You are cordially invited to attend this year's Future of Bodywork panel discussion on Zoom. The theme of the panel will be massage therapy in the age of coronavirus.
For this symposium we have assembled a panel of distinguished speakers, including Marybeth Berney, Dawn Schmidt, Lauren Christman, and Robbin Blake. They all have been deeply involved in the policy and epidemiology of safe, practical, and effective massage therapy in the age of COVID-19. The panel will include both prepared segments and interactive segments, where you will have an opportunity to ask questions or submit comments.
The panel topics include the following:
Etiology, Pathology, Transmission of COVID-19 and Reducing Risk in the Treatment Room: Lauren will discuss the basics of COVID-19 etiology, pathology and transmission. If we understand COVID-19 as a disease, we can be empowered in our decisions about decreasing risk of transmission, screening clients before treatment and modifying our techniques during treatment.
Effects of COVID-19 on the Human Body and What This Means for LMTs: Robbin will talk about how COVID-19 affects the body in many different ways – affecting some people severely with lengthy recovery periods, killing some, while leaving others with almost no effects. She will review the various issues that survivors are having to recover from and how these impact massage therapists in their treatment of patients/clients.
Living Through the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Trauma it Creates: Dawn will discuss the impact and trauma of COVID-19 Pandemic on our basic human needs. We each experience it differently based on where we were before it started. We will explore the concept of progressive care — tending to self-first, then family, then others and then community. Managing the physical, mental, emotional and financial toll. How can we (and those we touch) not only survive, but thrive during this time?
The Impact of Government Regulations on Massage & a Few Tips on PPE: Marybeth will discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the massage profession from a regulatory oversight perspective; WA proclamations 20-24 and 20-24.1; and the Health Care Phases vs. the Safe Start Phases. She will also discuss tapping into your Local Health Jurisdiction (LHJ) for surge capacity data and PPE Assistance (yes, there is assistance out there for you!).
We currently face challenges in society and massage therapy that are unprecedented in our lifetimes. A growing body of research suggests that massage/bodywork is first-line healthcare, and profoundly beneficial. Besides the many well-known benefits of bodywork (pain relief, improved function, recovery from injury), massage is one of the best, if not the best, treatments for anxiety, depression, and stress. This is our opportunity to act wisely, care for ourselves and others, and contribute to the greater good.
Questions and Answers: We invite all participants to email questions on any of the topics in this symposium that you may have to: futureofbodywork@gmail.com. Please submit your questions by July 31, 2020.
Instructors: Marybeth Berney, Dawn Schmidt, Lauren Christman, and Robbin Blake; moderated by Laurie Fronek. For instructor bios, please click here.
CE hours: 4 CE hours, live via Zoom
Tuition: $60.