Excellent CEU Courses

[Texas-gal]

Hi.

I'd like to start this thread for people to put down any courses they have taken that have been "excellent" or "outstanding".

I have taken some good classes, but I can't say I have had one yet that was above and beyond what I expected.

Do you have one you can recommend?

If so, please list the name of the class, a web-site, phone number, place where you took it and possibly the instructors name.

I am sure we can all benefit from this!

[melb]

Excellent course - LaStone Therapy Original Body.  Website: www.lastonetherapy.com<br>Instructor: Tonya Bucinell<br>Where:  I took the class in Sydney, Australia, but they're obviously easier to attend in US<br><br>Outstanding course - Marma Point Massage and Shirodhara<br>Instructor Melanie Sachs<br>Website: Diamond Way Ayurveda<br>Where:  I did the class in Sydney, Australia, agian but they are in the US <br>The website doesn't seem to have the course I did in 1999, but there are similar ones there.<br><br>Excellent course - ka huna bodywork<br>Website: www.mettesinstitute.com.au<br>Where: Queensland, Australia.   Tax deductible trip to Australia?<br>Instructor: Mette<br>Ka Huna bodywork is what lomi lomi is usually called in Australia.  The courses are run as live-in retreats, vegetarian food, bunk dorms, yoga in the morning, all a bit hippie dippy but wonderful none the less.  Worth it just for the holiday aspect.<br>With prior massage experience, you will pick it up quickly, and be able to do a full body massage after Level I&II.  Level III polishes it off and intoroduces the energetic side of it a bit more.  The higher levels get into the energetic/spiritual side more.<br>The course participants are usually a very mixed bunch, most with no bodywork background.  Level I is learning the dance, so everyone is starting from scratch in that area After that you might find the limited bodywork experience of other participants slows things down a bit, but in the beautiful surrounds, it isn't that much of a concern

[kat]

Although it did not have so much to do with the hands on aspect of massage therapy this seminar in New York offered by OMEGA was exceptional in every way. Seeing Carolin Myss, Debbie Ford, Don Miguel Ruiz, Bran Weiss, Anna Quindlen, Robert Kennedy JR, Martha Beck, Michael Moore, and Christopher Reeves speak about life, choice and the role fear plays. This allowed me to relate the issues to my own life and perhaps inspire some of my patients to take control. All of this while earning CEU's, who would have thought?
Fear, anger, sadness all play a role in our body. As someone who has been in the field for 10 years I tend to focus my practice on the medical aspect but cannot deny that a patient with unresolved emotions will never fully recover from their symptoms.
KAT
'in life we need to stop complaining and start doing...if not us, then who?'

[Rubmyster]

I would recommend classes taught by the Upledger Institute. I have take several at Esalen in Big Sur, CA-it's one hour south from my home.
I have taken Cranial Sacral, SomatoEmotional Release, and Lymph Drainage. All the instructors were exceptional, professional and very well prepared. I love going to Esalen, the food, baths, lack of technology and Big Sur coast make it a wonderful retreat.
There's my 2 cents.
PS-I'm looking forward to Whitney Lowe's Orthopedic Massage Classes in San Fran in 2006.
Kind regards,
Rubmyster,
aka Jody

[berkana]

Ahhh Esalen.... The top of my wish list for CEU's...

Just wanted to put in a good word for Whitney Lowe's Orthopedic Massage classes. I have only taken one so far, but am eagerly waiting for the other two to 'come round again. By far the best cont. ed class I have taken to date. Great info & presentation.

[MassageMaven]

Esalen

Deep Tissue with Perry & Johanna Holloman.

www.esalen.org

Excellent stuff to be learned and when you are not learning from them hang out at the baths and watch the staff massage therapists at work for more techniques!

[OmGrl]

I loved taking AHH...Shiatsu with Michelle Mace. Michelle is an awesome instructor and she makes learning fun. You may contact Michelle at www.my2feet.com.

[Texas-gal]

http://massageschoolsantamonica.com/

From: hands4health

I use to regard Swedish as something "not" as important for a better lack of words until I took a class in Santa Monica given by an instructor who is been in the business a very long time and quite well known.

This was not the regular Swedish Massage course but a one day specialty class that went way beyond anything I learned in the full course. By the way, this instructor came from Canada and his Swedish Massage course was 2000 hours long at least 20 or more years ago.

I learned more about Swedish or "circulatory massage" that I every thought possible. When done correctly the system respondsand releases muscles and tension more deeply than you can imagine. I was lucky to have been the model in one of these classes (given only 2 times per year) and saw for myself what happened. Again there is a specific technique which allows the body to do this with very valid reasons behind it utilizing the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.

