Oncology Massage Therapy: Caring for Clients with Cancer – FULL! SEE BELOW FOR WAIT-LIST INFO!

Oncology Massage - Caring for Clients with Cancer

with Cindy Gillan of Tracy Walton & Associates

Thursday-Sunday, January 24-27, 2019

Thurs: 8:30am to 5:30pm

Fri: 9am - 6:00pm

Sat: 9am - 6:00pm

Sun: 8am - 5pm

32 CE's - $797

WORKSHOP IS FULL! NO WALK-INS WILL BE PERMITTED!

Please email workshops@tlcschool.com with your name and phone number to be added to the wait-list.

*Save your spot with a $300 non-refundable deposit. 

About the Workshop


As the role of massage therapy in cancer care expands, it is an exciting time to provide oncology massage. In this intensive course, we combine the art and practice of touch to create safe, effective massage sessions for clients with cancer and cancer histories. In a lively, supportive learning environment, participants learn simple, concrete ways to adapt massage to cancer and cancer treatment.

We look closely at the dynamics of cancer spread, shining new light on the old myth that massage was contraindicated, and we introduce several approaches for educating the public about this common concern. We then modify traditional western massage techniques for common client presentations, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, bone metastasis, vital organ involvement, and lymphedema risk. Unique positioning and bolstering techniques are introduced for pain relief, sleep support, and overall comfort.

We introduce guidelines for a range of client presentations, from robust to medically frail. These guidelines may be used effectively in a variety of massage settings, including the hospital, private practice, spa or retreat center, franchise, and hospice.

A balanced approach to learning blends lecture, spirited discussion, and hands-on work. In-depth homework is assigned prior to the course (instructional videos, 2-3 hrs. total view time) and during the course (about 1 hr. of evening homework on days 1, 2, and 3).

Massage therapists leave with essential oncology massage tools: sample protocols, a client intake form, follow-up intake questions, a visual decision tree, clearly described pressure guidelines, supervised hands-on practice experiences, and an extensive training manual.

New: A “Peer Practice Clinic”

In a peer practice clinic (PPC), students pair up and work with each other in two supervised sessions on the final day of the course. Using realistic client case scenarios, each student gives an oncology massage to a fellow student and receives an oncology massage from that student. With teacher support and supervision, students practice interviewing, communicating with a client, and adapting massage therapy to cancer symptoms and side effects of treatment.

In 2016, this simulated clinic format, with students participating in two hands-on sessions, replaced our former “traditional clinic,” which had been a single practice session with an actual oncology client volunteer from the community. Throughout our 2016 courses, this format has provided an enriching learning experience; it is highly effective and well-received.

Read more about this change in clinic format here http://www.tracywalton.com/4-day-intensive/#new2016

Read more about the course, topics, teachers, and FAQs herehttp://www.tracywalton.com/4-day-intensive/.]

Learning Objectives

  • Recognize the basic steps of cancer metastasis, and ease concerns that massage and increased circulation could spread cancer.
  • Communicate clearly about common massage therapy adjustments for cancer, using a Decision Tree and describing massage elements such as pressure, joint movement, site, and position in plain language.
  • Modify massage therapy for typical cancer presentations, including accessible primary tumor sites, bone involvement, and vital organ involvement.
  • Adapt massage therapy to common side effects and cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy.

Prerequisites

Graduation from a 500-hour professional massage therapy program or equivalent. Advanced massage therapy students who have completed pathology coursework and some clinical experience, by approval of the instructor. Please contact Tracy Walton & Associates to see if it is a good fit. Other health professionals, also with instructor approval.

Materials

After registration, you will receive a Student Packet by email that lists the massage supplies to bring, a web link with the pre-assignment, and other course logistics.

About the Instructor

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Cindy Gillan has been an instructor in the oncology massage program at Boston Medical Center. She is a licensed massage therapist and taught for 15 years at at Cortiva Institute-Boston (formerly Muscular Therapy Institute). Her work with people with cancer includes contributions to NIH-funded massage therapy research. She loves teaching, and brings her steady presence and sense of humor to each classroom experience. Cindy holds a master’s degree in health care administration and has maintained a private practice since 1993. She focuses her practice on oncology massage, massage of older adults, and athletes. An avid runner and cyclist, Cindy is a regular rider and volunteer for the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual fundraiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“Cindy did a great job with clinics and presentation, was relaxed and joyful. She had great stories that related to MT and individuals with cancer.”— Karen P., Eau Claire, W

About the Tracy Walton & Associates Teaching Team 

Our seasoned teaching team is enthusiastic, talented, and dedicated to the practice of massage therapy with medically complex clients. Each brings unique gifts to the classroom, but they work as a team and share many common qualities: approachability, friendliness, thoughtful and unassuming leadership, and many years of teaching and clinical experience.

Our instructors are committed to their students, the curriculum, and the long view of massage practice within integrative health care. Without exception, our teachers earn warm reviews from appreciative students. It is a treat to share clinic and classroom time with them.

Depending on size, most courses feature 2 or 3 instructors. Learn more about each teacher, and read reviews of their teaching here.

About the founder

The Founder and developer of our oncology massage therapy curriculum, Tracy Walton is a researcher, writer, award-winning educator, and specialist in massage therapy and cancer care. A dynamic voice for the power of touch, she is the author of the pathology textbook, Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy:  A Decision Tree Approach, (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011) and the eBook, 5 Myths and Truths about Massage Therapy: Letting Go without Losing Heart (Massage Therapy Foundation, 2016).

Course Approvals

Tracy Walton & Associates is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as an approved provider, #283404-00, and is also sponsored by NCBTMB to teach New York LMTs continuing education that is accepted by the state of New York for license renewal. Tracy Walton & Associates is approved by the Florida and Georgia Boards of Massage Therapy, provider # 50-13512. Selected training is recognized by the Society for Oncology Massage.

Learn More 

Visit www.tracywalton.com for more information about the course, our teachers, and other resources.