Clinical Somatics

Believe it or not, almost right away. While you will not be fully Certified until completing the full course, the Clinical Somatic Education

Over the past 2 decades, the directors, faculty, and staff have worked hard to fine-tune our program to be the richest in experience and most efficient in training. The directors of the program have used their extensive background both in Somatic Education and education to employ the best teaching practices to offer the most powerful educational experience.

While the material presented is dense and rich, our program is also designed to be pleasant and “gentle”. Much as our clients' nervous systems would not learn from our somatics sessions if we caused them pain or overwhelmed them, our practitioners-in-training will learn best if their training does not saturate them beyond comprehension.

This is where good teaching and program design comes in. Our curriculum has been carefully fine-tuned and coordinated to build solid fundamentals each step of the way - making each new lesson just another building block in a process of smooth mastery of the craft.

Even our daily schedule is designed to allow for maximum comprehension, including sequencing academic and hands-on activities effectively, and allowing adequate lunch breaks and integration periods.

Clinical Somatic Education

Only certified practitioners are legally able to teach movement classes or provide sessions using the name “Clinical Somatic Educator”. Students currently participating in a recognized training program are able to advertise themselves using specific terminology which identifies them as practitioners-in-training.

In order to teach the techniques, principles, philosophy, and underpinnings of Clinical Somatic Education, one must have participated in specific programs which authorize and certify you to train new practitioners. This ensures that all practitioners advertising themselves as Clinical Somatic Educators are offering the same basic level of skills and competency to their clients.

First of all, there are no such programs available: there are no practitioners licensed or authorized in any way to train individual students in Clinical Somatic Education.

More importantly, the reason that no such programs exist is because one-on-one training is not the best training format. Every practitioner and trainer has her/his own strengths, advantages, and areas of interest. Therefore, to produce well-rounded and fully competent practitioners, our training offers a well rounded experience of the spectrum of Clinical Somatic Education competency. Medical doctors work with a wide variety of accomplished members of their field, giving them a larger pool of approaches to problems from which to draw in their own practice. In the same way, we strive to show as many successful approaches to working with clients so that our students are prepared to work with a wider variety of clients upon graduation.

This being said, please remember that even in the larger training classes offered at Somatic Systems Institute, the student/teacher ratios are carefully configured to provide the most effective balance of the one-on-one attention found in a small class or apprenticeship and the diversity and opportunity to practice afforded by a large class.

Yes, this is the only authentic Clinical Somatic Education training currently available. While other training programs may advertise under similar names, only Somatic Systems Institute is able to offer full certification in Clinical Somatic Education. The information and techniques you will learn in our training program is derived directly from the work of Dr. Thomas Hanna, and our curriculum was created by members of his original class.

The Somatic Systems Institute Professional Training Program is based directly on the curriculum taught by Thomas Hanna, and we have worked hard to maintain the core beliefs and techniques that he presented in 1991. However, over time we have adjusted and refined our program in a variety of ways to ensure that our students are receiving the highest quality education and support possible.

Educational Methods

Our training methods were developed by members of Thomas Hanna's original class, one of whom has an extensive background in the educational field. We use proven educational methods which combine lecture, discussion, and hands on work so that students of all backgrounds and levels of experience with hands-on work can become competent, capable practitioners. Additionally, interim assignments keep you engaged with the material when away from the classroom so that class time can be spent building on what you already know, rather than simply relearning what you may have forgotten.

We strive to present students with most up-to-date information available, so that their practice is based on the most solid foundation possible. We find that this knowledge allows students to provide extraordinary care to their clients, even long before their completion of the Training Program. Our dedicated Curriculum Development Team is constantly on the lookout for newer, clearer educational materials to explain the mechanisms and systems you will be working with as a Clinical Somatic Educator.

We further encourage and support our students in pursuing deeper study of pertinent subjects by offering an ever-growing selection of textbooks and resources to aid in your educational experience, and later, to serve as references in your practice.

We know all too well that between class time you may feel a bit isolated in your journey to practitionership. In order to combat this, we provide on-going support for all of our students for the duration of your training program &mdash and beyond! You will always find someone to speak with you about any issues you may run into during your training, whether it be a simple academic or technique question, advice on a more complicated case, or if you just want to chat with someone who's been through the process. We also offer group email lists so that you can easily communicate with your classmates, and online forums where you can gain valuable information from Clinical Somatic Educators of all levels. Our goal is to foster your community from your first day with us in order to create a strong community of professionals by the time you graduate.

Yes. This program includes both the complete Clinical Somatic Education training curriculum and the evaluation and examination processes that result in certification.

At the end of the three year semester process, when the student has completed all work required and demonstrated competency, full Certification as a Clinical Somatic Educator is conferred upon the student by the only certifying agency for this work, Somatic Systems Institute.