Deeper Dives: Live Online Courses

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If you are looking for the Zoom link to your live class:

1. The email sent shortly before the class will contain the link
2. The online platform from which you paid contains the link. You can access the platform here.

 

To satisfy requests from clinicians who want to know more about the work I teach through the Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders, I will begin offering live, Zoom-based 60-minute classes on specific topics or technique areas. These classes are non-credit (CEU)-based courses designed around the concepts introduced throughout my live and online seminars and the method of dialoguing in the shared decision-making model used. You will be able to participate live through Zoom, or view the recorded presentation at a later date.

Click here to register for any of the Deeper Dive Short Courses

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Introduction to the Deeper Dives: The Vocabulary of a Shared Decision-Making Model of Manual Therapy: Coming soon.

Dialoguing and conversation between patient and clinician in manual therapy vary widely. Some are taught to stay silent, allowing the patient to relax, process, and work through their process alone. For others, they are trained in a specific line of questioning and dialoguing to assist the patient in locating the source of their problems, for instance. Having been exposed to numerous perspectives, I saw few similarities in the words and purpose of that dialogue.

A foray into shared decision-making (SDM) significantly altered my teaching and treatment style. Instead of worrying about the correct technique or the precise wording I use when speaking to a patient, SDM gave me the freedom to improvise. But instead of needing to make all the treatment choices myself, this improvisation is one guided by my patient and me.

For many years, I’ve stressed the importance of the therapeutic relationship in all my workshops. However, getting a clear handle on the vocabulary of this interaction is somewhat elusive. This one-hour workshop will help guide you through this process.

Having a patient understand the possible impact of their participation is a crucial aspect of the work I teach in my Foundations in Manual Therapy coursework (in-person and online). This short course will cover how to incentivize patient input. It will also dive deep into the various vocabulary used throughout the process of manual therapy. My entire point is to “get to yes,” where yes indicates that we are doing something that feels potentially useful.

For those working from the historically typical “clinician-as-expert” role, such dialoguing and the need to expand their vocabulary may seem distant and unnecessary. However, adding SDM to any touch and non-touch-based therapeutic intervention brings the patient into the equation as their own expert.

Please join me in-person via Zoom on Monday evening, April 15, 2024at 7:00 pm EST (New York) or later on replay for what I hope to be an interesting journey.

 

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Deeper Dives: A Look at Manual Therapy for Voice and Swallowing – Free class with ASHA CEUs (ABIQ 2017)

A brief introductory online course for introducing the learner to how manual therapy can be utilized within the framework of the SLP’s clinical encounters. After completing this online course, the learner will understand the historical and current inclusion of manual therapy for related disorders in the SLP literature and experience self-guided hands-on examples of the work.

This will be a live Zoom broadcast, with questions and feedback encouraged. The recorded class will be available here if you cannot make the course live. 0.1 ASHA CEUs will be approved. There is a quiz at the conclusion of the short course.

Learning Objectives
After successful completion of this online class, the therapist will:

1. Be able to explain the historical roots of manual therapy in the SLP literature.
2. Be able to describe the disorders that may be amenable to manual therapy intervention.

Instructional Methods
There is a 2-question quiz after the online course that the learner must pass with a grade of 100%

Timed Agenda

10-minutes: Introduction of the history of manual therapy and appropriate diagnoses.
10-minutes: Comparison of shared decision-making vs. the clinician-as-expert model of manual therapy
40-minutes: Hands-on experiences

1.0 total instructional hours

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.

This FREE class will air live on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at 12:30 pm EST and will be 60 minutes long. It will available in a recorded fashion for those who cannot make the live event. You must pass the 2-question quiz to receive the ASHA CEUs.

Click here to register for any of the Deeper Dive Short Courses

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Monday, April 3, 2023, at 7:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). Join me live as we explore the neck region from a broad perspective. This course is tailored for massage, occupational, and physical therapists. SLPs, chiropractors, osteopaths, and others interested will also find value in this class. We will look at how manual therapy can build flexibility and functional strength/ability using multifactorial models of touch impacts throughout the neck region. This will be a live Zoom broadcast, with questions and feedback encouraged. The recorded class will be available here if you cannot make the class live.

This class will air live on Monday, April 3, 2023, at 7:00 pm EST and will be 60 minutes long. It will then be made available in a recorded fashion for those who cannot make the live event.

Click here to register for the Neck class.

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Deeper Dives: “Walt, what’s your beef with MFR?”

