FAQ, Pregnancy Massage, Doula Training, Postpartum Doula, Maternity and Infant
Massage
What are the prerequisites to register
for the Maternity and Infant Massage Program?
Massage therapists are required to send proof of graduation (copy of diploma
and transcript) from a massage school training program (preferable an
accredited program) with a minimum of 500 hours of training when registering.
Specifically, registering students must a strong background and understanding
of client-centered services, professional ethics, anatomy, physiology
and kinesiology and a minimum of a basic understanding and experience
with a number of massage therapy modalities including Swedish, neuromuscular,
lymphatic, reflexology and acupressure techniques. (Students who do not
have a background in all these modalities should complete the necessary
continuing education or read suggested preparatory materials prior to
registering in this program.)
Space permitting, additional participants without a massage therapy background
may register in Modules 2 (DONA doula training) or 5 (IMUSA infant massage
training).
How long is the program?
Massage therapists register for the entire program, and students have
up to ten months to complete the six required modules which are scheduled
every month to allow students sufficient time to complete outside
assignments before proceeding to the following modules. Modules 1-5 must
be taken sequentially as each module serves as a foundation for the following
modules. Module 6's Community Internship can be scheduled concurrently
with other modules or after Module 5 in the last two months of the six
month program.
What is the cost of the program?
The cost of the program depends on the tuition payment plan that you choose.
There are several tuition payment options as outlined in online Registration
Form – $2,950 when paid upfront (a 15% discount) or $3,450 with
monthly payments of $575 over 6 months with 0% interest and the first
payment is due prior to the start of the first module's class and then
equal monthly payments are due at the first of each of the following 6
months. Payment can be made with credit/debit card, check or money order.
To speak with us about Financial Aid, contact us at the Cortiva Institute
location where you have registered to take the program. Our contact information
is on the Registration Form.
The cost of the program's required materials is approximately $130. These
required materials include the six required textbooks and a Cortiva Essentials
Dri-Fast polo shirt for examinations, community service projects
and internships.
What else do I need for the
program?
After registering in the program, students receive a program welcome letter
via email with more specific information about each of the following program
requirements. Here are the highlights of those requirements:
- Students need access to a computer and the Internet, as well as have a
working email address to receive program updates and complete the online
assignments after each module.
- Students are expected to wear comfortable, professional neat, clean and
modest attire and practice impeccable personal hygiene in class.
- Students are required to bring massage sheets and pillowcases, unscented
lotion and bed pillows to class for each module, as well as an infant
doll to Module 5. All other equipment is provided by Cortiva.
- Students invite a current client or another appropriate person to be their
client for practical examinations in Modules 1, 3 and 5. Out of town students
contact the instructor for the contact information of a local woman and
families who have expressed an interest in participating. Students receive
more information about required forms that women and families must complete
in the program welcome letter.
- Each module has an estimated eight hours of required assignments to complete
to receive a passing grade and before proceeding to the following module.
These required assignments include reading, online examination, practical
sessions and other online assignments.
How do I register?
Simply go to the Continuing Education
page and click on the Maternity and Infant Massage program registration
link.
Do I get a certificate when I complete
the program?
Yes, at the conclusion of the program, you receive a certificate of achievement
as a Maternity and Infant Massage Specialist with 200 continuing education
hours. If you are a health care professional who completes Modules 2 or
5, you receive a certificate of attendance with 32 continuing education
hours for each module.
Do I get National Certification
Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork continuing education hours
for this program?
Yes, at the conclusion of the program, your certificate of achievement
includes 200 continuing education hours that are approved by the National
Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. The program
includes 6 hours of professional ethics that meet the new NCBTMB professional
ethics continuing education requirements.
What is the Maternity and Infant Massage
Program Advisory Board and who are its members?
Our Program Advisory Board members bring their wisdom, expertise and experience
in massage therapy education, research and maternity and infant care to
help keep the Maternity and Infant Massage Program in tune and in the
forefront of current and evolving practices in maternity and infant care.
Patty Emmons, CNM, LMT is a certified nurse
midwife and licensed massage therapist. Since receiving a Master's in
Nursing and a midwifery certificate from Yale University in 1979, Patty
has been practicing as a certified nurse midwife and passionate women's
advocate. She has practiced in several out-of-hospital birth centers,
and served as a faculty member at the University of Colorado at Denver,
Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing, from 1982 to 1995 and then
held a clinical faculty position until 2000. She believes we all have
innate healing capacities which are enhanced by a sense of connection
with body, mind and spirit. During travels to Belize in 2001, she studied
Maya Abdominal Massage for women. Subsequently, in 2003, she completed
formal massage therapy training from Healing Spirits Massage School in
Boulder, Colorado. Certified in both areas, Patty now combines the practices
of midwifery and massage. Patty is married and has two daughters. Her
family enjoys wilderness canoe trips together every summer, and Patty
treasures gardening, knitting and telemark skiing.
