Continuing Professional Development – for qualified massage therapists

You’ve qualified, now what? Keep going! The Sheffield Centre for Massage Training offers a range of professional courses to help qualified massage therapists develop their practice.

Cha - footi in Norfolk

Sat 04 Sep 2021 - Sun 05 Sep 2021, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Book here


Chavutti Thirumal, literally means “foot pressure” in the Malayalam language. It’s a traditional Indian massage technique using the practitioners’ own feet and was developed by the Kalari Martial Artists of Kerala India (Kalaripayattu). Chavutti is thought to be about two thousand years old.

Now to the present day! SCMT has created a modern, westernised approach to this versatile massage called Cha – footi. Fusing the traditional with the need to reframe our massage practice since the recent Covid reign. Cha – footi is perfect as it uses the practitioner’s feet instead of hands and it distances the essential facial area from ourselves and the client; there is at least a metre distance during some of the Cha – footi practice. Traditionally hanging on a rope, we will utilise chairs to aid our balance to give Cha – footi.

NB: This is a two day course on Saturday & Sunday. Why not combine with a long weekend ie Friday to Monday and SCMT can arrange accommodation close to the venue at a small extra cost.

Are you looking for an additional skill that gives you distance from your client and at the same time connects you both in the soulful and emotional way you have grown accustomed to?

Cha – footi is a brand new approach and provides you with a safe, hands free alternative as we adjust to the new normal of professional massage.

The course will include:

• Standing & sitting techniques using your own feet – use of two chairs for balance, the practitioner uses their own feet as if they were hands. In the seated, clothed approach, the practitioner is seated on a chair and uses their own feet ie heels & toes as if they were hands.
• Benefits of Cha – footi to the practitioner and to the client
• Equipment required for Cha – footi
• History, philosophy theory & film footage from India
• Contraindications & warnings and when not to Cha – footi
• Review of anatomy as well as exploration of the tools used in Cha – footi
• Clothed and unclothed Cha – footi
• Self care – limbering up exercises and post massage considerations
• How to use your body well during Cha – footi
• Your foot preparation, care & hygiene

NB: We do not teach walking on the back techniques using the whole of your body weight, as these are deemed to be unsafe by our insurers.





Cha - footi in Norfolk

Sat 04 Sep 2021 - Sun 05 Sep 2021, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
More info


Cha – footi is a brand new approach and provides you with a safe, hands free alternative as we adjust to the new normal of professional massage. Why not combine this course with a long weekend away in beautiful surroundings.





Cha - footi in Sheffield

Sun 12 Sep 2021 - Mon 13 Sep 2021, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Book here


Chavutti Thirumal, literally means “foot pressure” in the Malayalam language. It’s a traditional Indian massage technique using the practitioners’ own feet and was developed by the Kalari Martial Artists of Kerala India (Kalaripayattu). Chavutti is thought to be about two thousand years old.

Now to the present day! SCMT has created a modern, westernised approach to this versatile massage called Cha – footi. Fusing the traditional with the need to reframe our massage practice since the recent Covid reign. Cha – footi is perfect as it uses the practitioner’s feet instead of hands and it distances the essential facial area from ourselves and the client; there is at least a metre distance during some of the Cha – footi practice.

NB: This is a two day course spanning Sunday & Monday (you may have to book time off work).

Are you looking for an additional skill that gives you distance from your client and at the same time connects you both in the soulful and emotional way you have grown accustomed to?

Cha – footi is a brand new approach and provides you with a safe, hands free alternative as we adjust to the new normal of professional massage. Traditionally hanging on a rope, we will utilise chairs to aid our balance to give Cha – footi.

The course will include:

• Standing & sitting techniques using your own feet – use of two chairs for balance, the practitioner uses their own feet as if they were hands. In the seated, clothed approach, the practitioner is seated on a chair and uses their own feet ie heels & toes as if they were hands.
• Benefits of Cha – footi to the practitioner and to the client
• Equipment required for Cha – footi
• History, philosophy theory & film footage from India
• Contraindications & warnings and when not to Cha – footi
• Review of anatomy as well as exploration of the tools used in Cha – footi
• Clothed and unclothed Cha – footi
• Self care – limbering up exercises and post massage considerations
• How to use your body well during Cha – footi
• Your foot preparation, care & hygiene
• NB: We do not teach walking on the back techniques using the whole of your body weight, as these are deemed to be unsafe by our insurers.

 





Cha - footi in Sheffield

Sun 12 Sep 2021 - Mon 13 Sep 2021, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
More info


Cha – footi is a brand new approach and provides you with a safe, hands free alternative as we adjust to the new normal of professional massage.





Online Supervision Group - with Vicky Gaughan

Fri 17 Sep 2021, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Book here


This is an online event using  Zoom and is by invitation after the booking has been received.

Here is some feedback received from participants:

‘…for me it was a great way to connect with different therapists/a wider massage therapist community (and the online approach enables this), your hosting of it primarily too; how you managed the space.. there was room for everyone to speak..I wondered how mics off would feel as, like you said when you introduced it, you felt it needed to be facilitated a bit more ‘rigidly’ but it didn’t actually feel rigid at all, it felt like it flowed and everyone had space if they wanted it. For me too, having you as a facilitator, with your background and my interest with and in trauma and how you frame a lot of things resonates a lot as well as stimulates and increases my own learning/development. Thanks’ – Kathryn Smith

‘I’d certainly second everything Kathryn has said. Having had Vicky as my tutor, it’s not just how much she knows, but also the sensitivity with which she treats everyone that makes the session special’ –  GA

‘So good to connect – thank you Vicky and everyone’  – LH

‘Thank you so much for facilitating a wonderful supervision group, it was a truly a magical space and I so appreciated connecting with other massage
therapists. I loved the structure of the space, and the five min sharing with the offering of the questions, as well as the readings you offered. I think it was very beautifully and lovingly held and that care really came through on the zoom’ – Marianna Musset

Outline:

The model of supervision I’m using on Zoom is not hands-on practice as such even though what we work with requires our hands. There will be activities to help support concerns, issues, and ideas, using the whole group, small groups & pairs using the zoom breakout rooms. The middle portion of time gives people the space to interact and help each other find solutions or feel a bit more into a knotty issue with your massage work. This approach is both broad and deep.

