Esalen Institute
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Special Programs

The programs listed below are either part of an ongoing series, formatted unusually, or longer than the standard Esalen workshop.

28-Day Massage Practitioner Certification Training: An Embodied Philosophy

Month of November 16 - December 14, 2008
Vicki Topp & Tom Case

This month-long training in Esalen® Massage and Bodywork provides a minimum of 150 hours of comprehensive instruction in fundamental massage skills. Esalen Massage will be presented as a form of somatic learning and as a meditation for both the giver and receiver. Classes will include lectures and demonstrations, supervised hands-on practice sessions, movement, and experiential exercises in anatomy, grounding, centering, breath awareness, body process, pathology, self-care, ethics, and business practices. Special attention will be given to creating a supportive environment where learning can occur easily and a synergy between intuition, creativity, and technique can be achieved. This training is for those new to bodywork as well as practitioners wanting to add the Esalen approach to their work.

Following the successful completion of this program, students wishing to complete the certification process will have 6 months to document 30 massage sessions. Upon payment of a $100 processing fee, a California state-approved certificate will be issued. This is a professional training with limited admission. Applications will be reviewed in the order received and preference given to those who have previously completed a workshop in Esalen Massage. Early application does not guarantee acceptance. Please request an application from our office (831-667-3000).

CE credits available for nurses and NCBTMB practitioners.

28-Day Massage Practitioner Certification Training

Month of May 8 - June 5, 2009
Brita Ostrom & Dean Marson

This training is for those who plan to professionally pursue massage or another type of body-mind discipline, as well as for those seeking an in-depth experience in bodywork. It offers the big picture of the Esalen approach: an inter-weave of body-mind-spirit, sensory awareness practice, meditation, psychological aspects, self-care, and more. Massage will be studied as a tool for optimal well-being and stress reduction, as well as a valued component of transpersonal growth. The teachers distill more than a half-century of experience to offer 160 hours of comprehensive massage basics: centering skills, lengthening integrative strokes, movement and stretches, detailed structural work, and an energetically balanced approach to massage. Brief anatomical explorations will link each segment. Students will also have ample time for guided practice with each other. Body mechanics, self-care, and innovation will be emphasized.

Upon satisfactory completion, and after documenting thirty additional massages at your home site, a California State Approved Certificate of Completion will be issued. The certification fee is $100. This is a professional training with limited admission. Please request an application from our office (831-667-3000). Applications will be reviewed in the order received and preference given to those who have previously completed an Esalen Massage workshop.

The Santa Barbara Graduate Institute (SBGI) Embodied Psychotherapy Certificate Program in Relational Somatic Psychology

The Certificate Program gives participants a foundation in the leading-edge field of somatic psychology. It is designed to meet the needs of professionals and practitioners (educators, healthcare professionals, therapists, psychologists) as well as individuals interested in learning an in-depth somatic/psychological perspective. The Santa Barbara Graduate Institute (SBGI) faculty or affiliates teach all courses. An approved application is required. Complete the application on the Internet at www.esalen.sbgi.edu and allow one week for processing and for you and Esalen to be informed of your status.

This Certificate Program is a series of courses inspired by the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute somatic psychology post-graduate academic curriculum. Completion of six courses qualifies one for the Foundational Certificate; completion of nine courses qualifies for the Advanced Certificate.

Each of the segments may be taken individually for a certificate of attendance. The segments are offered every two to four months with the entire program presented in approximately three years. Graduate course credit is also available (see below).

SBGI Relational Somatic Psychotherapy Certificate Program Segments

The following segments may be taken in any order, either as individual courses or as an entire program.

Please note: The use of touch is always optional in each of these segments. For a more extensive description of each of the segments see www.sbgi.edu.

SBGI Graduate Ph.D. Course Credit in Relational Somatic Psychology

This program can also be taken as a more scholarly course of study which includes additional reading and writing for students who would like to earn graduate credit toward a doctoral degree program at Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. To use this training as credit toward a Ph.D. degree, students must first apply and be accepted in the Professional Specialty Ph.D. program at SBGI. Information on the Somatic Psychology Foundations Certificate and Ph.D. Professional Specialty Program is available on the SBGI website: www.sbgi.edu. For information or to register, call 805-963-6896 or email dharkin@sbgi.edu.

Please note: An approved application is required; contact Esalen for registration only after your application has been accepted by SBGI.

The Harvard Medical School Continuing Education Series

Esalen has been selected to host Continuing Education courses offered by Harvard Medical School (HMS) Department of Continuing Education. To reserve a space in any of these courses, you must first contact HMS at 617-998-5028. Only after you have reserved your place in the course through Harvard will you be able to reserve your accommodations through Esalen at 831-667-3005 (course fees and accommodations are separate). The courses, dates, and instructors offered during this catalog period are:

  • Enhancement of Peak Performance in Sports, the Performing Arts, and the Worksite (April 17-19, 2009) Daniel Brown, Ph.D.
  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy: Top-down and Bottom-up Processing and Integrating of Experience (May 1-3, 2009) Martha Stark, M.D.
  • Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain (June 12-14, 2009) John Ratey, M.D.

Harvard Medical School Accreditation

Physicians: Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Harvard Medical School designates the winter and weeklong Esalen seminars for a maximum of 15 and the weekend Esalen seminars for a maximum of 10 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists: The Massachusetts Mental Health Center is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. All weeklong programs offer 15 credit hours. The weekend seminars offer 10 credit hours. Massachusetts Mental Health Center maintains responsibility for the program.

Counselors: Massachusetts Mental Health Center is approved by the National Board of Certified Counselors to offer continuing education to participants. All weeklong programs meet the criteria for 15 credit hours. The weekend seminars meet the criteria for 10 credit hours.

Social Workers: For information on the status of the application to the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, please call 617-998-5028 or e-mail: infocme@bidmc.harvard.edu.

Nurses: Massachusetts Mental Health Center is approved by the Arizona State Nurses Association to offer continuing education credits to participants. All weeklong programs meet the criteria for 18 contact hours. The weekend seminars meet the criteria for 12 contact hours.