Continuing Education for Massage Therapists & Bodyworkers
MindBody Therapy and Healing, Inc. has been an approved continuing education provider with NCBTMB for 12 years. Seminars that Dr. Nixon teaches are listed below. Courses range from 2 to 15 credit hours and are typically scheduled during the evenings and on weekends in the Northern Virginia area. Check the What's New section for updated information. Dr. Nixon also travels to educational institutions and spas to present seminars.
- The Heart of Ethics in Principle and Practice for the Bodywork Therapist
- The Ethics Series: Topics in Ethics
- The Ethics of Intuition
- Supervision: Supportive Guidance for the Bodywork Therapist
- Touching: Impact And Use of Appropriate Counselor's Touch
The Heart of Ethics in Principle and Practice for the Bodywork Therapist
The heart of ethics has to do with caring responsibly, truthfully and respectfully in all relations. Ethics is about connecting to the Self and developing an internal code of morality based in integrity in both principle and behavior. Extending from the personal Self, professional ethics is about respecting the codes and guidelines established by professional organizations and legislature. In practice, the harmonious integration of a personal code of ethics with professional codes of ethics provides a sound, rightful foundation for professional practice and creates the opportunity for a conscious, caring, therapeutic relationship from which to grow.
This seminar will focus on exploring and developing a professional code of ethics that respectfully honors and integrates the Self of the bodywork therapist with established professional codes of ethics in the field of bodywork and mental health. Students will be given the opportunity to discuss and problem solve ethical issues of concern and challenge.
The Ethics Series: Topics in Ethics
This series is designed to give a solid overview of ethical topics in the field of massage and bodywork. The intent is to provide touch therapists with a foundation in ethical principles, practices and standards of care and general business practices, in order to deliver quality care to clients, effectively communicate with colleagues and health professionals and conduct business respectfully and with integrity. Seminars are customized to fit the needs of the educational institution and requirements of national. Programs range from 2 ½ to 6 hours in length.
The Basics of Ethics
Ethical codes and guidelines, and professional standards of care, are wrtitten by professsional organizations and legislative bodies. Professional massage therapists practicing massage must know and understand these codes and standards. This seminar is designed to review and discuss the set of guidelines as wrtiten by the AMTA and the National Certification Board for Massage Therapists.
Informed Consent
Informed Consent is the act of providing accurate information to clients and the general public as to the services offered by the massage therapist, the therapeutic relationship, the credentials of the therapist and the manner in which sessions and general business is conducted. It is good ethical practice, and in the best interest of the therapist, to have a written informed consent agreement. In this seminar the components of naming, understadning, delivering and writing an informed consent agreement will be taught and discussed.
Roles and Boundaries
Practicing within one's scope of practice involves knowing and defining one's role and boundaries in the field of massage therapy and bodywork. Respecting boundaries in the therapeutic milieu ensures ethical practice and a healthy standard of care. This lively interactive class provides the professional with tools for defining ones' role and scope of practice, knowledge for understanding appropriate boundaries in practice, and skills for setting appropriate limits and boundaries with clients and colleagues. Knowing, developing and implementing healthy boundaries in your professional work will contribute to you and your client feeling safe, grounded, respected and cared for.
Working with Challenging Clients & Professional Situations
When working as a health care provider, there will be times when clients, client situations, colleagues, or other professional situations pose a challenge. In this seminar participants will have the opportunity to share client and professional situations that were challenging or difficult for them. Through facilitated teaching, the intent is to help participants gain understanding and insight into these situations. Transference and countertransference are processes that are frequently a component of "difficult situations". These terms will be defined, discussed and applied when applicable. This seminar is highly interactive and practical.
The Ethics of Intuition
Intuition is a way of knowing. It is an innate ability to perceive and receive information that extends beyond the five senses, transcending what is considered ordinary thinking patterns and reasoning processes. It is non-localized and spontaneous intelligence, a consciousness if you will, and believed to be woven throughout the complex network of the mind/body.
By the nature of their training and continual application of "hands on work," professional bodyworkers intuitive capabilities and opportunities are enhanced. In the treatment room, bodyworkers may receive intuitive hunches on how to work with the client's body, tactile information about the health of an organ, images above or within a client's body or receive a direct impression or instinctual knowing about the client's health situation. The question for the bodyworker becomes, "How do I use intuitive information in the treatment room? When do I verbally share and when do I remain silent?"
The primary focus of this seminar will address ethical guidelines for working with intutition in the field of bodywork. Participants will learn rightful ways of using intuition and the four ways professionals may misue it. The secondary focus will address the definition of intuition, different types of intuition, defining primary styles of intuiting information and tools for enhancing intuition. This seminar is 40% experiential.
Supervision: Supportive Guidance for the Bodywork Therapist
Supervision is a professional environment in which a relationship between supervisor and supervisee is established. The intent of supervision is for the supervisor to provide the supervisee with professional support, educational guidance and therapeutic insight and direction in the practice of bodywork therapy. It is the role of the supervisee to inform the supervisor of his or her educational background, professional credentials, business and therapeutic practices, general clientele profile and issues of concern with problematic clients, ethical behavior and business practices. With a clear understanding of the supervisee*s scope of practice, the supervisor listens to general and specific issues challenging the supervisee and provides support, guidance and education. Supervision enhances the development of competent, responsible and knowledgeable bodywork therapists.
In this seminar the supervisor/teacher gives an enlivened model and description of professional supervision. provides a framework for establishing a common foundation via scope of practice. and solicits participants to discuss and explore issues, concerns and difficulties in their professional practices.
Touching: Impact And Use of Appropriate Counselor's Touch
Touch is the most powerful form of contact and communication. Research indicates that touch effects the emotional, biological, sexual and mental growth and development of individuals. Recent research also indicates that a majority of counselors use touch in the therapeutic mileu, yet are hesitate to share with other professionals due to the existing controversy of touch communication in the field of mental health. Appropriate and respectful touch can send messages of care, comfort and warmth. Inappropriate and disrespectful touch can be confusing, scary, hurtful and abusive.
In somatic therapy, the use of mindful touch is more than an arbitrary counseling technique. The intent of counselor's touch is to encourage the awakening of body awareness, feelings and body process. Additionally, mindful touch is a way of being and connecting in the present moment to self and in relationship to other. Consciously and skillfully used in the therapeutic milieu, mindful touch can assist the client in becoming more present in the here and now, with thoughts and feelings. The awareness of felt presence opens the gateway for deepening into the authentic self.
In this workshop the use and function of therapist's touch will be taught, demonstrated and practiced. Research on touch and contraindications of when not to use touch with clients will be covered. This workshop is 50% didactic, 50% experiential.