Course Description

The clinician learned to understand and apply manual therapy (MT) as a multifactorial method of impacting voice and swallowing issues. Using a biopsychosocial approach to evaluation and intervention, the clinician utilized the evidence to support this MT model and, through hands-on experiences, learned immediately applicable clinical skills in the context of the diagnoses facing the SLP. This course content also fits within the framework of massage, as well as occupational and physical therapists, who are interested in this region. Areas of interest include voice, swallowing, oral-motor disorders, tongue dysfunction, jaw opening and function, breathing, pain, and performance limitations.

Manual therapy, myofascial release, vocal massage, laryngeal manipulation, and other forms of manual care are often stated to eliminate or improve a tissue, postural, or biomechanically-based problem. Patients and clinicians frequently share these perspectives, reinforced by education models and social media 30-second sound bites. However, every person’s case is complex. When high muscle tension is used to explain laryngeal problems, what drives that tension? A nearly unlimited number of contributing factors set the issue in place, and an equally complex tapestry of elements contributes to successfully remedying the problem. These courses take you down this rabbit hole of complexity, allowing you to see the myriad possibilities for impact and creating comfort in not knowing. Though this last statement may seem contradictory, knowing more often means admitting uncertainty. Filling the void left by not knowing is the therapeutic alliance and understanding how successfully applying its principles can drive intervention success. From this perspective, you have a baseline understanding of how I present this work.

This class centers around two central themes. The first is obvious: teaching the SLP and others the use of manual, touch-based therapy to remediate voice, swallowing, oral motor, tongue-related, breathing, and similar problems. Second, a concept of equal importance is introducing a patient-centered model of care, one solidly grounded in shared decision-making (SDM). The core concepts of SDM, now common in our shared literature, can be inserted into any intervention, not just manual therapy.

This course is not jam-packed with techniques. Instead, we move through multiple lab engagements framed from the SDM perspective. Adequate time is spent in all covered areas to ensure each clinician feels comfortable applying the intervention. You will be challenged to learn this work, as, unlike most training, we will acknowledge the uncertainty revolving around many aspects of this work. Prepare for that challenge!

For a deeper look at the perspectives taught in this class, please refer to the following article:

Fritz W. (2024). The mechanism of action for laryngeal manual therapies: the need for an update. Current opinion in otolaryngology & head and neck surgery, 32(3), 151–155. https://doi.org/10.1097/MOO.0000000000000966

Learning Objectives for the 2-hour Pre-Seminar Online Module

After successful completion of this online module, the therapist will:

• Compare and contrast the traditional “tissue-based” explanatory model of change with neurologically based models for manual therapy.

• Describe the strengths and limitations of a postural/biomechanical evaluation and treatment-based approach.

• Be able to describe the variations in explanations for manual therapy effects.

Learning Objectives for the 14-hour In-Person Workshop

After successful completion of this online module, the therapist will:

• Demonstrate the ability to apply an effective patient-directed method of manual therapy evaluation.

• Describe and demonstrate the various treatment options in a manual therapy session, including cross-handed, single-handed, compression, gathering/lifting, and traction.

• Describe options and apply effective treatment for the remediation of various voice/swallowing and related disorders.

Successful completion of the course and associated award of ASHA CEUs are contingent upon:

• Completion of the 2.0-hour online pre-seminar module.

• A passing score on the written, multiple-choice examination, given at the end of the online, pre-seminar module and the live, in-person seminar. A grade of 80% or higher is required to pass.

• Accurate demonstration of the treatment techniques as observed by the course instructor during the hands-on portions of the live class.

• Complete and submit all post-seminar required forms.

As all aspects of this course’s introductory material and hands-on components form the foundations of the approach, no partial ASHA CEUs will be awarded. Full participation in the entire 14.5 contact hours will be required. If you need to leave the seminar early, fail to meet the 80% grade on either quiz, or fail to meet the expectations in the hands-on performance aspects, you agree to forfeit the ASHA CEUs and not receive a certificate of completion.

An online module containing the background information to support this work must be completed before the live seminar. The module will take approx. 2.0 hours to complete. Should the module not be completed, you will not be permitted to participate in the live portion of the seminar. The link to this online module will be emailed to you before the live event. This online module aims to allow the hands-on training in the live event to begin as soon as possible.

Three weeks before the class, you will receive an email with the link to the online course, syllabus download instructions, directions, and other details. If you do not receive the email, please get in touch with us.

Timed Agendas

Required, pre-seminar online module

1:00 hours: Introduction to the science and evidence to support this approach

1:00 hours: Interviewing and evaluation methods/quiz

2.0 instructional hours

In-person seminar

Day 1

8:30 – 9:00 Registration

9:00 – 10:00 (1.00) Introduction and review of live online content

10:00 – 11:15 (1.25) Hands-on introduction and oral region lab

11:15 – 11:30 Break

11:30 – 12:45 (1.25) Internal jaw region lab

12:45 – 1:45 Lunch

1:45 – 3:15 (1.50) Tongue and submental region lab (1)

3:15 – 3:30 Break

3:30 – 5:30 (2.0) Tongue and submental region lab (2)

Day 2

9:00 – 10:45 (1.75) Laryngeal region lab

10:45 – 11:00 Break

11:00 – 12:30 (1.50) Retrolaryngeal region lab

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 3:30 (2.00) Lower laryngeal and upper sternal region labs

3:30-3:45 Break

3:45-5:30 (1.75) Diaphragm region lab

14.0 In-Person Instructional hours.

Total 16.0 Instructional hours

This course is offered for 1.60 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level; Professional Area)

This course is also approved for 15.0 total CE Hours by NCBTMB/NYS Massage Therapists (2.0 CEUs for the Online Module and 13.0 CEUs for the live seminar) and by many state PT and OT Boards, with the full list available here. NOTE: If you request PT or OT CEUs, you must do so early or risk the CEUs not being approved.

