Online Massage Therapy Courses
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Online Workshops
Regarding all online classes: please allow time for your purchase to process. We will contact you via email with instructions to access the online course as soon as your payment is complete. Please make sure your email address is correct. Thank you for your patience.
Active Isolated Stretching (AIS Certification) - $100
Active isolated stretching (AIS) is a stretching technique that employs the neurologic reflex known as reciprocal inhibition, as well as a specific protocol for how each of the 200+ stretches is done. It is a powerful treatment tool that can be applied to suit everyone, whether the individual is young or old, male or female, and athletic, active, or sedentary. The primary focus of AIS is on increasing the flexibility of the body by stretching taut and/or contracted soft tissues. Because it also involves active movements by the client, it has the added benefit of increasing the client’s strength and stability. AIS can be done by the client as self-care or with the assistance of a therapist. Certificates awarded upon completion.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Ayurvedic Therapies Certification - $100
Ayurvedic therapies are powerful tools to heal the body, mind, and spirit. Ayurveda recognizes each person as a unique, multidimensional being and tailors each session to the needs of that person. However, the treatment goal is always the same: a balanced state for that individual. According to Ayurveda, the body is the house of the soul and we must restore and strengthen the body to allow our souls to flourish. The main focus of the protocol of abhyanga is the rhythmic application of 6 to 8 oz of oil to the body in the one session. This is meant to lubricate and loosen the tissues, which allows the doshas that have spread to the peripheral tissues to go back to their original sites at the core of the body.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Cancer Massage Certification - $100
Techniques for massage for cancer clients depend on many variables, each of which can affect the others. In essence, the techniques are based on three variables: The first is the cancer itself (including site, type, grade, and stage). Second, techniques are also adapted based on cancer treatments, including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Third, techniques for the massage are tailored to the unique characteristics of the client, including age, mobility, physical feelings of health, and emotional well-being. Massage therapists use knowledge, training, and discretion to administer the most appropriate massage for the specific client.
People diagnosed with cancer experience dramatic life changes. A journey of endurance begins, which becomes emotionally, socially, and physically painful and frightening. Cancer is a diagnosis no one chooses—yet treatments are available in both conventional medicine and complementary medicine. A holistic approach in caring for the client yields the greatest benefit.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) - $100
If you are new to the subject, Craniosacral Therapy (CST) will be a dramatic departure from the way you may have worked with or viewed the traditional healing profession in the past. CST is a method of using light touch, internal listening skills, and a healing attitude or intention to evaluate whole-body health and to invite the body to self-correct. The allopathic model of Western medicine, which has been the standard for more than a century, is based on the principle of trying to rid the body of the symptoms of illness and disease. Medications are delivered to quell fever, infection, swelling, or dysfunction and to normalize biochemical imbalance. Surgery and other invasive procedures are routinely employed to replace or supplement medications, and using the same treatment protocols on similar patients in a consistent manner is the standard..
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Geriatric Massage Certification - $100
Geriatric massage is the modification of basic massage techniques and body positions to meet the needs of the elderly. It takes into account physical, psychologic, and socioeconomic factors. At present, there are three main geriatric massage training organizations: Daybreak Geriatric Massage Institute, Comfort Touch, and Compassionate Touch. Sadly, the elderly are the least touched of all age groups in Western health care systems. In a research study by Barnett published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, the age group touched least in medical settings was individuals 66 to 100 years of age.11 However, “The use of touch and physical closeness may be the most important way to communicate to ill and aged persons that they are important as human beings,” says Ashley Montagu, author of Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin.12 Research indicates that social connection is a key component of health and happiness in the elderly when regular massage is received.13 An ongoing relationship with a therapist can be a significant part of life due to the focused attention of a caring person.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Infant & Pediatric Massage Certification - $100
Infant massage is about love. It is more than the mere physical act of massaging a newborn, far beyond the rubbing of muscles and stretching of joints. It is among the most precious gifts you can give an infant. The very heart of infant massage involves the coming together of two beings in a divine act of loving through touching. Not only does the baby receive the tender intimacy of caresses, but the giver benefits in turn with the responses given back. Techniques are simple and effective and are performed most successfully by parents and primary caregivers who have been taught by certified infant massage instructors. The approach is empowering and improves the parent-infant attachment process. There is a growing body of research that supports the therapeutic benefits. Infant massage is a crucial and routine part of infant care around the world and has the ability to bring great benefits for both parents and the newborn.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Manual Lymphatic Drainage Technique Certification - $100
