Whether you’re a prospective student or a “friend of IPSB,” please join us for an informative and fun evening at our Quarterly Open House. Come visit our new expanded campus, enjoy free massage demonstrations and light refreshments, ask questions of our faculty, staff and students, and have the chance to win some door prizes!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010  6:30 -9:30 pm

Open-House-Flyer

The event will be held at:

The coursework is based on a “three centers” concept: the physical, emotional, and intellectual centers. The physical center (legs and lower abdomen) relates to the physical instinct and the concept of being grounded and able to take care of one’s needs. The emotional center (chest) relates to the heart and the flow of emotions to the outside world. The intellectual center (head and neck) relates to being aware of the outside world, organizing the senses, and understanding what is going on.

The Essentials of Massage and Bodywork course is designed to create an opening and integration of these centers in the student and to give a format for balancing and opening these centers in others.

This course qualifies the student to apply basic massage techniques on family, friends, and others. Completion of this class does not ensure employment in most areas. Please refer to the “Massage Therapy Licensing” section for more information.

The Essentials course can be taken for continuing education and personal growth or as the beginning level of the professional academic training. Although some individuals may find work in the field (depending on state and/or local educational requirements), this course on its own does not meet the professional standards of AMTA, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork, or the minimum levels of licensure in the City of San Diego.

Those students who plan to become professional massage therapists and bodyworkers are expected to continue their education at least through the Massage Therapy certificate program, and are strongly recommended to obtain the Holistic Health Practitioner certificate. The opportunity for more academic studies is available in the Associate’s degree program.

Besides covering theory and practice of circulatory massage (which includes both Swedish and Esalen styles), Essentials students are introduced to Sensory Repatterning, self-massage, and deep tissue massage. Tai Chi, Educational Kinesiology, and the IPSB Movement series are also taught as support work for grounding, body mechanics, and energy generation.

Lessons taught in the Essentials class include:
Anatomy, Physiology, Hygiene
Massage Techniques
Body Mechanics
Ethics, Business and Legal Issues
Practical application (Supervised Practice)
Somatic Psychology
Support and Maintenance systems

Specific class dates and hours for Essentials and the Supervised Practice sessions are listed in each Quarterly Schedule of Classes.

Essentials of Massage and Bodywork
Choose one from formats below:

Winter 2010

B: January 19 – March 20

Tue/Thu6:30–10pm; Sat 9am–5pm
(First class meets at 5:30pm.)

C: Feburary 3 – March 26

Mon/Wed/Fri 9:30am–2pm
(No class Feb 15)

Spring 2010

A: April 06 – June 17

Tue/Thu 9:30am–2:30pm

B: April 20 – June 19

Tue/Thu6:30–10pm; Sat 9am–5pm

C: May 5 – June 25

Mon/Wed/Fri 9:30am–2pm
(No class Feb 15)

The 600-hour Massage Therapy Certificate Program meets the local City of San Diego educational requirements of 500 hours of training to become a licensed Massage Therapist and the California Certified Massage Therapist educational requirements. It provides a basic well-rounded education in hands-on bodywork techniques most commonly expected by employers and the general public.

Students must complete the prerequisite Essentials of Massage and Bodywork course before starting this program. Courses in this program include the Contemporary Methods of Massage & Bodywork, which expands on the basic information presented in the Essentials course, and introduces Asian Healing Arts and Clinical experience into the training. College level anatomy, physiology and pathology, client communications, business practices and ethics, an introduction to the advanced pain management techniques of Neuromuscular Therapy, additional study of Asian Healing Arts, and elective massage and movement classes are also included in the Massage Therapy program curriculum.

In addition, the program addresses the subjects covered in the National Certification Exam administered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB), a requirement for local licensure and highly recommended for individuals in the field of massage.

Program Objectives:

• To provide a basic well-rounded education in hands-on bodywork techniques most commonly expected by employers and the general public.

• To provide the necessary training to become a licensed Massage Therapist in the City of San Diego and a Certified Massage Therapist for the state of California.

• To successfully prepare students to pass the National Certification Exam administered by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).

• To blend the three centers approach from Essentials with the practical application of session design, anatomy, physiology and pathology, and contraindications needed to properly assess client needs and determine appropriate bodywork applications.

• To master the bodywork techniques and skills introduced in Essentials, introduce additional modalities to the students’ repertoire, and provide students with practical hands-on experience in a professional clinical setting.

• To prepare graduates to become successful independent business practitioners or employees in a variety of professional settings.

