registration forms for mailing and a complete schedule of all courses can be found at www.georgian.edu/mcauley. Room information for all MILL courses will be provided upon registration. For more information, please contact Alice Velez, MILL program specialist, at 732.987.2201.

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About the McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning at Georgian Court University
The McAuley Institute is a community education program designed for adults, ages 50 and above, who have a passion for learning and want to foster successful aging through continued education and socialization. MILL members also attend social networking events and invitation-only activities with headline guests who appear at GCU throughout the year. MILL
sponsors for the 2012–2013 academic year include the Florian J. Lombardi Foundation Inc. and Creative Financial Group of New Jersey. Learn more about the McAuley Institute for Lifelong Learning by contacting Alice Velez, MILL program specialist, at 732.987.2201 or avelez@georgian.edu. Registration forms and detailed course listings are available online at www.georgian.edu/mcauley, and online registration is available at alumni.georgian.edu/mill.

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