Maier Integrative Education
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This 8-week live online course examines how the therapeutic relationship functions as a clinical mechanism — not the context for massage therapy, but a co-active part of it. Drawing on the Somato-Relational Framework (SRF), Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT), and the neuroscience of social pain, therapists develop somatic intelligence, relational competency, and structural awareness through guided discussion, case formulation, and somatic practice. Grounded in feminist psychology and informed by intersectionality, the course examines how growth-fostering relationships are shaped by mutuality, power, social location, and embodied identity — and how ruptures arise not from failure but from the relational field itself. Therapists leave with a structured framework for ethical, repair-oriented practice and a publication-ready reflection on their own clinical growth.
Who this course is for
Licensed massage therapists who want to deepen their understanding of the therapeutic relationship as an active part of treatment. Especially relevant for those working with complex clients or interested in trauma-informed, relational, or socially aware practice.
What you will gain
A clear framework for working with relationship dynamics in session, including rupture and repair. You’ll strengthen relational awareness, ethical decision-making, and develop a structured, publication-ready reflection on your clinical growth.
Course Objectives
Apply neurobiological and relational-cultural principles of growth-fostering relationships to scope-appropriate massage therapy practice, recognizing how social location and structural forces shape every clinical encounter.
Demonstrate working competency in somatic principles and selected techniques as tools for relational repair and nervous system co-regulation.
Use the C.A.R.E. assessment for structured self-reflection and scope-appropriate client case formulation, integrating intersectionality and embodied identity as clinical data.
Recognize relational disconnection and rupture in massage encounters and apply repair responses that are trauma-responsive, culturally humble, and within professional scope.
Construct a publication-ready professional development reflection synthesizing learning across SRF, RCT, C.A.R.E., and somatic practice.
Investment
Course is approximately 48 hours of engaged learning, translating to a time commitment of up to 6 hours weekly, including time for in-class and out of class work. Individual processes may vary.
A sliding scale, $300-$400-$500, is offered to support access to this 1-month course while sustaining this work. Please choose the rate that best reflects your current resources—no justification required.
