Welcome to the Ashland Institute of Massage Continuing Education page! We offer an evolving variety of high-quality continuing education classes and workshops for licensed massage therapists, other health care workers, and occasionally the general public. Held year-round, these classes range in topic from therapeutic treatment skills to new bodywork modalities, from ethics to insurance billing.
Instructor: Til Luchau & the Advanced Trainings Faculty
February 17- March 21, 2021 (12 CE contact hours – NCBTMB)
$158 ($188 after Feb. 28, 2021)*
*Take an additional 10% off by entering the discount code AIM at checkout
Til Luchau is a lead instructor and director of Advanced-Trainings.com. His diverse background spans manual therapy, somatic psychology, transformative education, and organizational and leadership development. Til’s ability to connect interdisciplinary, big-picture ideas to practical, real-world applications has made his talks, trainings, and events popular worldwide. He sees coaching and consulting clients online as well as in-person for manual therapy near his home outside Boulder, Colorado. You can contact Til Luchau here. Register directly for this course here. Be sure to enter AIM as your discount code to receive 10% off the course fee!
Instructors: Sam & Kelly Vittoria
January 30, 2021 (Saturday), 10 am–3 pm (1-hour lunch break) (4 Ethics/Communication/Boundaries contact CEU hours)
$75 ($85 after Jan. 18, 2021)
With presence, connection, and attunement, we can provide a greater sense of safety for our clients. In this interactive class, we will explore what it means to be a therapeutic presence for our clients by using fascinating recent discoveries in neuroscience. We will look specifically at how the therapist’s state of being and nonverbal communication can access an important gateway to healing. This four-hour online class includes small group explorations as well as large group discussions and lecture. You will earn 4 Ethics/Communication/Boundaries continuing education hours, required by OBMT for license renewal.
Kelly Vittoria, LMT, RCST, has been a practicing massage therapist for 19 years and an instructor for 12 years. During this time, Kelly has developed a deep understanding for how essential the therapeutic relationship is for healing. Sam Vittoria, CHP, is a mindfulness-based somatic counselor who is trained in the art of therapeutic presence, attunement, and communication. He is skilled in numerous modalities, all of which place the therapeutic relationship at the center of healing. Together, their warm and welcoming presence create a feeling of trust and ease with both their clients and students.
Instructors: Jim Berns & Melissa Malm
December 15, 16, & 18, 2020 (16 CE contact hours – NCBTMB), 9 am–3:30 pm
$225 with COVID discount ($250 after Nov. 24, 2020)
This is a unique class in which the practitioner uses hands-on passive movements to assess, release, and integrate different areas of the client’s body. Tapping into the body’s innate wisdom, you will fine-tune your ability to sense patterns in the movement of the tissue and responses of the proprioceptive reflexes. This technique folds in seamlessly with any kind of bodywork you are already doing. Not only is it fun to do, but it also feels great!
Jim Berns, Ortho-Bionomy®–Registered Advanced Instructor, has taught internationally for over thirty years. He is coauthor of Ortho-Bionomy: A Practical Manual. Jim was trained by Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy®. A certified massage therapist since 1979, he was named 2013 Educator of the Year by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Jim brings to his over three decades of teaching detailed information, a compassionate heart, and a unique sense of humor.
Melissa Malm has been a student and practitioner of massage and bodywork since 1997. She studied in the Bay Area both at the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville and the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley. In 2007, Melissa discovered Ortho-Bionomy® and realized she had found her bodywork “home.” She is now an Advanced Practitioner and in 2020 became a Registered Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy. She is thrilled to now be able to share this exciting bodywork with others through teaching.
Contact Melissa Malm for direct registration at melissa_malm@yahoo.com—please mention AIM!
Instructors: Jim Berns
January 21, 22, 25, & 26, 2021 (16 CE contact hours – NCBTMB, Ethics/Communication/Boundaries), 9 am–1 pm
$300
This is an introspective exploration of how who we are directly affects our therapeutic relationship with our clients. This class combines sharing of information, body awareness exercises, and self-awareness of patterns. You will walk away from this class with a deeper understanding of being a body therapist. Some students have wished they had this class as part of their initial massage therapy training.
Jim Berns, Ortho-Bionomy®–Registered Advanced Instructor, has taught internationally for over thirty years. He is coauthor of Ortho-Bionomy: A Practical Manual. Jim was trained by Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy®. A certified massage therapist since 1979, he was named 2013 Educator of the Year by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Jim brings to his over three decades of teaching detailed information, a compassionate heart, and a unique sense of humor.