Joel M. Evans, M.D., a board certified OB/GYN,
is the founder and director of The Center for Women's Health in Stamford,
CT, where he practices Integrative Obstetrics and Gynecology. A frequent
lecturer on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), Dr. Evans is
an Assistant Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's
Health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. In
January of 2001, he was honored as a Founding Diplomat of the American
Board of Holistic Medicine, and is recognized as the first physician in
Connecticut to be Board Certified in both Holistic Medicine and Obstetrics
and Gynecology.
Dr. Evans' book, "The Whole Pregnancy Handbook," published by Gotham Books
in April 2005, has been critically acclaimed by Publishers Weekly and
Bookpage.com. He has been featured in American Baby and Parents magazine
as well as interviewed on television and radio shows across the country.
Dr. Evans helped create a clinical study at Columbia University Medical
Center on the use of the herb black cohosh in breast cancer, which was
presented at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical
Oncologists and later published in their journal.
Dr. Evans is a member of the senior faculty of The Center for Mind/Body
Medicine in Washington D.C and teaches health professionals about the
medical benefits of relaxation therapies at The Center's basic and advanced
training programs. He also lectures about nutrition and supplements at
the Center's CancerGuides™ and Food as Medicine conferences. He
has a special interest in providing service to those affected by the tragedies
of war and terrorism, and has worked intimately with the F.D.N.Y. to help
NYC firefighters handle the many stresses caused by 9/11. Dr. Evans also
participated in the Center's Mind/Body Mission to Macedonia in 1999, where
he traveled to United Nations refugee camps immediately after the NATO
bombing to help Kosavar refugees heal their wounds of war.
Dr. Evans utilizes a wide variety of complementary and alternative therapies
in his own practice, blending the best of modern medicine with the wisdom
of traditional healing.
Michele Kreisberg, MSPT, CMT, RYT is a graduate
of the Boulder School of Massage Therapy and earned her master's degree
in physical therapy from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
in 2000. Michele has treated numerous women with serious unresolved health
issues stemming specifically from a lack of care and understanding around
women's health. Since 2002, she has concentrated all of her continued
studies through the women's health section of the American Physical Therapy
Association, osteopathic visceral manipulation coursework, and as an apprentice
to Rosita Arvigo's Mayan abdominal and uterine massage. Michele has created
a holistic approach to address women's specific needs combining fifteen
years of yoga experience with the science of physical therapy and the
art of touch. She specializes in menstrual and digestive problems, postpartum
health, fertility assistance, pelvic pain and incontinence. Michele is
committed to empowering, educating, and supporting women for a greater
understanding of their own health.
Christine Lark, MA, LPC is a childbirth educator
and psychotherapist. In her birth preparation classes, she works with
couples to enhance their ability to navigate birth with awareness, empowered
choice, deep connection and primal surrender. As a psychotherapist, she
consistently works herself out of a job, helping clients strengthen their
skills of self-awareness, compassionate inner dialoguing and self-leadership.
Christine is also a retired pregnancy massage therapist and doula.
Being a part of the Advisory Board for Cortiva's Maternity and Infant
Massage Program is a great honor. The program's content and structure
create the conditions for elevating birthing and infant care to its appropriate
level of importance in our culture. This has far-reaching implications
for the babies, mothers and families emerging from a Cortiva graduate's
care, not the least of which is a more robust sense of connection, trust
and empathy.
Paulina (Polly) Perez, RN, BSN, FACCE, LCCE, CD
is an internationally known nurse and public speaker. She graduated from
Texas Woman's University and is now President of CFE, Inc of Johnson,
Vermont. In 2001, TWU selected 100 nurses from the 10,000 nurses they
had graduated in the last 100 years to honor at their Centennial Anniversary
Celebration and Polly was one of the 100 nurses.
Polly was awarded the AWHONN Award of Excellence in Community Service
in 2001. She is a consultant to hospitals, universities and corporations
on health care related issues. Polly is also listed among the Outstanding
Young Women of America, Who's Who in American Women and Who's Who in American
Nursing.
Polly has always campaigned for patient rights and for family-centered
care. She is known for her exciting programs and books, always presented
with warmth, enthusiasm and wit. She draws on her experience in health
care to address issues that are important to families and professionals.
Those who have heard Polly speak or read her books are energized by both
her personality and her ability to make complex information easily understood.
She is the author of several books including "Special Women: The Role
of the Professional Labor Assistant," "The Nurturing Touch at Birth: A
Labor Support Handbook," "Doula Programs: How to Start and Run a Private
or Hospital-Based Program with Success!" and "Brain Attack: Danger, Chaos
Opportunity and Empowerment," as well as the video "Special Women: The
Role of the Professional Labor Support Assistant."
Who are the program instuctors?