Certificate Course Requirements
600 Clock Hours / 52.25 Credits

The Holistic Health Practitioner (HHP) Certificate Program includes all the coursework required for the Massage Therapy program plus Essentials and an additional 285 clock hours (22.5 units) in course work. This 1005-hour program meets the local city of San Diego educational requirements of training to become a licensed Holistic Health Practitioner. In the HHP program, students begin study in a specialized area of bodywork. The required courses shape communication with clients, develop an analytical method of observing body language, view body structure, and create effective somatic vocabulary.

This upper level massage training grooms the student as a true professional prepared for a wide variety of practice, competent in one or more specialty areas, and able to contribute in a variety of massage settings including clinics, spas and private practice. Many major categories of bodywork are presented along with a selection of specialized certificate courses. The Holistic Health Practitioner certificate is the next step toward the Associate degree.

The Holistic Health Practitioner program is designed to be completed by full-time students within 7 quarters, by three-quarter-time students within 10 quarters, and by half-time students within 14 quarters.
Upon satisfactory completion of the training, graduates will be qualified as self-employed private practice therapists who can open their own massage therapy establishments and employ other massage therapists. Their training also prepares them to be advanced level practitioners in spas, health clinics, medical offices, chiropractic offices, hotels and resorts.

Program Objectives:

• To develop practitioners who can demonstrate competence in a chosen body therapy and possess a breadth of knowledge beyond this major area of study.

• To provide the necessary training to become a licensed Holistic Health Practitioner in the city of San Diego.

• To encourage students to expand their professional involvement in the massage and bodywork field, research, and the community at-large.

• To qualify graduates to become successful self-employed non-medical health practitioners who can open their own establishments and employ other massage therapists.

• To prepare graduates to be advanced level practitioners in a variety of professional settings.

Certificate Course Requirements
1005 Clock Hours / 84.75 Credits

Success in the body therapy relationship is determined by the authenticity and clarity of the therapeutic relationship, and as such, the program places significant emphasis on the student’s self-exploration and transformation. Intensive experiential components of the curriculum have been designed to aid the student in self-discovery, for only by knowing oneself with insight and compassion can a holistically-oriented therapist obtain the inner wisdom necessary to help others.

We have chosen three educational methods best known to empower students as learners:

• Dialogue means that teaching centers on discussion rather than lecture. Students are expect- ed to read the materials and come prepared to discuss them. The instructor’s role is to question, evoke, and assist, rather than pass personal conclusions.

• Dynamics of Personal Learning supports students in understanding and developing their personal learning style and brilliance. The Self-Directed Learning project is planned and organized in this course.

• Self-Directed Learning means that the student actively participates in evolving his or her course of study. Students have considerable latitude in selecting the content and the way the subject matter is approached and explored.

Degree Program Course Requirements
105.25 Credit Units / 1,230 Clock Hours

Certificate Course Requirements
150 Clock Hours

Prerequisites: Students must meet all general admission requirements and any prerequisites for any course in this specialization. In addition, students are required to have successfully completed the Contemporary Methods (A & B) courses and Anatomy for the Body Therapist (including Applied Studies) or equivalent.

The Rolf method of Structural Integration combines touch, movement and awareness to optimally organize the Whole Being in the field of gravity. The human body is designed to relate to the space around it and the earth underneath in a highly dynamic way.  We expand: there is an inherent, spring-loaded, anti-gravity mechanism in the body, which expands us in all directions – down-up, side-to-side, and front-to-back. Structural Integration supports people to unfold this innate potential. When we find this natural state of Expansional Balance we can release pain from its roots.  We develop grace, ease and efficiency on all levels.

The IPSB Structural Integration Program is unique among Structural Integration trainings.  It emphasizes the somatic scope of the work while remaining firmly grounded in the body’s physical reality.   Contacting the fascial connective tissues that envelope muscles and bones, Structural Integration uses the tangible and impeccably honest reality of the body as a door way to unfold the full potential of the Whole Being; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  To that end the IPSB Structural Integration faculty has developed the awareness and movement aspects of the work.  Students new to the field will receive a complete and sophisticated understanding of the work as it was classically taught by Dr. Ida Rolf, the founder of Structural Integration.  Professional Structural Integrators working in the field will refine and expand their skills, developing practical means to efficiently and safely unfold new levels of integration in their clients, and themselves!  The IPSB Structural Integration Program keeps the size of its classes limited In order to support each student to develop their full capacities as a somatically sensitive Structural Integrator.

The IPSB Structural Integration Program offers two certifications.

