Adding Somatophysiolgical Bodywork into your existing healthcare practice
This training gives introductory level touch based training to be able to add on basic level hands on therapy work into your current healthcare practice. This training is suitable for practitioners such midwives, lactation consultants, and speech pathologists who wish to be able to better evaluate the role of somatic dysfunction in the clients and patients that they already see. This gives them basic examination principles and skills and help them better screen their existing patients (babies, pregnant mums to be, clients with speech or swallowing difficulties for example). Some basic hands on therapy approaches will be covered, but the aim is more to be able to better evaluate those whom would benefit from referral to a bodywork specialist.
Entry Level Certificate in Somatophysiological Bodywork
This certification is an entry level bodywork qualification, designed to give people a qualification to begin a career in bodywork.
This certification does not give diagnostic skills but focuses on a critical appreciation of the role of gentle bodywork approaches that aim to work with the biomechanical, postural, physiological and homeostatic mechanisms of the body. This approach aims to enhance a person's self-regulatory and self-healing capacity, and support their movement, function and well being.
The certification introduces anatomy, physiology, biomechanics and health-and-disease models. It delivers training in hands on body work such as basic massage, basic stretch and gentle mobilisations of the body joints and areas. It includes training in aims and objectives of the bodywork, the limits of health interventions for basic bodywork, red flag and other important clinical signs meaning clients should be encouraged to seek alterative care from more qualified health professionals or general medical practitioners. It includes concepts of touch, healing and body awareness. It discusses important aspects of body sensitivity, consenting for touch and bodywork, and how to appreciate and work within a range of boundaries relevant to bodywork. It covers a range of basic health and safety considerations relevant to bodywork practice.
This course does not include spinal or articulatory manipulation.
This certification is still in development.
Certificate in Applied Somatophysiological Bodywork
This certification is for healthcare practitioners and bodyworkers that wish to gain knowledge and skills in the practice of hands on care for systemic health, wellness and functional visceral complaints and problems.
This certification does not give medical diagnostic skills but focuses on a critical appreciation of the role of gentle bodywork approaches that aim to work with the physiological and homeostatic mechanisms of the body. This approach aims to enhance a person's self-regulatory and self-healing capacity. The certification aims to illustrate where hands on care may support the management of, and may be able to offer short term or symptomatic relief of, some disorders and associated symptoms. It is focused on illustrating how somatic tissues and somatic bodywork can interact with the body's physiology, thereby interacting with a personal health, mental and spiritual well-being.
The certification introduces concepts of self-regulation and self-healing and discusses a range of hands on 'techniques' that are commonly applied to the bodies somatic and other tissues (viscera, nerves, vessels and fascias). Technique approaches include visceral and involuntary mechanics and craniosacral theories, functional and unwinding approaches, balancing and mobilising approaches.
There are two levels available - level one and level two. Level one introduces these dynamics and level two contextualises them in a variety of systemic / health presentations where competence, role boundaries and limitations to the approaches, risks and cautions are reviewed.
This certification in applied somatophysiological bodywork is open to a range of bodyworkers such as massage therapists, sport medicine practitioners, physiotherapists, Bowen therapists who already have a degree of hands on skills and are already a member of a form of healthcare practitioner register (either statutory or voluntary). It is designed as a continuing education certification for existing practitioners.
The level one certification is a 6 day training programme, supported by online resources.
The level two certification is a 6 day training programme, supported by online resources.
Level one and level two enables practitioners to begin working in a wider healthcare context, beyond general musculoskeletal and orthopaedics or sports medicine manual therapy practice.
Where practitioners already hold a qualification that enables them to perform a regulated healthcare role such as an osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor, those practitioners can add the somatophysiological work into their current healthcare scope of practice.
Manual therapists and bodyworkers without such a primary health care qualification will not not gain the same scope of practice through this certification, but instead will be able to offer support and complementary care in certain clinical presentations.
Please note that specialities such as women's and men's health, paediatrics, systemic and visceral care, and autoimmune and metabolic conditions care may require practitioners to undertake additional training in order to ensure competence in a particular regulated scope of practice.
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