I have very shallow breath and my diaphragm is very tight. During this session I starting having deep breaths that I had never experienced before It just released as my body needed it. It all came from the nervous system response.

This instructor also teaches structural bodywork classes that people wait in line for yet he gives as much credit to the "circulatory massage" as he does the "structural" bodywork. He also does not combine the two as he uses the table high for that and low for deep work as the body is used differently.

When he give the "swedish" massage you don't know what hit you. You feel relaxed and amazing at the same time. I am still working on this and will travel from Las Vegas back to California to take the class again in June when it comes around. I have taken it twice and learn more each time.

I experimented with this after I took the class when visiting friends in New Jersey for a wedding and there were at least 8 people there waiting for me to arrive from California and massage them for the wedding. I just sensed which of them needed one and which ones need the other. One of them who got the "circulatory" was a frequent weightlifter and always in pain. He felt wonderful after. I gave his mom mostly deep work and she must weigh 95 lbs and is very tiny yet I sensed she needed that. Everyone there said the massage was the best they ever had yet I don't think any two of them got the same thing. By the way everyone there asked for the usual "deep tissue".

I hope this helps as I am very thankful that this insight was given to me. Also teaches you not to use thumbs in the "circulatory massage" and the pressure can be light = medium- or deep as needed by the client.

His name is Garnet Dupuis and he lives in the Santa Monica Area. He used to teach full time and now gives the school 2 days of his "No Thumbs Circulatory" one day class concentrating on the back and head/neck and twice a year he give a class (50 hours each) on Structural Integration (upper and lower body respectively). I have even seen instructors with 15 years experience in his classes.

Bodywork emporium even has one of their massage lotions that I use named after him. It is called Garnet's Aloe Vera Moisturizer.

You can go online and see what the school offers at

http://massageschoolsantamonica.com/

Here is a blurb on Garnet:

Garnet Dupuis, B.A., graduate of Canadian College of Massage & Hydrotherapy and University of Windsor, Canada; professional & teaching experience Middle East, India, Japan, Korea, Ecuador, Canada, USA; past Director Int’l Sportsmedicine Inst. and Chinese Life Force Inst.; co-founder Burke William Spa.

I just found out that his next "No Thumbs" class is the weekend of my husband's birthday on June 5th so I will be staying in Las Vegas. I was planning to attend the class. Luckily my daughter still lives in Santa Monica so I can travel easily by car and attend classes there when needed.

He is a great instructor, fun and full of information, I could listen and watch him all day long.

Thanks,
Barbara

[Texas-gal]

Dry Room Treatments by Biotone
http://www.biotone.com/Page.bok?file=news.html

Hello all,

If your in search of treatments to use in a dry room setting. I took the Biotone class this summer in Dallas and it was awesome! I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning spa treatments in a dry room setting. We did every thing from salt scrubs, to aromatherapy wraps, to herbal wraps to spa foot treatments. It was a two day class and I highly recommend it. What I have learned this has been working for me in the dry room setting. I'm getting ready to open my own massage and day spa in little rock, AR and plan on expanding what I learned from the class. <snip>

[Blisss]

Lymph Drainage Therapy developed by Bruno Chikly, MD
Truly phenomenal work. I avoided taking this training for years because I didn't think it would integrate well with massage, and I wasn't sure there was enough market demand to warrant the cost of training. Well, it turns out LDT is very easy to incorporate with massage. In a nutshell, LDT increases lymphatic flow through the body, preparing tissues for work. This means results are easier to achieve and deep tissue therapy is less painful for the client. Simultaneously, LDT boosts the body's ability to heal itself. It's great for people, and even 10 minutes of this technique is very powerful. Upledger's program combines scientific research with intuitive techniques. I highly recommend it! My instructor was Molly Clark, and she was fabulous.
http://www.iahe.com/controller/IaheCour ... eCode=LDTO

OrthoMassage by James Waslaski
James is a dynamic presenter and an experienced therapist. He teaches nationwide. His focus is medical massage and he has developed a protocol that includes trigger point therapy, myofascial work, PNF stretching, Active Isolated Stretching, Joint Release and Home Care. My only warning is that he's also a good salesman and sells DVD's, Videos, Computer Software, Lubricant, the Body Cushion and a special Massage Table throughout the training session. If you can ignore the sales pitches, the rest of the training is superb. Here's his website: http://www.orthomassage.net/

Orthobionomy
This is an amazing technique that I absolutely love. It focuses on joints instead of muscles, allowing them to release and realign themselves. It's an excellent complement to massage therapy. My instructor was Darlene Smith, who teaches in Nebraska and surrounding states. She's awesome! Here's the nationwide website: http://www.ortho-bionomy.org/

[Giri]

