Continuing Education
Classes & Workshops
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.
Things To Note:
** In order to partake in a continuing education course, participants are now required to provide proof of a negative COVID test within 72hrs of the course, or proof of vaccination status with no symptoms.
We value individual experience, as well as respect personal reasoning / privacy around this topic. If you are unvaccinated, and unsure how to obtain a free COVID test (whether insured or uninsured), please contact the office. AIM is prepared to provide a list of resources to help accommodate in the ways that we are able. We thank our community for your ongoing patience while we navigate these challenging deciscions to the best of our abilities. We will continue to support our participants while shifting through these times as a nurturing community.
** Due to COVID-19, class sizes will be limited. It is best to sign up as early as possible so that instructors may properly plan and know what to expect as far as numbers. Masks are currently required in all of AIM’s continuing education courses. Thorough sanitation protocols will continue to be followed as they have been.
** We have a new classroom space located downtown Ashland in the Railroad District. You will be able to find directions to our new space in your “Welcome Email”. You can expect to receive this email about a week out from the course that you are enrolled for. The classroom space is up a flight of stairs, meaning continuing education participants must be able to safely climb a flight of stairs in order to attend.
We are very excited to be offering hands on, in-person CE’s and are looking forward to safely meeting with the community once again.
Registration
You may register online by clicking on the class of your choice below or calling 541.482.5134.
When you register online, you can expect to receive a confirmation email as well as a receipt once processed by the office. You will also hear from AIM staff with details on what to expect regarding your specific course about a week out from the scheduled date! If you have questions in the meantime, feel free to call the office number listed above.
Early Enrollment Discount
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
All classes are subject to rescheduling, or cancellation due to COVID or insufficient enrollment of the course overall. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this. Personal cancelations from the course 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.
** There is a special COVID-19 cancelation policy in place in order to protect students and staff so that we may continue to safely meet in person.
Course Descriptions: Updated 10/10/22
The Art of Abdominal Massage
Instructor: Mali Jarvis
October 22 & 23, 2022 (Saturday & Sunday), 10am–5:30 pm (12 CE hours)
$265 ($290 after October 6, 2022)
This workshop is for hands-on practitioners who want to gain more familiarity and confidence incorporating abdominal massage into their treatments. Mali has a training background and strong influence from Chi Nei Tsang yet has adapted her approach to abdominal massage to be more gentle and meditative than traditional CNT making it well tolerated and nourishing to receive for most people.
Learning will include:
- a brief overview of internal organ anatomy and Polyvagal theory
- a self-care abdominal massage sequence
- “listening touch” supporting co-regulation, the parasympathetic state, and safety in this vulnerable area
- detoxification with breath expansion, lymphatic drainage, and working with the small and large intestine
- incorporating 5 -10 mins of abdominal massage into a 1 hour treatment/massage
Mali Jarvis, LMT has been a practicing bodyworker since 2006, currently licensed in Oregon and New Mexico. She received initial training at The Oregon School of Massage in Portland specializing in Eastern Medicine and Shiatsu. She then trained extensively in Traditional Thai Massage and Chi Nei Tsang in Thailand. Other significant influences in her work are Breema, Craniosacral, Osteopathy, Body-Mind Centering, Contact Improvisation, 5 Element Chinese Medicine, Qigong, Taoist meditation and Soto Zen Practice. Mali offers ongoing classes in Movement and Meditation practices as well as bodywork training. Mali‘s approach in all she does is an invitation to slow down and reconnect with one’s own deep inner rhythms and natural vitality.
. Register
Nonviolent Communication Skills - Listening Deeply / Expressing Clearly
Instructor: Joanne Lescher
November 5, 2022 (Saturday), 9am–1pm (4 CE hours)
$85 ($95 after October 20, 2022)
We all want to be heard and understood! Our clients certainly do, and keeping communication clear and effective can be a challenge of its own. Join Joanne to learn some simple techniques that will help you discover the healing power of empathic listening—for both your professional and personal lives. We will also address your real-life experiences, and you’ll take home fresh ideas and techniques for expressing yourself cleanly and clearly. This course meets the 4 hour Ethics/Communication requirement for Oregon LMT license renewal.
Joanne Lescher, CT, is a certified trainer in nonviolent communication. As an experienced mediator and group facilitator, she equips people to dialogue with each other more effectively. Renowned for her warmth, empathy, and humor, Joanne teaches practical skills that clients can immediately exercise in their practices and lives. Her reputation has been affectionately summarized as an “ability to tame lions”.
. Register
When Structure Meets Energy Series - Touch, Presence & Healing
Instructor: Jim Gilkeson
December 10 & 11, 2022 (Saturday & Sunday), 9 am–5 pm (14 CE hours)
$295 ($325 after November 23, 2022)
This class teaches you to work at the cusp of structure and energy. You will learn to use the physical body as a “handle” on physical, emotional, and psycho-spiritual processes. This is a non-modality bound approach to energetic bodywork. We will cover the development of bodyworker to healer, as well as the recurring psycho-spiritual themes in energetic work and their application in energy-active bodywork.
You will learn:
- Four broadly applicable energy-based treatments that demonstrate principles of touch, connection and presence;
- Personal meditative energetic practices that apply to your development as a therapist;
- Recurring psycho-spiritual themes in energetic work and their application in energy-active bodywork.
Jim Gilkeson, CST, has taught energy healing for 35 years. A former Harbin Hot Springs bodywork therapist, Jim has written two books on energy healing: A Pilgrim in Your Body: Energy Healing and Spiritual Process and Energy Healing: A Pathway to Inner Growth. His gentle soul and quiet wisdom permeate his teachings, and bring a sweet magnetism to his presence in the classroom.
. Register
Table Thai
Instructor: D'vorah Swarzman
February 11 & 12, 2023 (Saturday & Sunday), 9 am–5:30 pm (15 CE hours)
$320 ($250 after January 26, 2022)
Learn how to integrate Thai Massage stretches, compression, traction, joint mobilization and acupressure into your table/oil massage. There will be a strong emphasis on body mechanics and honoring the traditional spiritual roots of this ancient Thai healing art. This class will enhance your table massage but does not take the place of Traditional Thai Massage, which is performed on the floor.
D’vorah Swarzman, LMT, has studied the art and science of Traditional Thai Massage since 1993, returning regularly to Thailand for further study. She is a graduate of Heartwood Institute’s 750 hour Advanced Massage Therapist program. D’vorah has a private practice (Thai Therapeutics) in Ashland, Oregon and is an instructor with and founding member of the Thai Healing Alliance International. She integrates rhythm, improvisation and mindfulness into her teaching and practice.
. Register
If you would like to be added to our Continuing Education Mailing List, please send an email from our Contact Tab (here) requesting for future updates to be emailed to you directly. You may contact the office via email or phone with any further questions.
We hope you’ll join us for a refreshing experience within the bodywork education world. We are looking forward to seeing you all practicing in person once again!
Accommodations in Ashland
Stratford Inn Ashland honors 10% off for our guests.
Teaching Opportunities
Call us at 541.482.5134, email us, or complete our contact form if you’re interested in teaching Continuing Education classes at AIM.