Walt Fritz and teaching assistants provide instruction and supervision throughout this course. The ratio of learners to instructors is held to a maximum of 14:1.

Disclosures

Walt Fritz has the following relevant financial relationship to disclose: he receives royalties from similar course content delivered through PatCom, Compton Publishing, LTD., 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.

Please refer to the list linked here for complete disclosure of information on teaching assistants who may be involved with individual seminars.

Registration Fees, Details, and Cancellation Policy

Registration Fee (includes access to the required prerequisite 2-hour online course, a PDF of the course Hands-On Manual, and post-seminar Facebook group membership. Housed in that Facebook group are videos of labs from the past 3+ years of in-person classes, dozens of full-text research papers pertaining to this work, and a support mechanism through interaction with peers.)

$550 up to three weeks before the class.

$650 during the final three weeks before each class.

$300 for retakes of this class. Email for retake rate.

Payment plans are available. Please contact us for more information.

Discounts

Only ONE discount (Retake/group/student discounts) may be applied. Discounts apply only to most USA-based classes. For workshops outside the USA, discounts and pricing are left to the discretion of the organization sponsoring the class.

To receive the discount, please send us an email requesting the discount or use the codes listed below. If applying for a group discount, you must email each person’s name and email address. Non-work email addresses are preferred due to the security firewalls of most institutional emails.

Group and Student Discounts

Group Discount: 2-3 therapists registering together will receive 10% off the prevailing rate per therapist. Use the discount code 10group at checkout.

Four or more therapists registering together will receive 15% off the prevailing rate per therapist. Use the discount code 15group at checkout.

Student Discount

$75 off the prevailing rate per therapist. This applies to student SLPs, PTs, OTs, and MTs. You MUST provide the school and degree program when requesting this discount. Contact us to access this discount.

Registration may be made using the payment links at the bottom of this page. If you wish to pay by phone, leave a message or text at 585-244-6180. Also, an invoice can be emailed directly to you for payment. After payment is received at our office, an email confirmation will be sent to you. After payment, please email us your name, cell number, and class location/dates you are attending. The registration form, found at this link, must be completed entirely, or you will forfeit your seat in the class.

Additional Information

Enrollment at all seminars is limited. The registration fee includes the mandatory 2-hour pre-seminar online module, the in-person, live, hands-on seminar, and the PDF of the course syllabus (distributed by email approximately 2-3 weeks before the class date). No meals, lodging, transportation, or parking are included in the registration fee. For syllabus usage at the live, in-person seminar, you can download the syllabus to an electronic reader, laptop, iPad, etc., or print it out for use in the workshop. You will not be provided a hard copy during class unless you notify us beforehand.

Registration payment may be made using the payment link from the individual class location page listed below. Should you prefer to pay by phone or invoice, please email through the “Contact” tab at the top of this page or call 585-244-6180. An email confirmation will be sent to you after payment is received at our office. The registration form must be completed, or you will forfeit your seat in the class.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel your registration up to 14 days before the seminar with a $50 processing fee. If you need to cancel less than 14 days before the workshop, you may transfer your registration to another seminar of your choice. Otherwise, you will forfeit the full registration fee. Refunds will be processed within 30 days of the refund request and made through the payment source from which your payment was made initially. No matter the timing, all refunds for payments made by credit cards will also be reduced by the actual Merchant Fees charged to merchants. The credit card processing company does not refund this fee to the merchant, and it is typically 3% of the purchase price. The actual transaction form, which shows your purchase and the fees paid by the merchant, will be sent to you before processing the refund to allow you to view the fee above.

We reserve the right to cancel any seminar based on minimum class enrollment requirements or other emergencies, in which case the tuition fee will be fully returned within 30 days of the canceled event. Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars is not responsible for any guaranteed/prepaid airline/hotel reservations. Before booking your travel, you are advised to email or call to ensure the class is confirmed.

Any grievances or concerns regarding Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars should be made to:

Foundations in Manual Therapy Seminars

PO Box 548

Lima, NY 14485

585-244-6180

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Complaints

If you have concerns or complaints, please email us using the “Contact” link in the top menu bar. Please provide the best way to contact you, and we will reply within one week. Our goal is to provide quality continuing education to all, and we will address your concerns and implement a solution to achieve this. Once a complaint is received and rectified to your satisfaction, we will ensure that gaps noted in our programs are addressed, with modifications made to ensure the issue does not recur.

Target Audience

Intended for SLPs/Voice Professionals, Registered Dental Hygienists, Orofacial Myofunctional Therapists, Massage Therapists, Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and other appropriately licensed health professionals.

This course is offered for 1.60 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area.)

While some approvals are already in place, CEUs for PTs/OTs will be approved on an as-needed basis; please inquire early.

Massage Therapy (NCBTMB and NYS MTs, 15.0 CE Hrs.) is approved.

No Prerequisites.

Walt Fritz teaches all Foundations Seminars.