Greetings All,

If you are in Florida or willing to travel I whole heartedly recommend Florida School of Massage in Gainesville, FL (http://www.floridaschoolofmassage.com/) for your continuing education needs. Their staff, facilities and methods are second to none and their approach to bodywork and any related subject matter always results in a deeper, more profound experience than expected. I will be traveling from Prague this coming Spring for some CEUs. See you there perhaps...
Namaste, Gary

[lomilomigirl]

I am a Native Hawaiian girl and have recentely taken Lomilomi from Alice Belusko, www.hawaiiantherapies.com in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. This woman is the real deal when it comes to teaching lomi. She teaches Auntie Margaret's style of lomi, not temple style. The draping is very modest and comfortable for both therapist and client.

You can get all the info. on her website. She will not only teach you a new modality that you will absolutely love, but she will teach you how to save your career from the aches and pains of doing massage.

Auntie Margaret is the pioneer of lomi and this is who Alice learned and got permission to teach from. Keep in mind, Auntie did massage well in to her 80's. I work in a high end spa in Vegas and since taking Alice's class I can easily get through the day of sometimes 6-8 massages easily and pain free. I would highly recommend this class to anyone, but especially female therapists!

If I could travel to the opposite end of the US to learn a modality taught in my native land and feel the spirit of my people there...she is truly the real deal!!

Aloha!

[cy]

Class: Clinical Thai Bodywork I
Instructor: Chuck Duff
Location: The Thai Massage School at Thai Bodywork, Evanston, IL
Website: http://www.thaimassageschool.net/

I am both a LMT and Certified Thai Pracititioner, and this was a great class for me because Chuck did an exceptional job combining elements of both into a comprehensive clinical treatment protocol. I own two of his instructional dvd's as well, which are very well done. I highly recommend him as an instructor for all levels of Thai Massage.

[Lotus Palm]

Hi all, new on this board.

I'm a Thai Massage practitioner at the Lotus Palm School in Montreal, and I studied there as well. Their hands-on courses are *outstanding*, so I joined here because I had to say it.

Their 5-day intensive courses are recognized for CEU's by major associations, for example the NCBTMB (37.5 hrs). Many students who come to Lotus Palm are either massage therapists looking to add a new modality to their repertoire and/or who need to fulfil CEU requirements, and yoga teachers who want to perfect their assisting. The Lotus Palm Method emphasizes proper technique to avoid injury, and consists of structured, flowing sequences. Their courses are held in Montreal and all over North America.

For those who wonder what Thai massage looks like, there are videos in their website's online library.

I have been practicing Thai massage for nearly a year and am still pursuing my studies. My clients' most common reaction - I kid you not - is "Wow". The 2nd most common is "I feel 2 inches taller". I actually love giving more than receiving, because afterwards I feel calm, centered, and focused - just like after a yoga session.

I also assist and translate some courses, so I've seen class after class of students pass through our school, and it's amazing to watch them go from knowing very little about Thai massage except that it's kind of like yoga, to performing a dance-like sequence after just a few days of study.

Ok, that's it, I'll keep it brief. Feel free to contact me if you want to know anything about the school or Thai massage in general. I love Thai massage, I'm thankful every day that I discovered it and left the corporate world far behind.

Metta y'all.

[rtallman]

I take lot's of workshops - this workshop has been my favorite so far. Excellent presentations, demos, protocols taught, and... cupping is an outstanding therapy. Using negative pressure massage has done a world of good for my practice and my clients absolutely crave it. As well, the equipment you can get through the workshop is the best quality I have found - they even have a new facial cupping set which I ordered this week - can't wait to get them!

The website is www.massagecupping-nw.com. The site is very informative.

For those of you in California they will be in San Francisco and LA in April. Take this workshop - you will be very glad you did.

[omed]

Just came back from Vivian Madison-Mahoney's seminar on insurance billing for massage. Excellent information. Have taken David Luther's seminar three years ago and I would rate Vivian's as the best.
While she educates you about the whole process of insurance billing, her focus is preventing delays, denials and loss. This is the biggest problem with doing insurance billing. Not only was the information excellent, the personal attention was great. She actually had handouts for us depending on what state we practice in!
I do insurance billing, but this was a great refresher. I also learned about some legal things that I was not aware of, as well as some things that I could charge for that I wasn't aware of, such as copies of medical records to lawyers.

[moogie]

Just came back from Vivian Madison-Mahoney's seminar on insurance billing for massage.

I took Vivian's seminar 12 yrs ago and I agree that her's is excellent! I'm glad to hear that she's still teaching.