I’m offering a space to share how you are feeling in this time of change, probably like you’ve never experienced before and where your practice of massage might have changed forever. This space is also to celebrate achievements and maintain inspiration and look for silver linings too.

I have a plan in mind to offer us some structure for our meeting, as I’ve found this worked well in the last meetings, but I’m open to suggestions too.

As we are all qualified massage therapists and we’ve already got a wealth of experience and though it might not be apparent, this past year or so has a very real offering for us all to gain from. Let’s explore this together!

My credentials:

Age is my first offering – I’ve been around for a long time. I even took my turn at being chair of MTI a few years ago! I’ve never faced anything like the Covid 19 crisis but as a practitioner and trainer, I’ve survived several financial recessions and other storms. As well as being a massage trainer and the Principal of SCMT, I’ve been a body psychotherapist for nearly 30 years. I have extensive training and experience with academic qualifications to MA level in Counselling and Psychological therapies as well as Hakomi, which I also teach in Lancaster.

So let’s dive in together!

When you join please consider:

• Yours and others privacy for the duration of the meeting and keep other people’s details confidential after the meeting.
• We will move around a bit so think of a space where you will be able to move for a short time – we offer an embodied therapy and our body is also a resource.
• Have pen and paper for any notes you might want to make.
• Maybe have a glass of water or a cuppa at hand.
• Be prepared to contribute.
• On zoom, you should have your microphone on mute unless you’re talking. We’ll try not to talk all at once or over each other.
• Be patient, some of us might not have great bandwidth (whatever that means!) so there might be delays and glitches.

Places limited so please book early. The cost to you for this group is £10

 





Online Supervision Group - with Vicky Gaughan

Fri 17 Sep 2021, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
More info


How are you getting on working? Keep yourself buoyant and resilient in body and mind, by using the opportunity of group supervision as a source of support.





How To Become A Trauma Savvy Practitioner - morning

Thu 30 Sep 2021, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Book here


Supercharge your practice by becoming a Trauma Savvy Practitioner.

Learn why it is essential to promote massage as a viable approach to working with people who are traumatised.

Mental health services are dealing with a rise in urgent and emergency cases, there is a fear that there might be a ‘tsunami’ of mental illness after the pandemic – Royal College of Psychiatry.

We, massage therapists, know without a doubt that massage can calm & soothe people. But do you know how?

This course is based mainly on Deb Dana & Stephen Porges’ work on the Polyvagal Theory plus other trauma savvy experts.

Polyvagal theory tells us that being under chronic threat has a direct impact on our body and our mind. When we meet a stressor, known or unknown, it takes us out of loving connection with ourselves and others and into either shutdown or fight/flight. Moving from a loving connection to one of the other fearful states is called dysregulation, but it is not a state that is ‘wrong’. It is not wrong to protect yourself when you sense that you are not feeling safe, it is necessary for survival. Shifting states is a protective and sophisticated dance and like any dance, it’s good to know the steps well.

Course Content:

• Learn about the essential conditions massage therapists should provide for clients with trauma.
• Explore embodiment & how your nervous system communicates to your traumatised clients’ system.
• Learn signs & symptoms of trauma.
• Self-exploration of your autonomic nervous system using mindfulness practices.
• Exploratory exercises in small groups & pairs.
• A fundamental framework that includes brain science & anatomy.
• Strategies for self-care for working with traumatised clients.

This course is on Zoom and is experiential using many of the interactive features of this online platform. The course will be held over four weeks on Thursday morning for two hours per week.

Scope of the course: please note that while How To Become A Trauma Savvy Practitioner is offered with an intention to upskill you on the subject of trauma, it is not designed specifically for attendees currently struggling with traumatic or post-traumatic stress. While I will teach about trauma – and the importance of integrating an understanding of trauma into our practices and lives – this is not a course to learn massage techniques to heal trauma as the healing that takes place is a unique experience for each client.

 

In Praise of How To Become A Trauma Savvy Practitioner:

Loved your choice of upbeat music and the openness and kindness of your teaching – KM

‘I liked the self-reflection on me and on my work; connection with others; the physiology of trauma; resources given out to help me to continue with this work’ – CF

‘Re delivery – it was excellent Vicky, great repetition of information (as there was a lot) – applying all the principles of working with trauma in your presentation’ – LH

‘Very informative, essential knowledge and understanding for anyone working with clients, particularly at this time’ – LR

‘I’m in awe of your zoom/technical knowledge and use of it’ – SM

‘Enjoyed the ‘bringing up to date’ with the intergenerational trauma – so important. Also the effect of that ‘drip, drip’ trauma which many probably don’t even think it’s trauma but is reflected in them in some way’ – CD

‘The digital presentations were the best I`ve seen on zoom. The moving diagrams and so on were of an exceptionally high standard. Great use of different mediums to engage interest and appeal to different learning styles’ – AM





How To Become A Trauma Savvy Practitioner - morning

Thu 30 Sep 2021, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
More info


Supercharge your practice by becoming a trauma savvy practitioner. Learn why it is essential to promote massage as a viable approach to working with people who are traumatised.