Certificate in Structural Organization

Successful completion of the Principles of Structural Integration allows a student to continue their training in Structural Integration Phase A.  This course is designed to train students in remedial applications, giving them powerfully effective tools to provide clients relief from many myo-skeletal pains and challenges.  Students become acquainted with the full Structural Integration process.  They begin learning posture analysis, as well as a plethora of hands-on contacts. Each class session includes lecture, demonstration, hands-on individual supervision by the faculty, dialogue on related readings, and supporting movement explorations.  Students are supervised in practice on each other. At the end of Phase A the student is awarded a certificate in Structural Organization and is encouraged to practice for at least 6 months before returning to take Phase B.

Certificate in Structural Integration

The Structural Integration Phase B course is designed to train students in the full Structural Integration process.  Students assist clients to activate their internal “anti-gravity spring”, releasing pain from its roots and unfolding their full potential.   Students learn to integrate core structures, as well as how to teach clients more effective movement patterns.  Applying of the Four Parts of Expansional Balance and client movement training each student works in class taking three clients through the ten-session series as originally devised by Dr. Ida Rolf.  Each of the ten sessions is presented with lecture, demonstration, hands-on individual supervision by the faculty, dialogue on related readings, and supporting movement explorations.  Students are taught how to use the National Institute of Health (NIH) digital imaging system. This is a powerful tool for learning posture analysis.  Students view theirs client photos to reflect upon and dialoguing with clients about their progress.

After the successful completion of Phase B the student returns to the classroom for 30 hours as a Classroom Aide.  The student’s role as an Aide is to return to their “beginner’s mind” by working with less experienced students.  Classroom Aides deepen their understanding of the work through the process of communicating about Structural Integration to others.  The Structural Integration practitioner is ultimately a teacher of movement that uses a “hands on” approach.  The Classroom Aide role provides this “movement teaching’ experience while being supervised by seasoned instructors.  Upon completion of the above stated requirements the student is awarded a certificate in Structural Integration.

The IPSB Structural Integration Program is an approved Structural Integration Training Program by the International Association of Structural Integrators (IASI, www.theiasi.org).  After successfully attaining the Structural Organization and Structural Integration Certificates (300 hours), and with the necessary prerequisites (350 hours) listed below, a student is eligible to sit for the international certification test issued by IASI.  Upon passing the exam one is acknowledged by IASI as a Board Certified Structural Integrator.

The IPSB Structural Integration program is designed to accommodate the needs of both the local and commuting student. San Diego International Airport is within 12 miles of the campus. The Introductory course, Principles of Structural Integration, is offered four times a year meeting for two weekends in a row.  The Structural Organization and Integration specialization classes are offered every Spring and Fall semester.  Class meets on Wednesdays and Thursdays for ten weeks.  Students can easily commute to the IPSB San Diego campus, allowing them keep their practices and life going rather that having to take an extensive hiatus from other activities to do their training.

IASI Exam  Additional Prerequisites

Seitai Shiatsu is a form of therapeutic bodywork developed by Master Kiyoshi Kato in Osaka, Japan. Its purpose is to enhance the circulation of the blood and lymph, and to maximize the quality of blood formation in the body. The technique combines the use of pressure on the tsubos (acupuncture points) with various strokes of massage. The therapeutic technique of cupping is also taught in this course.

Certificate Course Requirements
150 Clock Hours

This path provides preparation for therapists who desire to work in Private Practice or in an Osteopathic, Chiropractic or other clinical/medical setting, addressing a variety of allopathic physical problems, as well as emotional and energetic imbalances. CranioSacral Therapy is a gentle non-invasive hands-on modality that addresses every system and function in the human body. Its main focus, however, is on the brain, spinal cord, dural membranes, cerebrospinal fluids and the central nervous system. Being both deeply physical and anatomical it also includes developing levels of perception, awareness and subtle listening skills that fall into the area of energy work. Completion of this course curriculum gives students a deeper understanding of the inner flow and more subtle interrelationships of all systems in the physical and energetic body.

The focus of study throughout the classes will be to deepen and widen our perceptual awareness, enhancing our ability to listen to the body in neutral. This course expands on the physical and energetic anatomy of the body, the vascular, lymphatic and endocrine systems, bones and visceral organs. We will explore what it means and how it feels to hold sacred space not only for our client, but for ourselves as well and develop healthy working boundaries between client and therapist. Somato-emotional release techniques will be addressed from a neutral format, releasing emotions through the depths of dynamic stillness. The specialization in CranioSacral Therapy will also give students experience with an outside research project with individual client case reviews.

Certificate Course Requirements
150 Clock Hours