Angie

[Anastasia]

AOBT classes.
Hands down - BEST classes I ever took (I took all 4). Well organized, knowledgeable instructors, attention to detail, personal attention, accountability, good material, small class size, taking their time to teach people. We even had "guest clients" to practice on - the only time I have seen it in a CEU class. You leave knowing what you are doing. I have nothing but good things to say about the workshops.

Upledger CranioSacral was good and I liked the instructor but I had a problem with the class size - too big.

[rtallman]

I would like to recommend the Cupping Therapy Class from this source - www.cuppingtherapy.org. I initially took the Massage Cupping class, which is now called Contemporary Methods and then about a year later took the Western Traditions. I was checking out their website for next years classes and they have some new cupping classes - Sports Cupping, Orthopedic Cupping, Biomagnetic Cupping and a Faceworks class (no info available on that one tho)... if these classes are anything like the other 2 I took they will be fantastic.

AMTA cover Cupping as well and I use it consistently throughout my treatments.

Renee

[bprofessional]

I took BIOTONE's Spa Workshop for dry room and enjoyed it so much that I also took their Sports Workshop. I think they're offering those classes this year again as well as a new workshop called Posture & Pain. You get 16 CE Hours through NCBTMB.

[CourseHorse]

I would like to recommend a very good course in the Cincinnati, Ohio area offered by Nita-Rose. Kahuna Lomi Lomi is an amazing experience and I would recommend this course to all practitioners. I am a recent attendee and I want to help Nita-Rose spread the word of this life changing course. NCBTMB offers 32 CE credits for this course.

Here is her web-site:

http://www.nitarosemassage.com

[JasonE]

Active Isolated Stretching: The Mattes Method

This is a 32 CE Hour course taught by Aaron Mattes, inventor of Active Isolated Stretching. The volume of information he teaches in four days is astounding, and immediately applicable in practice. I was trained by Aaron, and it was an amazing adventure! Subsequent experiences with him have also been great and as amusing as they are educational. He's got a great teaching style, a droll sense of humor, and unbelievable clinical skills and experience. Aaron Mattes is contemplating retirement, so hurry and attend one of his classes while you still can!!

NOTE: For those experienced with AIS, Aaron will also be offering some Advanced Active Isolated Stretching classes. E-mail info@stretchingusa.com for more info.

[riversinger]

I second Jason on Active Isolated Stretching with Aaron Mattes: he is such a great teacher with so much knowledge & dedication that it's more than worth the time & money to take his classes. It will be a major loss to the field of bodywork when he retires!

And Jason, if you happen to know who, if anyone, he may be thinking of taking over for him as a teacher please let me & the rest of us know!

[pueppi]

I was fortunate to take the Pilates for Massage Therapists CEU class in Houston over the summer.

I can say that it truly was an excellent CE class, but would be well worth it, even if you didn't go for the CEU's. You'll learn a LOT and it's worth the travel!

Our instructors Dana and Shannon were passionate about their work. I especially appreciated the way both walked around our small class of 6, making physical hand contact to show us how to hold certain positions. Just that small gesture makes a world of difference in a pilates class. You can think you are doing the move properly, only to find out that how it looks is NOT how you're doing it.

They were also very considerate as to making one feel like part of the class, even when someone was unable to participate. Basically saying, a few times I had to stop, because it really is strenuous (esp. after two days of 5 hour pilates physical segments!). I never felt like I was rushed to get back on pace and was allowed to catch my breath and rest as needed.

The dance studio they rented was exceptionally clean and roomy with plenty of mirrors. Yoga mats, balls and Fletcher towels were provided.

What did I learn? Well, I learned the basic concepts of pilates and I learned how to explain it to my clients, along with understanding why and when I would want to refer someone. I found a good school in my area to be able to refer to, and I found out that there are multiple methods of pilates... just like any other field. Why I didn't realize that before, is beyond me!

I learned that it takes a minimum of 6 (one hour) classes, and that the instructor is definitely important. It makes sense to spend money on a good instructor (just like spending money on a good MT) instead of just hiring the cheapest. Sometimes the cheapest will be excellent. But as with most things in life... you get what you pay for. Again, why I didn't consider that concept regarding pilates is beyond me!

The instructors also taught us a regimen specifically for MT's in order to help strengthen imbalances and gave excellent handouts that could be followed at home or in the office -- post-CEU class time.

Oh, yeah! And, those core exercises that look like you surely couldn't be doing "squat".... can kick your rear when done right.

And, for anyone who doesn't like to do a group class, they offer Private CE instruction.

I hope that helps someone else out there.

[FredF]

I usually do most of my CEU's with home study. It's sooooo much more conveniant that having to schedule time and travel to a class. I use the Institute For Integrative Healthcare Studies. They have a TON of course options and good customer service.

Integrative-Healthcare.org