Acupressure Therapy Institute (ATI) Faculty and Administration

Lauren Paap, MAOM, L.Ac., Dipl. Ac. & ABT (NCCAOM)®, AOBTA®-CP, CH
Program Director and Lead Instructor

Welcome to our community! We are delighted to have you join us.

You are embarking on a journey that has fundamentally changed the lives of those before you - in that the path of learning East Asian Medicine has transformed the way we see, feel and experience life itself.

The teachers at Acupressure Therapy Institute (and our sister organization, Eastern Medicinal Therapies Education Center) are some of the most elite practitioners and teachers of our profession.

You can expect to learn a wealth of information from all of us. We know that the path ahead will be filled with challenges, a heros’ journey of sorts - and we are invested in your success, both personally and professionally. We will deliver a high standard of education, and trust that if you equally invest in yourself, you reap the rewards. We want our students and graduates to be highly regarded, prosper and reflect well on our shared profession. We want you to thrive.

Wishing you great success, love and light. Lauren Paap

Professional Highlights: Lauren Paap Resume, IT LLC About, EMTEC Presenter Bio, LinkedIn.

Bill Helm, Senior Faculty and AOBTA®-Certified Instructor

An ordained Taoist Priest, Bill has been studying Chinese martial and healing arts since 1965 and is the Director of the renowned Taoist Sanctuary in San Diego. He specializes in Taijiquan, Tuina Chinese Bodywork, Qi Gong and Herbal Medicine.

Bill is a 20th generation Indoor Disciple of Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang, and holds a 6th Duan Wei from the Chinese Wushu Association. Bill has also studied with Taijiquan Master Chen Xiaoxing, Master Chen Zhiquang, Master Ren Guangyi and Master Chen Bing.

Bill travels periodically to Chen Village for focused practice of Chen Style Taijiquan. He studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in China at the Shanghai College of Medicine and the Beijing Olympic Training Center, and in the United States with Taoist Master Share K. Lew and Dr. Yu Da Fang. His college work was in comparative religion and psychology at the University of California at Riverside and San Diego State University where he received his B.S. in Psychology.

Bill is the Director of the Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego, and teaches Qi Gong, Tui Na, Tai Ji and Taoist philosophy at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM), Eastern Medicinal Therapies Education Center (EMTEC) and Acupressure Therapy Institute (ATI).

Professional Highlights: Tuina Methods, Taoist Sanctuary About, EMTEC Presenter Bio, LinkedIn.

Deborah Valentine Smith, B.A., L.M.T. (NY), AOBTA®-CI, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM)®
Faculty and AOBTA®-Certified Instructor

Deborah is an Asian Bodywork Therapy Certified Instructor with the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA®), Diplomate of Asian Bodywork Therapy through the NCCAOM®, a licensed massage therapist in New York, nationally certified and an approved provider with the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). She has been an Authorized Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure® Teacher since 1983 and has been teaching Integrated Anatomy & Physiology since 2000.

Program: Asian Bodywork Therapy (all tracks) Professional Training

Course: Anatomy and Physiology: Western Body, Eastern Mind 100-hrs
This is a 35-chapter, 100-hour online pre-recorded program that can be started at anytime and includes regular individual phone sessions with the instructor. For more information, and before registering, please refer to Class Descriptions, in the Academic Program Course Catalogue towards the bottom of this page.

To Register, Visit (On-line Course): Western Body, Eastern Mind: Integrated Anatomy & Physiology.

Professional Highlights: Senior Authorized Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure® Teacher, AOBTA® Certified Instructor, Website: Bodymind Treasures, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM)®, LinkedIn

Pamela Ellen Ferguson, , LMT (Texas), GSD-CI, Dipl. ABT (NCCAOM)®, AOBTA®-CI
Faculty and AOBTA®-Certified Instructor

Pam has pioneered Asian Bodywork Therapy workshops in hospitals and schools of nursing, and has also innovated graduate level training in Trauma and PTSD, Depression, Aids and HIV+, Women's Health/Men's Health, and Palliative Care.

She is also an award-winning instructor of continuing education workshops in Asian Bodywork Therapy, and the author of major textbooks in her field. As a survivor of metastatic breast cancer, Pam transformed her experiences into a video, Drawing Circles of exercises for postmastectomy, and into creative ways of working with cancer patients and their families.

Pam is certified as an instructor by the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia, and by the Shiatsu Society of Germany. She is also a Licensed Massage Therapist and approved Continuing Education Provider in Massage Therapy in the State of Texas.

She is the former Dean of Asian Bodywork Therapy at AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine, Austin, and also served on the national board of the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia as the first Director of the Council of Schools and Programs.

She is the Asian Bodywork Therapy columnist of the monthly Acupuncture Today, and has also published articles in Massage Today, The North American Journal of Oriental Medicine (NAJOM) and the online International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (IJTMB).

Program: Asian Bodywork Therapy (all tracks) Professional Training

Course: Ethics 13-hrs

Professional Highlights: Website: Pamela Ferguson

Brian Scott Kingsley, BS
Student Advisor

Brian serves as a student advisor for students who are seeking guidance navigating the rigors of academia. Described as a zen mountain, Brian is a beacon of calm and clarity. Winning student contests, academic scholarships and born into a family of teachers, Brian has a natural fortitude for academia. With a background in IT he can help navigate most challenges.

Brian’s professional training includes a B.S. Computer Science from Syracuse University. He is also a Certified Integrative Life Coach with a Certificate in Integrative Hypnosis from The Center for Integrative Hypnosis, received a Chakras and the Energy Body Certificate with Anodea Judith at Kripalu and completed a 57 week training through the ChakraSchool.

Program: Asian Bodywork Therapy (all tracks) Professional Training

Professional Highlights: LinkedIn.