A Monthly Series of Advanced Classes for Shiatsu Therapists
Going Deeper
The Going Deeper Class Series consists of one 6 or 12-hour class approximately once per month, designed to specifically meet the needs of advanced students, open only to graduates or advanced students of Zen Shiatsu Chicago or other Asian Bodywork Therapy schools It is recommended that current students complete at least Zen Shiatsu IV before taking Going Deeper classes, but exceptions may be possible by request.
Zen Shiatsu Chicago graduates may inquire at 847-864-1130 about our Student For Life subscription program, covering these and almost all other CE classes for $95/month.
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024, 9:30am – 5:00pm (1.5-hour lunch) – RETAINING CLIENTS THROUGH SKILLFUL TREATMENT PLANNING – Steve Rogne
Prerequisite: Currently enrolled in or having completed Student Clinic 1
May be attended in-person or by Zoom.
After 22 years of experience, I can say with confidence that the most important skill to retaining clients is your ability to do clear verbal treatment planning that motivates clients to commit.
For new practitioners, these skills are integral to building regular clientele quickly, to make sure you can keep practicing and refining your technical skillset.
For experienced, skilled therapists, if you are still struggling to build a regular book of clientele, these communication skills are very likely a piece that is missing.
In this class, I hope to improve this skillset for all participants. If you put the principles of this workshop into practice exactly as taught, I am confident that you will quickly build a thriving clientele, even while you may still have room to grow in your technical skillset.
We will learn to:
- Clearly articulate goals for treatment
- Explain exactly how shiatsu can help meet those goals
- Find ways to measure and celebrate progress
- Get a commitment to a long-term treatment plan before the first session
This is a reinforcement of the skills taught in my Business for Bodyworkers class, with an emphasis on direct practice of certain scripts and Q&A time. I have seen universal success among practitioners who have internalized and applied these skills. This benefits the practitioner in having longevity of practice, and benefits the clients because they end up having much more successful treatment outcomes due to their increased level of commitment to the process!
If you need help retaining a steady clientele, I hope to see you there!
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 9:00am-4:30pm – CULTIVATING EXPANSIVE TOUCH – Arlette Greer
Prerequisite: Currently enrolled in or having completed Student Clinic 1
Expansive touch is both a physical and energetic phenomena.
On one hand, it requires a physical connection (which may be light and near the surface of the body or deeper into the body) – the conscious touch of a physical structure.
On the other hand, touching a meridian involves connecting to space. This requires the practitioner connect physically and then move their own awareness to an expansive place.
In this workshop, we’ll explore what it means to maintain a receptive, meditative awareness. We’ll notice where we are holding unnecessary physical and mental contraction, we’ll experiment with how to release the unnecessary and to use focused awareness to achieve an expansive touch.
After the experimentation, we’ll practice shiatsu which keeping our awareness expansive and our body free from unnecessary contraction. In expanding our body and mind, we model for clients at the level of the nervous system what is possible for them. By maintaining a receptive, meditative awareness we will notice more quickly when and how our clients are responding to our work. Put them together and achieve quick, deeply integrative, and lasting results with ease.
Friday, Nov. 15, 9:00am-4:00pm – TRAUMA-INFORMED SHIATSU with Dana Christy
Prerequisite: Completion of Student Clinic 1
Shiatsu is, in many respects, an inherently trauma-informed modality. Its emphasis on supporting optimal functioning centers the body’s generative blueprint and innate capacity for resilience, while its holistic approach holds space for the multifaceted ways in which trauma can show up in the body, brain, and energy field. Even the fact that the work is done fully clothed can make Shiatsu feel more accessible to survivors than other forms of bodywork.
We can further support ourselves and our clients by developing a toolkit of treatment strategies that we can use with clients whose safety and/or accessibility needs may prohibit certain “traditional” Shiatsu techniques. The goal is to offer authentic, effective Shiatsu that respects each client’s agency and bodily autonomy.
We will explore a variety of practices, including working positions, assessment techniques, and alternate ways of supporting harmonious flow of qi, that can be uniquely tailored to each individual, so that no one feels like they have to choose between receiving good shiatsu and feeling safe and empowered while on the table. We will also explore how we as practitioners bring our own life experiences of trauma and resilience to the treatment space, and how we can actually use these experiences to enhance our capacity for sensitivity, empathy, and transformative care.