Kate Burt has been in the massage therapy field
since 1993 after graduating from the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts
in Scottsdale, Arizona, and her career began working alongside chiropractors
in Sun City. Since 2000, she has been a lead instructor of pregnancy,
lymphatic and hydrotherapy at Cortiva Institute - Phoenix Therapeutic
Massage College in Arizona. Kate is a Certified Birth Doula and trained
as a Postpartum Doula with DONA International, and is a Certified Childbirth
Educator with the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association.
She is also a member of Postpartum Support International. Captivated by
emerging research on the benefits of infant massage, Kate completed the
Baby Touch course and now offers presentations to high school teen mom's
groups, health fairs, libraries and infant retail stores. She currently
manages In Due Time, LLC specializing in pregnancy and postpartum massage,
childbirth education, doula care and infant massage instruction. "Happy
moms make happy babies, and it's a wonderful life to be a part of that."
Penny Bussell-Stansfield is a Certified Childbirth
Educator with the National Childbirth Trust and has over twenty five years
of teaching experience in Scotland, England, France and the United States.
She has been a DONA International Certified Birth Doula since 1996 and
a DONA International Certified Doula Trainer since 1997. She is a graduate
of Cortiva Institute - Desert Institute of the Healing Arts in Tucson,
Arizona where she specialized in pregnancy massage, childbirth education
and birth doula services. She currently teaches pregnancy massage at the
Cortiva Institute - Somerset School of Massage Therapy in New Jersey and
is a partner in Hillsborough Massage Therapy LLC. Having witnessed the
power of compassionate, therapeutic touch during pregnancy and labor,
Penny is committed to empowering women to have positive birth experiences.
Working in many different cultures has profoundly affected the way that
she works with clients. With great respect for individual beliefs, ideas
and customs, Penny knows that childbearing women across the globe have
similar concerns and respond to individualized, compassionate care. "Our
relationship with these women may only last a few weeks or months, but
the effects travel through the centuries in the image that these women
have of themselves, their abilities and their worth."
Susanrachel Condon has been a New York state
licensed massage therapist since 1991 and completed her perinatal massage
training with Kate Jordan and Carole Osborne-Sheets in 1990. Susanrachel
served on the faculty of the Swedish Institute College of Massage Therapy
& Allied Health Sciences in New York City for ten years, and since 1994,
has participated extensively in their continuing education program. With
Shelley McGrew, Susanrachel was the co-founder and co-director of Niara
Healing Arts' Massage Education Program and Niara's Doula Service. Together,
Shelley and Susanrachel developed and taught Bodywork for the Childbearing
Cycle, a NCBTMB approved certification course for massage and bodywork
professionals. Susanrachel and her husband Richard Condon, a certified
Rolfer, produced a video, Advanced Pregnancy Massage Techniques, in addition
to a DVD program, Partners in Pregnancy, for couples and childbirth professionals.
They have also lectured widely as private consultants at conferences,
hospitals, birth centers, schools and spas. She was certified to teach
childbirth preparation, newborn care and breastfeeding classes in 1996
by the Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York (CEAMNY)
and served two terms as President of the CEAMNY Board of Directors. In
1998, Susanrachel graduated from the State University of New York Health
Science Center at Brooklyn Midwifery Program and is now a NY state licensed
midwife and ob-gyn nurse practitioner with a thriving homebirth and gynecology
practice in the Hudson Valley. Susanrachel holds a BFA in Art Therapy
and has additional training in birth counseling and counseling for pregnant
survivors of sexual abuse. "As a midwife and massage educator, I see perinatal
bodywork as a critical adjunct to prenatal care, which has become devoid
of meaningful touch in many clinical settings. In addition to obvious
physical benefits, restorative therapeutic massage facilitates women connecting
with themselves and their sacred physicality throughout the extraordinary
childbearing experience."
Amy Hopkins is an experienced Labor and Delivery
Nurse who received her BSN from the University of New Hampshire in 1996.
After a number of years working in hospital settings, her interest in
the holistic view of pregnancy drew her towards massage therapy. She graduated
with honors from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in 2001 and has
since specialized in offering prenatal massage, childbirth education,
and doula services in her private practice. Upon moving home to Maine
in 2002, Amy expanded her knowledge base further by studying and practicing
yoga. Today, she teaches prenatal and mom/baby yoga classes in addition
to her massage practice. Amy has been approved by the National Certification
Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork as a continuing education Approved
Provider and in addition to teaching with Cortiva, she has taught prenatal
massage at the Solidago School of Massage Therapy. "I am guided by my
passion for 'everything-pregnancy', and my strong belief in health education.
I feel massage is a gift - a necessary luxury - that plays an integral
part in the overall health of pregnant women and their babies. Through
the gift of massage therapy, I am committed to helping my clients and
students witness the wonder of this connection for themselves."