Manual Lymph Drainage (MLD) is a gentle, light, rhythmic manual technique that has been used by massage therapists and other professionals since the early 1930s. There are several different manual techniques currently used in the massage and manual therapy fields that affect the lymph system. The most well known of these is the Dr. Vodder method of MLD, and it can have dramatic effects in the body if performed correctly. MLD has been developed for use in treating many different conditions including lymphedema (swelling), orthopedic conditions, sports injuries, dermatologic conditions, and stress. A thorough comprehension of the lymph vessel system enables an understanding of how MLD can affect various systems in the body. Beginning with the history of the development of MLD, this chapter describes the lymph vessel system and how MLD can affect it. The various strokes and techniques are described in detail, and then the effects of MLD are discussed.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Myofascial Release Technique Certification - $100
Myofascial release (MFR) is a collection of approaches and techniques that focuses on freeing restrictions of movement that originate in the soft tissues of the body. The benefits of this work are diverse. Direct bodily effects range from alleviation of pain, improvement of athletic performance, and greater flexibility and ease of movement to more subjective changes such as better posture. Rather than being considered a specific technique, MFR is better understood as a goal-oriented approach to working with tissue-based restrictions and their two-way interactions with movement and posture.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Muscle Energy Technique Certification - $100
A muscle energy technique (MET) is a voluntary, low-force, isometric contraction performed in a pain-free position in which the client controls the corrective force by varying intensity in a precise direction. This maneuver can stretch the muscle and fascial tissues without causing further pain or harm to the client.1 METs can be defined as manual techniques used by a practitioner who stretches a muscle or group of muscles to a barrier and then applies a contract-relax method to further elongate the muscle to a new length. The practitioner applies a counterforce to the client’s lightly contracted muscle for 6 to 10 seconds as the dysfunctional joint is positioned at the end of its limited range of motion, and after the relaxation, the barrier is often felt to yield.2 METs have been found useful in reducing tone, mobilizing interstitial edema, and restoring the functional length of a muscle without inflicting the pain that traditional stretching can cause.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Neuromuscular Technique Certification - $100
Simply defined, NMT is a precise, thorough examination and treatment of the body’s soft tissues using step-by-step regionally oriented protocols, with consideration of several perpetuating factors that may be associated with the current condition. For example, when a client has shoulder pain, the upper extremity protocol will be used for primary examination. In addition to assessing the muscles directly crossing the shoulder joint, the shoulder protocol would include examination of the muscles of the arm, forearm, and hand as well as the muscles that attach the shoulder girdle to the torso. The neck will also be assessed, since innervation to the shoulder must pass through the cervical region, and compression or entrapment of the nerves may be associated with the current problem. Perpetuating factors might include posture, habits of use, shoulder joint abnormalities, nutritional components, and other core elements that can mask as myofascial dysfunction.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Orthopedic Massage Certification - $100
Orthopedic massage is a relatively new concept in the massage therapy field, and its use has increased over just the last 10 years. Practitioners and educators use the term orthopedic massage to refer to a divergent set of treatment systems and techniques. In the most general sense, this approach simply encompasses the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, which are defined as injury to or dysfunction of locomotor tissues of the musculoskeletal system.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Polarity Therapy Certification - $100
Polarity therapy (PT) is a synthesis of ancient theories and techniques of energy medicine that integrates four aspects: Polarity bodywork, energetic nutrition, exercise and stretching postures, and communication/facilitation. PT is rooted in concepts derived from Ayurvedic medicine and integrated with cranial osteopathic manipulative techniques and pressure point/meridian therapies. The theory of PT suggests that all forms and processes arise from a universal source of life energy that is in constant motion and of polarized positive and negative actions and reactions around a neutral core.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Prenatal Massage Certification - $100
Prenatal massage is made up of a wide variety of appropriate massage techniques that treat the common discomforts of pregnancy, support the dynamic physiologic changes the expectant woman undergoes during each of the three trimesters of pregnancy, allay stress, and prepare the gravida (pregnant woman) for labor and childbirth. (Human gestation, or pregnancy, takes approximately 280 days or 40 weeks, on average. This period is subdivided into three distinct phases, called trimesters.)
