First Institute Offering Healing Careers

First Institute’s Healing Arts Center in creates options for graduating high school students or anyone looking for a new career.

The massage therapy program certifies students in therapeutic massage.Certification from an accredited program is required to become a licensed massage therapist in the state of Illinois. 

The classes are small, affording students personal attention in the large massage therapy classroom. Four individual massage therapy rooms are on the site to accommodate clients. 

The clinic is set up like a spa—with a reception area in the front and a receptionist’s station. Classrooms, a small cafeteria and therapy rooms are in the back. 

In addition to classroom instruction and physical training, students offer massage therapy to the public at the clinic along with licensed therapists who graduated from the program and work as independent contractors there. 

After becoming licensed, graduates work on their own or in spas, salons, chiropractors’ offices or other settings, Dr. Shannon Gilmore, manager and instructor at the massage clinic, said.

“It’s a very solid program,” she said. 

The healing arts center offers two to three certificate programs annually and is a popular program, said Rebecca Kostelny, associate executive director of First Institute. 

also offers certificate programs in medical and dental assisting, with some of the classrooms split between its home office location at 790 McHenry Ave. and others held at the healing arts center at 755 McHenry Ave. Presently there are about 150 students in the programs, and both students and staff have been growing at a steady clip for the past three years. 

Kostelny said the donation initiative is supported by First Institute and while the massage clinic is always involved with contributions, the other programs also contribute with food drive programs and other events. 

First Institute was founded in 1982 with travel industry training programs. It grew from that into computer technologies and eventually into the three health care programs it is known for today and is nationally accredited. 

First Institute offers job placement assistance for students, which Kostelny said has been very successful. 

“Seven out of every 10 students on average get jobs,” she said.

Click here to read about First Institute's support of the Sept. 11 anniversary.