MFR (myofascial release) is a popular form of manual therapy, so what’s my issue with it? Though MFR was my entry point into the manual therapy world, most MFR models have deep problems validating their claims. Let’s talk about our biases.

In this free class, I’ll explain my past relationship with MFR, my honest opinions (and those of others) on the value of MFR, and why I’ve moved on. Contentious topics generate visceral responses from many in the manual therapy and massage world, but we all can occupy a peaceful place in the middle. Updating our understanding benefits everyone. Join me live or watch the video later. 

Click here to view the recorded FREE class

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Deeper Dives: The Diaphragm Region – Manual Therapy ideas

In this short course, we will briefly review the evidence for the effectiveness of manual therapy with issues relating to the diaphragm region, including breathing, GERD, and performance/pain. One of my more frequent sayings is, “Can you treat the diaphragm? Not without a scalpel.” I’ll discuss the rationale for such an oppositional viewpoint and then explore intervention strategies for improving flexibility and functional abilities (strength). As with all my courses, the approach will come from a patient-centered, shared decision-making perspective.

This class will air live on Monday, February 13, 2023, at 7:00 pm EST and will be 60 minutes long. It will then be made available in a recorded fashion for those who cannot make the live event.

Click here to register

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Deeper Dives: A Look Into Manual Therapy With Dysphagia

In this short course, we will briefly review the evidence for the effectiveness of manual therapy with dysphagia. Can manual therapy be a reliable adjunct to your current treatment repertoire? Does it have an impact on fibrotic changes? Are there simple ways to begin using manual therapy concepts with your patients? These are the topics to be covered during this one-hour class.

We will cover some of hands-on, self-guided exploration directed toward swallowing, so please be ready!

Click here to view the recorded class

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Deeper Dives: Tongue Tips

We will tackle the tongue in this first course of the Deeper Dive series. In the years of teaching this work, I have found that clinicians have difficulty moving on from the very basic handholds. With the more recent inclusion of the “Roll” tongue elevation sequence, you have many options to connect with your patient’s issues (tongue tension, pain, limited articulation, poor oral motor abilities, and other related dysfunctions). We will be reviewing the handholds and demonstrating modifications. In this live online course, you will also have a chance to interact live with me and other clinicians from around the world, where you can get your questions answered and dive deeper into using the shared decision-making model, now the centerpiece of the Foundations Approach.

These webinars are affordably priced at $30 (USD). If you cannot attend the live course, the class will be archived on my online platform for later viewing. These short courses are intended for those who have completed the Foundations in Manual Therapy: Voice and Swallowing Disorders (Live or Online). However, clinicians who have taken another class from me or are comfortable with manual therapy will find the courses helpful.

Click here to view the recorded class

Please be sure to check out the full live seminar schedule and the full 8-hour online Hands-On Course (ASHA and NCBTMB CEU Approved). That 8-hr class will be updated later this year, but purchasers of the current version will be upgraded to the new class/video at no extra charge.

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Future classes will include:

Neck Tips

Oral Motor facilitation through manual therapy

Elevating the Person in the Person-Centered Approach to Manual Therapy

Shoulders: Get Them Down (or Don’t!)

Lower Back Tips

And more!

Got an idea for a class? Let me know.

Shared decision-making in the manual therapy setting: Letting go of control. Free Course

What makes an intervention successful?

The answer to this question varies depending on one’s training, experiences, and beliefs. Some will point to the correction of tissue-based problems, others to improvement in function and strength, while still others will feel changing behavior was critical. All may matter, but one aspect of a successful therapeutic interaction often overlooked is the therapeutic alliance, including shared decision-making (SDM).

SDM has become a significant focus of my work and teaching, as recent evidence points to how it can improve outcomes and patient/client buy-in, no matter the intervention or model used. The value of building a successful therapeutic alliance dates back to 1957 when noted psychotherapist Carl Rogers questioned the efficacy of therapeutic modalities. He proposed that the relationship between clinician and client was critical in providing change rather than the intervention’s specific properties. SDM is one aspect of this therapeutic relationship-building process.

Over the past few years, I’ve transitioned my physical therapy practice and continuing education model to one that highlights SDM as a foundational pillar. I recorded a one-hour talk with references that I am making available for free to all interested. I hope to build an understanding of SDM and progress our shared therapeutic worlds forward from a clinician-as-expert operator model (Jacobs and Silvernail, 2011) into one where the clinician and patient/client interact as equals. This free talk speaks to the philosophy of SDM and includes practical ideas to help incorporate it into your practice. You can access this talk at this link.