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Reflexology Certification - $100
Reflexology is a method for activating the healing powers of the body through stimulation of reflexes on the feet, hands, face, and outer ears. The American Reflexology Certification Board states, “Reflexology is a noninvasive, complementary practice involving thumb and finger techniques to apply alternating pressure to reflexes shown on reflex maps of the body located on the feet, hands, and outer ears.” Many reflexologists also include face reflexology in their protocols. In this class, the focus is on foot reflexology. By skillful application of various reflexology techniques to specific reflex areas and points, the reflexologist supports the body by enhancing holistic functioning and balance within its various systems.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Reiki Certification - $100
Reiki is an ancient hands-on healing technique that has roots in India, Tibet, and most notably in Japan. The word Reiki means universal life force energy and comes from two words in Japanese: rei, meaning “spirit or soul,” and ki, meaning “energy.” When we speak about Reiki, we are actually referring both to this energy and to a gentle bodywork technique that helps balance mind, body, and spirit. Reiki is used throughout the world today by millions of people in homes, private practices, schools, and hospitals for bringing greater well-being to themselves and others. An extremely user-friendly modality, Reiki can be easily learned and applied, leading to expansion and growth within both the recipient of Reiki and the Reiki practitioner.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Shiatsu Certification - $100
Shiatsu is a Japanese form of bodywork. Based on the same principles as acupuncture, it is performed on a fully-clothed client on a futon on the floor. Instead of using needles to change Qi (Ki) flow in the client’s channels to alleviate pain and other discomforts, shiatsu practitioners use their palms, fingers, thumbs, forearms, elbows, knees, and feet to apply pressure. Shiatsu has a long and interesting history involving traditional Chinese medicine, shoguns, and Eastern philosophy. Today, many different forms of shiatsu are practiced, such as Namikoshi, Zen, Ohashiatsu, Five Element, and macrobiotic or barefoot shiatsu.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Sports & Fitness Massage Certification - $100
Massage can be very beneficial for athletes if the professional performing the massage understands the biomechanics required by the sport. In the absence of such understanding, however, massage can impair optimal function. Any type of massage before a competition must be given carefully. If a massage professional plans to work with an athlete on a continuing basis, it is important that the practitioner come to know the athlete and that the massage become an integral part of the entire training experience.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Strain & Counter-strain Technique Certification - $100
Strain and counter-strain is a passive positional procedure that places the body in a position of greatest comfort and thereby relieves pain and dysfunction by halting the inappropriate proprioceptor activity that maintains somatic dysfunctions. Somatic dysfunction is defined as the impaired or altered function of related components of the somatic system, including the skeletal, arthrodial, and myofascial structures and their related vascular, lymphatic, and neural elements.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Structural Integration Technique Certification - $100
Structural Integration is a highly specific manual treatment of the connective tissue network. The main goals of structural integration are alignment of the human body within the field of gravity, harmonious tone of the body’s tissues, and well-coordinated movement. Structural Integration also makes use of movement education and perceptual exercises to achieve its goals. It is applied to people of all ages including infants and elderly people.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Traditional Thai Massage Certification - $100
In this class, the reader has been introduced to the hands-on healing tradition of Thailand (ancient Siam). Known in Thailand as Nuad Bo’Rarn and in the West as Thai massage, this ancient system of healing bodywork dates back approximately 2500 years. In Thai culture, this healing work is used to treat the varied maladies that afflict humanity, including internal medical problems, psychoemotional issues, and musculoskeletal complaints. The techniques and application of Thai massage differ in many ways from that of Western massage therapy. Although Thai massage has only recently become known in the West, the acceptance of this style of work has grown rapidly. Currently, Thai massage courses are being taught at many schools and retreat centers in the Western world, and there is a great demand for practitioners at spas and clinics worldwide. Learning, practicing, and receiving Thai massage can be a wonderful and life-enriching experience.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Trigger Point Release Certification - $100
Trigger point release is a goal that can be accomplished by incorporating any one of a number of therapeutic interventions, such as trigger point pressure release, spray and stretch technique, dry needling, or injection. The most reliable trigger point release method is most likely to be the one that the practitioner has most fully mastered. Competency in any one of a number of techniques, coupled with knowledge of anatomy and finely honed palpation skills, can dramatically increase the practitioner’s ability to relieve chronic pain. There is no shortage of individuals with pain, and practitioners who are prepared to address MTrPs can easily have a very successful practice in a number of fields of medicine that incorporate trigger point release.
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider
Tuina Certification - $100
Tuina is a therapeutic system designed to deal directly with, and to prevent, the onset and development of sickness in a way that is suited to the natural healing process within the human body. It is based on an approach that will increase and strengthen the body’s resistance to disease, illness, and fatigue and actually speed up the healing of damaged areas caused by injury or trauma by manipulating the body and points along the channels. The word Tuina is made up of two words: Tui, meaning “to push or stroke,” and Na, meaning “to grasp or knead.”
Time: Endless, Online
Credits: 8 PA Massage Therapy CEU's
Instructor: Robyn Zappy, LPTA, LMT - Pa State Board of MT provider