Foundations in Manual Therapy: Balancing the Body Online Course
Foundations in Manual Therapy: Balancing the Body Online Course
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Introduction
How a person holds themself, and the contribution those patterns make to dysfunction, is contentious. Many people believe that anything less than ideal posture is causative, whereas others view variations in posture as normal. The correlation between postural deviation and pain is thin, with many disbelieving these statistics. More recent studies have shown that voice is directly influenced by such postural deviations (Kim, S. I., et al., 2025. The Association Between Cervical Spine Alignment and Voice Symptoms in Patients With Voice Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study. Journal of Voice.) Each of our therapeutic communities has its own set of strong beliefs. Shoulder carriage, chin position, lower thorax expression and position, and many more concerns are regularly expressed to me as I teach my manual therapy for voice and swallowing disorders coursework. While the Introductory and Advanced classes touch briefly on these topics, there is much more to learn. Such is a reason for this course. It is intended for those who are coming from the perspective of the speech pathologist, voice coach, or similar perspectives who wish to learn more about ways to elicit change.
The Course
ABIQ 2014. ASHA Course Description: A foundational course for implementing manual therapy for postural and body alignment concerns as part of the treatment plan for voice, swallowing, and related disorders, utilizing a hands-on and movement-based approach for specific interventions. The approach is presented from a shared decision-making perspective.
This 3.5-hour online course expands manual therapy beyond the Introductory course, with key aspects of body position and posture addressed. Rather than viewing posture as a singular ideal, posture, form, and balance provide the patient with options through awareness. This course is the second in this Voice and Swallowing Disorders series, with the content listed in the agenda (below).
The Cost
The fee for this online course is $200. The content of this course represents the last decade of my work and study, moving from the tissue-based narratives previously taught into more plausible, though initially more confusing, concepts of neuroscience, behavioral science, and pain science. If you seek a fresh and solid grounding in moving your manual therapy model into alignment with current viewpoints of medicine and health, you will feel your money and time were well spent.
ASHA CEUs (0.35) and NCBTMB CEs (3.5) are approved. Approval for other disciplines that can self-submit for CEU approval via embedded resources.
After successfully completing this course, those who wish to continue training will be allowed a $50 discount on a future In-Person Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders Seminar. This discount will apply on top of any group/Early Bird discounts. Email for details.
Disclosures
Walt Fritz has the following relevant financial relationship to disclose: he receives royalties from similar course content delivered through Medbridge Massage and TalkTools. He has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose. There are no content disclosures; financial/in-kind disclosures may exist and will be stated for each live seminar.
Target Audience
- Intended for SLPs/Voice Professionals, SLPAs, Massage Therapists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and other appropriately licensed health professionals.
Link to Online Course