Contact Melissa Malm for direct registration at melissa_malm@yahoo.com—please mention AIM!
Instructors: Jim Berns & Melissa Malm
February 7, 8, 10, & 11, 2021 (16 CE contact hours – NCBTMB), 9 am–1 pm
$300
This Ortho-Bionomy® foundation class works with painless, comfortable positioning to release tension patterns of the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine as well as the psoas, sacrum, and ilia. It is amazing how such a gentle and simple technique can give such a deep release. It is easy on the practitioner and can be integrated into any massage or bodywork session.
Jim Berns, Ortho-Bionomy®–Registered Advanced Instructor, has taught internationally for over thirty years. He is coauthor of Ortho-Bionomy: A Practical Manual. Jim was trained by Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy®. A certified massage therapist since 1979, he was named 2013 Educator of the Year by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Jim brings to his over three decades of teaching detailed information, a compassionate heart, and a unique sense of humor.
Melissa Malm has been a student and practitioner of massage and bodywork since 1997. She studied in the Bay Area both at the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville and the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley. In 2007, Melissa discovered Ortho-Bionomy® and realized she had found her bodywork “home.” She is now an Advanced Practitioner and in 2020 became a Registered Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy. She is thrilled to now be able to share this exciting bodywork with others through teaching.
Contact Melissa Malm for direct registration at melissa_malm@yahoo.com—please mention AIM!
Instructors: Jim Berns & Melissa Malm
February 25 & 26, March 4 & 5, 2021 (16 CE contact hours – NCBTMB), 9 am–1 pm
$300
This Practitioner Training Seminar is grounded in the nuts and bolts of a session (e.g., the intake/interview process and the closing of a session) while also addressing the less tangible aspects of being a bodywork practitioner (e.g., preparing yourself for a session using “Ortho-Bionomy® Feng Shui”). Through self-awareness—enhanced by both discussion and exercises—the student is given a chance to expand into a more authentic practitioner, build confidence, and ask clarifying questions related to developing their practice or pursuing their studies. While this class is designed to be part of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy® International Practitioner Training Program, it can greatly benefit anyone who is looking to deepen their connection to their practice.
Jim Berns, Ortho-Bionomy®–Registered Advanced Instructor, has taught internationally for over thirty years. He is coauthor of Ortho-Bionomy: A Practical Manual. Jim was trained by Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy®. A certified massage therapist since 1979, he was named 2013 Educator of the Year by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Jim brings to his over three decades of teaching detailed information, a compassionate heart, and a unique sense of humor.
Melissa Malm has been a student and practitioner of massage and bodywork since 1997. She studied in the Bay Area both at the National Holistic Institute in Emeryville and the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley. In 2007, Melissa discovered Ortho-Bionomy® and realized she had found her bodywork “home.” She is now an Advanced Practitioner and in 2020 became a Registered Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy. She is thrilled to now be able to share this exciting bodywork with others through teaching.
Contact Melissa Malm for direct registration at melissa_malm@yahoo.com—please mention AIM!
Instructors: Jim Berns
March 15, 16, 18, & 19, 2021 (16 CE contact hours), 9 am–1 pm
$300
This Ortho-Bionomy® class combines sensitivity training with subtle physical releases. The student learns to follow the client’s self-corrective reflexes. These releases are excellent for people experiencing pain, including highly sensitive people who cannot tolerate more vigorous work. This work bridges the body-mind connection and can be easily integrated into any bodywork session.
Jim Berns, Ortho-Bionomy®–Registered Advanced Instructor, has taught internationally for over thirty years. He is coauthor of Ortho-Bionomy: A Practical Manual. Jim was trained by Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, the founder of Ortho-Bionomy®. A certified massage therapist since 1979, he was named 2013 Educator of the Year by the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Jim brings to his over three decades of teaching detailed information, a compassionate heart, and a unique sense of humor.
Contact Melissa Malm for direct registration at melissa_malm@yahoo.com—please mention AIM!
You may register online by clicking on the class of your choice or calling 541.482.5134.
We offer an early enrollment discount for registrations paid in full by the noted early enrollment date for each course. See course descriptions for details.
Cancellations may be made via letter, email or phone. Cancellations with fewer than three (3) days’ notice will be charged half the seminar tuition. Other cancellations will be charged a $25 cancellation fee.
Stratford Inn Ashland honors 10% off for our guests.
We look forward to hearing from you! Please fill out our contact form to join our mailing list.
Call us at 541.482.5134, email us, or complete our contact form if you’re interested in teaching Continuing Education classes at AIM.
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