Michele Kolakowski helped
to develop the Maternity and Infant Massage Program - a culmination of
a dream to integrate the skills of pregnancy and postpartum massage, professional
labor support and infant massage instruction in one training program.
Since her graduation from the Boulder College of Massage Therapy in Colorado
in 1992, she has had the privilege to study with a number of maternity
and infant massage pioneers including Carole Osborne-Sheets, Kate Jordan,
Elaine Stillerman, Suzann Yates, Deanna Elliott and Carolyn Guenther-Molloy.
Prior to joining Cortiva, she instructed the Pregnancy, Labor and Postpartum
Massage Therapy Certificate Program and the Infant Massage Elective for
the Boulder College of Massage Therapy and has taught pregnancy massage
at spas and conferences nationwide. She maintains a small private practice,
Sanctuary Healing Arts LLC, and also serves as the Supervisor of Longmont
United Hospital's Health Center of Integrated Therapies. Michele is a
Certified Infant Massage Instructor with Infant Massage - USA, a Certified
Birth Doula with DONA International and a Certified Maya Abdominal Massage
practitioner. Michele is known for her passion and knowledge in this growing
specialty, as well as her commitment to excellence in massage therapy
education. "Touch has remarkable power during childbearing and infancy,
and it's a privilege to witness and teach the humanity of skilled, caring
touch that our world needs so much."
Michelle Larson grew up in Seattle, Washington
with a passion for health and healing. Shortly after graduation from the
Cortiva Institute - Desert Institute of Healing Arts in 2001, she found
her true calling - pregnancy, labor and postpartum. Michelle continued
her education in oriental medicine, acupuncture, Tui Na certification,
herbology and homeopathy at the Arizona School of Acupuncture. Michelle's
acupuncture research and master's thesis on the positive effects of a
simple acupressure protocol during labor to decrease pain, anxiety and
affect delayed labor was published in her article, Acupressure During
Labor and Delivery in the Spring 2006 issue of Qi-Journal. Michelle is
a Certified Birth Doula with DONA International and a Certified Childbirth
Educator with the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association.
She is on faculty of the Cortiva Institute - Desert Institute of Healing
Arts and the Asian Institute of Medical Studies in Tucson, Arizona. Michelle
was the owner of Catalina Foothills Wellness Center with twelve practitioners
offering massage, acupuncture, yoga to the Tucson community until its
eventual sale in 2005. Michelle now maintains a massage and acupuncture
practice for women and their families focusing on the unique needs during
the childbearing year. "It's an honor to work with women and infants during
this magical time of life and a pleasure to see the blossoming effect
as they grow from one phase of life into the next and moving through the
childbearing year."
Kelly Malloy graduated from the Cortiva Institute
- Brian Utting School of Massage in Seattle, Washington with post-graduate
certification in infant massage, doula training and pregnancy and postpartum
massage. Formerly an instructor and student advisor at the Cortiva Institute
- Brian Utting School, Kelly now manages full practices in massage and
birth doula support. Her motivation and passion is driven by inspirations
including Tiffany Field and Brian Utting, as well as the deeply satisfying
relationships she encounters with her clients and students. Studying with
teachers Kalena Babeshoff, Penny Simkin and Carole Osborne-Sheets have
contributed to Kelly's expanding expertise and skills while providing
an opportunity to give back to a community that has given so generously
to her. In her teaching with Cortiva, Kelly shares her passion for both
the massage profession and the specialties of maternity and infant massage.
"I am humbled and honored by the ability to contribute to our amazing
communities while also sharing in a family's joy of birth."
Shelley McGrew has been fascinated with the
mysterious nature of the body, especially the pregnant body, since early
childhood. She received a BFA in Dance from Arizona State University.
In 1990, she became a Licensed Massage Therapist and began teaching massage
and anatomy at the Swedish Institute in New York where she quickly found
her passion in doing pregnancy massage. Her practice was a perfect marriage
of the internal experience of the body learned through dance, the hands-on
experience of healing through massage, and the desire to educate and empower
through teaching. She formed Niara Healing Arts with Susanrachel Condon
in 1993, offering childbirth education, perinatal massage and labor doula
services to families. Shelley became a Certified Childbirth Educator through
Childbirth Education Association of Metropolitan New York and a Registered
Nurse. She has taught perinatal massage courses at Swedish Institute in
New York, and at Cortiva Institute - Desert Institute of the Healing Arts
and Providence Institute in Arizona. She has presented massage techniques
for midwives at the American College of Nurse Midwives Conference in 2004
and the Midwives Alliance of North America Conference in 2006. She presently
works as a Labor and Delivery nurse in Tucson, Arizona. "I hope for each
mother to experience her own inner strength and wisdom through birthing."
How can I download the Maternity
and Infant Massage Program brochure?
Download the
Maternity and Infant Massage Program brochure 
