Don Dillon, RMT is the author of Better Business Agreements and Charting Skills for Massage Therapists.  Over 60 of his articles have been published in industry publications including Massage Therapy Canada, Massage Therapy Today, AMTA Journal, AMTWP Connections, Massage Magazine on-line and various massage school and professional association newsletters.

Don has presented to the Massage Therapist Association of Alberta (MTAA), the Association of Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners (AMTWP), the Massage Therapist Association of Saskatchewan (MTAS), the Massage Therapist Association of Manitoba (MTAM), the Massage Therapy Association of Nova Scotia (MTANS) and the Association of Massage Therapists of New Brunswick (ANBMT).  He has also presented to pre-graduates of the Atlantic College of Therapeutic Massage in Fredericton, NB.

Don also co-presented “Take Another Look at Auto Insurance and WSIB” with Dennis Giesbrecht and Kelly Ould on behalf of the OMTA and “Charting Skills: Time Efficient and Detail Effective” at the Ontario College of Health and Technology.  Don has been a three-time presenter at the Ontario Massage Therapist Association’s (OMTA) Hands Together conference. 

Don received the OMTA's President's Award of Merit in 2000 and the Hand of Thanks Award in 2002 and 2006.  He served on the OMTA board from 1993 to 1997. During this time, he represented the OMTA in the auto insurance fee negotiations, and drafted the original OMTA brochures targeted to auto insurance adjusters and health care professionals.

In conjunction with Eric Brown, Scott Dartnall, Melanie Hayden and Jim Smyth, Don initiated an internet radio program to bring experts and issues in the field to massage therapists & bodyworkers.

Massage Therapy Radio has recorded over 100 interviews and remains a tremendous opportunity to disrupt the isolation commonly felt by practitioners.

Don has assisted the Investigations and Complaints committee of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) in cases involving record-keeping.  He has also served as a case assessor for auto-insurance cases for the Designated Assessment Centre (DAC) in Niagara for three years.

Practice

Don graduated from Sutherland-Chan School and Teaching Clinic in June 1991 and was registered as an active member with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario by July 1991.  He worked in chiropractic, spa and medical clinic environments before opening his own clinic in a fitness club called Bodymax in St. Catharines, Ontario.  After 14 years at Bodymax, Don has recently moved his practice in-house to be more available to his family, and to cultivate MTCoach content.

Don's technical training includes:

• Active Release Techniques – Upper Extremity (certified provider)

• Active Release Techniques – Spine (certified provider)

• Neuromuscular Therapy - Cervical Stabilization and Atlas/Axis Mobilization

• Neuromuscular Therapy - Cervical Injuries, Postural Analysis & Pelvic Stabilization

• Neuromuscular Therapy - Visceral Massage & Structural Balance

• Neuromuscular Therapy - TMJ Dysfunction, Hands, Feet & Eyes

• Neuromuscular Therapy - Cranial Decompression & Scoliosis

• Neuromuscular Therapy - Pain Mechanisms of the Low Back

• Neuromuscular Therapy - Shoulder, Upper Torso, Spinal Column & Extremities

• Muscle Energy Technique – levels one and two

• Visceral Manipulation – Levels 1 and 2

• Cranio-sacral Therapy - Levels 1 and 2

• Somato-Emotional Release Leve 1

• Fascial Mobilization

• On-Site Chair Massage (David Palmer)

Previous Professional Life

Prior to becoming a massage therapist, Don was the assistant manager and a fitness program coordinator for a fitness club in Toronto.  This is where his interest and knowledge of anatomy, physiology and rehabilitation first developed.

Prior to his tenure in the fitness industry, Don attended Centennial College in Toronto, completing courses in marketing, accounting, business math, economics, data processing, and organizational behaviour.  Don worked briefly in the data processing field, but preferred a one-to-one connection with people.  He left that industry after a few years to enter the fitness industry, which eventually led him to the massage therapy industry.

Don lives in the Niagara region with his wife Cheryl and their children Gabriel and Noah.