Education
Professional Development
Massage therapists, yoga teachers, and personal trainers are required to earn continuing education credit hours to maintain licenses and certifications. In addition to meeting minimum requirements, I aim to grow a learning community that has a thirst for knowledge and a passion to become more informed wellness practitioners.
Course Offerings
A variety of courses are available throughout the year. For now, most courses are live in-person format. However, I will soon be offering online webinar and home-study courses. Topics include:
- Anatomy and Kinesiology
- Orthopedic Assessment and Treatment Planning
- Introduction to Oncology Massage Therapy
- Fitness-Oriented Massage Therapy
- Foot Reflexology
- Active-Assisted Massage Techniques
- Prenatal Massage Therapy
- Ethics
Upcoming Courses
Introduction to Oncology Massage Therapy – Date TBD
- In this course, students will become familiar with Oncology Massage Therapy. The intention of this course is to provide massage therapists with information and skills to make safe decisions and massage modifications when working with clients who have active cancer or a history of cancer. This course will not certify students as “oncology massage therapists”, but it will give them the necessary tools to determine the appropriate course of massage. Students will learn the role massage therapy plays in cancer and metastasis, including the transition to palliative care for some clients. They will explore common cancer treatments, side effects, and cautions/contraindications associated with each. After standardizing pressure applications and exploring lymphatic pathways, students will perform massage that safely supports their oncology clients.
- 12 CEUs, $180 (must be able to attend both days)
Orthopedic Massage Therapy: Fundamentals – Dates TBD
- This course will explore the fundamentals of orthopedic assessment and treatment planning for massage therapists who want to learn clinical applications or refresh this skillset for their practice. After reviewing soft tissue categories and discussing the most common sources of trauma to those tissues, students will explore interview skills (verbal questioning, postural analysis, and palpation) to gain more insight about specific imbalances and injuries. Through an interactive process, students will learn how and why they can utilize range-of-motion, resistance testing, and special regional testing to assess the nature of a client’s dysfunction without diagnosing. The results of the testing process will then be utilized to formulate treatment plans specific to the client’s suspected pathology. This course will be a pre-requisite for follow-up courses that specifically cover applications for each region of the body (three additional courses will be offered, 6 CEUs each).
- 12 CEUs
Anatomy in Action: series of 6 courses – Dates TBD
- This series of courses will take a deeper look at the anatomy and kinesiology of the human body. Students will review and expand their understanding of the muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, and nerves associated with each region of the body. Muscles will be grouped by common concentric action to explore movement associated with each major joint. Students will also investigate antagonistic relationships of muscles and discuss the need for balance in opposing muscle groups.
- 6 CEUs per course, total of 36 CEUs if all 6 courses are taken
Payment and Cancellation Policy
To reserve a spot in a class, please email aaron@aarongunnwellness.com and indicate the desired course(s). You will be sent an invoice and link for payment (required to reserve your spot in the course), then you will receive a confirmation email once payment is received. If a course is full, you can be placed on a wait list and will be contacted for payment in the event that a space opens up.
To receive a refund without penalty, you must cancel no less than 10 days prior to the start of a course. Cancellations less than 10 days (but more than 48 hours) prior to the course start will receive a 50% refund. Any cancellations less than 48 hours before the course start will not be refunded. If a course has not met its minimum enrollment 10 days prior to the course date, it will be cancelled and you will be issued a full refund.