Course Descriptions

The Ethics of Client Communication: Talking to Clients About Their Health (4 CEUs), Saturday, 8:15 - 12:15, presenter: Ruth Werner

Have you ever worked with a client and noticed something that made you wonder about his or her health? How many times have you felt uncomfortable discussing it? This class addresses the delicate art of communicating professionally and with open hearts when we have concerns about our clients' well being. Key topics include:

		Medications that may influence bodywork choices
		Visual or palpatory signs that are red flags
		Maintaining boundaries for client safety (how to say "no" when your client says "yes")

Basic principles of active listening will be reviewed and students will break into small groups to role-play a variety of difficult client-therapist conversations, all based on real-life situations provided by past participants. Students will develop the skills to make responsible, professional, client-centered choices with their work-even when those clients may have diseases or conditions that make many types of massage impractical.

Massage Therapy Research Competency and the Literature Review
(3 CEUs), Saturday, 2:15 - 5:15 p.m., presenter: Ruth Werner

The ability of the massage therapy profession to fully integrate with our healthcare colleagues lives and dies by the quality of our research. It's one thing to say, "massage has x, y, and z benefits." It's another to be able to point to credible research as evidence.

In this highly interactive class we will emphasize why research competency is important for massage therapists, review basic research terminology, and look closely at the issue of the literature review (what role it plays in gathering information, how to conduct a good one, and how to evaluate the literature review in other research papers). We will investigate a variety of internet resources by conducting some live searches. Participants will emerge with important skills that will enrich their ability to practice evidence-based massage therapy.

Introduction to Energy Work for the Massage Therapist
(3 CEUs), Saturday, 2:15 - 5:15 p.m., presenter: Sherry Bauer

In this class, students will learn several energy medicine techniques they can immediately integrate seamlessly into their massage practice. These techniques promote deep relaxation, facilitate greater energy flow and balance within the body, and help develop a sense of self beyond the physical body. Students will also gain a working understanding of the energetic body including meridians, chakras, and auric fields.

Event Sports Massage Team's (ESMT) Calibration Course
(3 CEUs), Saturday, 2:15 - 5:15 p.m., presenter: Katie Thompson

The calibration course examines event sports massage vs. clinical sports massage and the differences between pre-event and post-event massage. The course will also address potential complications, from hyperthermia to cramping, which can occur due to event distances, environment circumstances (unpredictable Colorado weather), or an athlete's preparation. Expectations for working at ESMT events and membership on the team will be covered at the end of the course. An ESMT team meeting will wrap up the afternoon's event massage activities.

This course is open to anyone interested in learning more about event sports massage. For members of the ESMT, the calibration course is required once every two years.

Massage Therapy and Pathology: Fibromyalgia and the "Invisible" Diseases
(3 CEUs), Sunday 8:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m., presenter: Ruth Werner

Fibromyalgia syndrome is the second-most commonly diagnosed musculoskeletal disorder in the United States-only osteoarthritis is diagnosed more often. Yet, little is understood about this common condition. This class will examine current thinking about the etiology of fibromyalgia, along with its most common "partners in crime" -- conditions that overlap with FMS or that may contribute to a misdiagnosis. These include myofascial pain syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, and others. Participants will emerge with a new understanding about how these conditions fit together, and how bodywork might be used in these situations for the best possible benefit. Come prepared to learn and to share your experiences with other therapists.

Qigong Healing
(6 CEUs), Sunday, 8:45 - 11:45 a.m. and 1:15 - 4:15 p.m., presenter: Sherry Bauer

Qigong Healing is an Eastern healing modality that dates back 5,000 years. In this class we will learn exercises that will clear and increase our own energy (chi or qi) and practices we can externally apply to our clients. We will explore the Chinese Medicine map of the energy body and how working with different aspects of it can bring about change to the whole and on many levels--physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. These techniques will help facilitate balance and free flow of energy as well as an increase in one's vibration - for you and your clients.

Massage Therapy and Pathology: Common and Contagious Skin Conditions
(3 CEUs), Sunday 1:15 - 4:15 p.m., presenter: Ruth Werner

We will explore the conditions dearest to the massage therapist's heart: ringworm, herpes, boils (including MRSA), and head lice, and look at lots of great pictures! We will also discuss the non-contagious skin conditions that are especially prevalent, such as eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, and skin cancer. This information is critical for anyone who owns skin-it is even more important for massage therapists who probably see more of their clients' skins than the clients do themselves.

About the Presenters

Ruth Werner is a massage therapist, writer, and educator with a passionate interest in the role of bodywork for people who struggle with health. She has two books: A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology, used in massage schools all over the world, and Disease Handbook for Massage Therapists, which has just been released. She writes columns for Massage and Bodywork magazine and teaches continuing education workshops all over the country. She has served on committees for the Utah Department of Public Licensing, the AMTA, the National Certifying Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, and the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. Currently based in Utah, Ruth was extremely honored to be selected for the AMTA Council of Schools Teacher of the Year Award for 2005.

Sherry Bauer has been studying Qigong Healing and Energy Medicine since graduating from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in 1995 and has integrated these practices with massage. Since 1999, she has had a private Qigong Healing practice. Sherry has studied with teachers in the US and in China, and taught Vibrational Medicine and Qigong Healing at BCMT since 2000. Her passion is helping people experience the beauty and wonder of chi and its manifestation in their lives

Directions
Boulder College of Massage Therapy, 6255 Longbow Dr., Boulder

From Boulder
Foothills/Diagonal Highway 119 (North) to 63rd St. Turn Right onto 63rd Street. Continue through 2 traffic lights; Lookout Road and Spine Road. Turn right onto Longbow Drive. BCMT is the building on your immediate right located on the Northwest corner of Longbow and 63rd Street.

From Denver
I-25 to the Boulder Turnpike, Highway 36 (exit 217) west to Boulder. Take the first exit in Boulder - Foothills Parkway (Hwy 157). Continue on Foothills for approximately 5.5 miles to 63rd St. Turn Right onto 63rd. Street. Continue through two traffic lights; Lookout Road and Spine Road. Turn right onto Longbow Drive. BCMT is the building on your immediate right located on the Northwest corner of Longbow and 63rd Street.

From the North
I-25, Exit Hwy. 52, going west. Take Hwy. 52 to the Diagonal Highway (Hwy.119) and turn left. Turn left onto 63rd street and right on Longbow. BCMT is on your immediate right.

Suggested Accommodations in Boulder

Boulder Days Inn, 5397 S. Boulder Rd.
1-866-539-0036 Hotel.com
($57 per night dbl, not including tax or fees)

Best Western Boulder Inn, 770 28th St.
1-866-925-8676 Hotel.com
($85 per night dbl, not including tax or fees)

Courtyard Boulder - Marriott, 4710 Pearl East Cir.
1-888-236-2427 Marriott.com
($107 per night dbl, not including tax or fees)