Meet our team of healing professionals & specialists
Meet Our Specialists
Explore our experienced team of specialists.
To book an appointment, contact the specialist directly. Preferred contact info is provided below.
For general questions about The Healing Cottage, email us at thehealingcottagenc@gmail.com.
Dr. Nikki White, MS, DC
Chiropractor & Masters of Nutrition
Dr. Nicole White graduated from Parker University with a Doctorate in Chiropractic Medicine. She has a Masters of Nutrition from Washington State University and is certified in Applied Kinesiology. Dr. White's passion for family health and nutrition has led to practice Chiropractic Medicine in New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida and North Carolina. Additionally she is published as the primary author in the medical journal Lipids.
Whether you’re concerned about weight loss or acne, Dr. White is committed to getting to the root of the problem, not just diagnose symptoms. With a genuine love for health and wellness, Dr. White addresses the big picture, taking on all aspects to help her clients look and feel better, helping the body heal.
Laura Bass
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Laura Bass is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has practiced individual, couple and family counseling for adults for thirty-three years. She specializes in couple therapy, infidelity, depression, anxiety disorders, adjustment reactions, midlife issues, grief, life transitions, shame, trauma and chronic illness. Laura has a special interest in and training for working on all levels: mind/body/spirit/energy to promote emotional wellness.
Laura earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina in 1985. Over the years, Laura has trained in many modalities. She uses traditional therapeutic techniques along with complementary techniques to enhance mental, physical, and spiritual wellness. In addition to ongoing continuing education in psychotherapy, she attended classes in Spiritual Direction at the Haden Institute with an Episcopal priest and became an Ordained Minister in the Alliance of Divine Love. Laura completed three levels of Reiki attunement and additionally took classes in Incan Peruvian energy work from Shaman who spent time in the western NC mountains. Laura was mentored in clearing blockages and balancing chakras by a Shaman trained by the Four Winds School. She is certified in the Emotion Code, which is a healing modality helpful to humans and animals.
Since the pandemic, Laura has practiced virtually. In April 2024, she will also have in person sessions when she is also joining A Healing Cottage in Columbus NC. She is on several insurance panels including BCBS, Anthem BCBS, Aetna, Magellan, Carelon, CBHA, and Medicare.
Laura is looking forward to working with the team at The Healing Cottage.
Cassandra Cantrell
Medical Massage Therapist
Cassandra is not your typical Massage Therapist. She holds advanced degrees in Biology, a Pilates certification, Yoga Certification and is a credentialed Medical Massage Therapist. She specializes in a variety of treatment options with your optimal wellbeing in mind. She’s available by appointment so give us a call at 828-305-0644 to schedule your wellness session with her - “Come heal the difference”
Danielle Chappell
Certified Yoga Instructor RYT 200
Dragonfly Moon Yoga
Danielle has been immersed in the world of yoga for as long as she can remember. She began her practice as a child alongside her mother, explored it as a teenager, and then delved deeply during her 20s and 30s. In 2023, Danielle formalized her dedication to yoga by completing her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) with Tish Hilyer at YAM, Yoga and Massage Studio, specializing in gentle flow, Yin, and restorative yoga.
Danielle's teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of breath (pranayama) as a core component of her classes. Pranayama, which means life force energy and stretching in Sanskrit, is central to her belief that yoga asana (postures) and breath work are powerful meditative techniques that provide a pathway to inner peace and physical well-being.
Her classes offer a gentle yet effective blend of flow and restorative practices, focusing on alignment, breath, and mindfulness. Danielle enjoys incorporating music, humor, and authenticity to create a joyful and immersive spiritual experience for her students. Her warm, approachable, and supportive teaching style makes her classes accessible to practitioners of all levels, from beginners to advanced students.
Beyond teaching yoga, Danielle creates and manages retreats for heart-centered entrepreneurs, providing immersive experiences that help others deepen their spiritual paths and connect with a like-minded community. She is also the owner of a nanny and babysitting service, a loving wife, and a mother to two amazing young men. Committed to lifelong learning, she continually enhances her knowledge through advanced training and personal practice.
When she’s not on the mat, Danielle enjoys spending time in nature with her husband and family, paddleboarding, hiking, gardening, traveling, dancing, meditating, reading, and preparing healthy, nourishing meals for her loved ones. She is dedicated to living a consciously evolving life and strives to inspire her students to do the same.
Sarah Lee
Community Herbalist
My name is Sarah. I am a Western North Carolina native currently residing in Tryon, NC. I have worked as a registered nurse for 15 years. For the last decade I have been working in a skilled home health setting with a strong focus on wound care and teaching patients how to maintain optimal skin integrity. In addition to nursing, I have long had a passion for mother nature and the plant medicine she provides! At 18 years old I began independently studying herbalism and making folk remedies for friends and family. In November of this past year I saw a lifelong dream come to fruition when I graduated from the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine under the tutelage of Corey Pine Shane. Now at 42 years old, with my children nearly grown and more independent, I have pulled from my years of nursing care, folk medicine, and herbalism to create a line of skin care products to support people of all ages in having radiant, healthy skin! My products are made with high quality ingredients with a focus on organic production and sustainability. When I am not making “potions” or caring for patients, you can find me wandering the woods taking pictures of plants or with friends and family playing my banjo!
Joy Kerry Mertlick
Sacred Tea Ceremonialist
Joy Kerry serves Living Tea in the Taoist tradition to all those who are called to sit in the present moment and be open to what is revealed from their Highest Self.
Joy Kerry started serving Living Tea in 2018 after and with a continuous self practice for the last 10 years. Joy’s loving presence, extensive Buddhist & Shamanic studies allows her to connect to the hearts of her clients and guide them to the peaceful essence that lies within us all. From this calm state of being the True Self emerges and one may experience a deeper connection to Source, God, Truth and Unconditional Love.
Joy Kerry offers a sacred safe container to go deep inside the self and move beyond old patterns, paradigms and programs. Joy helps to awaken the Shakti fire within to empower each person to embody one’s full potential.
By focusing on awakening the heart and gently guiding the mind with loving awareness, Joy Kerry has helped 100’s of people move beyond struggling and into a reality to see life as an endless opportunity to grow and evolve releasing the densities that confine us into a more light hearted way of being.
Joy Kerry enjoys waking up in gratitude for life and meditating before the sun rises. She feels nourished by her personal yoga practice and ecstatic dancing. She gathers with Soul family every Wednesday to shake her rattle & sing devotional Medicine Songs in English, Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese and Sanskrit. The forests, mountains, rivers, waterfalls and meadows are a sanctuary that Joy Kerry is endlessly grateful for. She has explored over 30 countries, continues to be curious and sees herself experiencing many more cultures and ways of living this glorious life as a Spirit in a Human body.