Becoming a practitioner doesn’t only mean attending all the required classes. Practical Studies offer the opportunity to tailor the program to your needs while you are making the work your own.
Program Advisors
During the NMAHA Advanced Ortho-Bionomy® Program, the advisors’ role is to provide support regarding logistics of your training, to help with questions that come up along the way and to facilitate your process of learning Ortho-Bionomy. As Ortho-Bionomy is not a technique it entails understanding the philosophy of the work from within yourself as well as its applications with your clients.
Your advisors follow you through the training, keep an overview of where you are in the process and think about what might be important steps for you to take in your training as it proceeds. Your advisors can also direct you to people and resources relevant to your questions and/or schedule tutorial time with you as needed.
Open communication between student and advisors is appreciated as it is one of the key ingredients of the process. It is very important to have a clear mutual understanding of what this working relationship entails. Either Ursula Hofer or Christina Montes de Oca will sign any paperwork required by the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International as part of the
Advanced Practitioner Training process.
Tutorials
Tutorial hours of different kinds (sessions received, sessions for feedback, consultations) with NMAHA faculty are required in the program. You are also encouraged to do tutorials with other instructors as well since it is always helpful to experience different approaches to Ortho-Bionomy.
The expectation is that students will take the initiative in terms of the timing and scheduling of tutorials. On occasion an advisor may recommend that a student schedule a certain kind of tutorial to support her/his learning.
You may sign up for tutorials as soon in the program as you wish. It is a time to check in, see how things are going for you, address areas of your training where you might have questions, etc., in addition to receiving feedback about your work.
A certain number of sessions received, sessions for feedback and consultation tutorials must be done with NMAHA Faculty. Please see Tutorial Documentation forms for specifics.
Sessions received
Students receive Ortho-Bionomy sessions from Registered Practitioners or Instructors of Ortho-Bionomy to learn about the work experientially, and from the client perspective, and to learn how different aspects of Ortho-Bionomy are combined in a session. A typical 1 hour session counts as 1 session received/1 unit.
Sessions for feedback
Students give a session to an Instructor or eligible Practitioner for specific feedback on approach and techniques, to help pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and to hone practitioner skills. You are encouraged to think about what you would like to get out of this process before the session. Among other things, this supports your development of self-evaluation skills.
Consultations
These tutorials can be used for discussion of client – practitioner dynamics, philosophy and principles of OB, how OB philosophy and principles affect one’s own life etc. A student might also have questions about her/his work in relationship to a certain client, or just be feeling stuck or wanting the instructor’s input on some matter. A student could also use the time to observe an OB session given by the Instructor or by bringing in a client, and then having some discussion.
Consultations can be done in many different forms—in person, by phone, by email. A single tutorial hour may also be arranged in segments, e.g. several shorter time periods of 15-30 minutes. Students may also choose to share a tutorial hour with 2-3 other students, and also share the cost.
In the NMAHA Advanced Program, 4 hours of discussion are fulfilled in the Living Philosophy of Ortho-Bionomy classes (2 units each class) offered during the Relationships and the Synergy Modules.
Tutorial Fees
Students pay for tutorials in person or by phone, and for evaluation sessions. The fee for 1 hour is $70 plus Gross Receipt Tax of $5.56 at this time. Both Ursula Hofer and Christina Montes de Oca have a 24-hour cancellation time or you will be charged for the session.
Scheduling Tutorials
To set up a tutorial, please call or email at the following numbers/addresses to schedule:
Ursula Hofer: 505-984-1719, ursulahofer@earthlink.net
Christina Montes de Oca: 505-986-9939, c.montesdeoca@yahoo.com
Please request the amount of time and what kind of tutorial you are wanting to schedule.
Please suggest a few options in your schedule for time and day of the week.
We cannot typically respond to emergency situations or urgent client questions.
One unit of tutorial = 1 hour, and you may schedule and pay for smaller increments of time. You should specify how much time you want to schedule when the appointment is made.
Anatomy and Physiology
The NMAHA Program includes a 32-unit independent study course that students are encouraged to complete for review; even if they have already taken A&P. Students who already have sufficient training must provide documentation (transcript) to NMAHA. Students may choose to fulfill the requirement by taking a massage school A&P class or another class approved by the NMAHA Education director.
Documented Sessions
In the Advanced Practitioner Program students are required to document 100 separate sessions of Ortho-Bionomy®, and to include a minimum of one case study, which includes a minimum of 4 sessions. For details on doing case studies, please see the documented session section of the folder.
To count, a session must include a minimum of 30 consecutive minutes of Ortho-Bionomy. A session that is longer than 30 minutes will still count as one session. A student must work with a minimum of 20 different people. A form is provided for students to use for documenting their work. Documented sessions and case studies are given to your advisor for review.
Optional Clinic
Ortho-Bionomy Program students who are interested in working with clients through the NMAHA Student Clinic to fulfill all or part of the documented session requirement may do so after:
1. completing two modules (114 classroom hours)
2. receiving two sessions from a registered Instructor or Practitioner
3. completing one session for feedback with NMAHA Ortho-Bionomy Faculty member
4. completing one discussion tutorial with NMAHA Ortho-Bionomy Faculty member
5. completing NMAHA Clinic Training
Students who have completed 1-4 should contact the NMAHA Education Director to arrange enrollment (space available) in the Clinic Training.
Evaluation
Observed Lecture/ Demonstration
Students are required to give a minimum 1 hour public presentation of Ortho-Bionomy®, to a minimum of 4 people, as an introduction to their practice. The presentation includes history, philosophy and a demonstration of the work. The presentation is to be observed by a Registered Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy, or with your Advisor’s permission an audio or videotape that must then be reviewed by your Advisor. The observing Instructor or your Advisor writes a letter of evaluation that is presented to complete the requirement and receive credit.
Sessions for Evaluation
At or near the completion of the program students are required to gives three sessions for evaluation. In the NMAHA Program two sessions must be given to your advisors; the remaining session may be given to any Registered Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy®. Each instructor writes a letter of evaluation to the student to complete the requirement.
Evaluation criteria include:
1. the ability to apply the principles of Ortho-Bionomy physically and energetically and in the client-practitioner relationship
2. use of Phase 4, 5 and 6 techniques and/or other Ortho-Bionomy techniques as appropriate
3. coherent structuring of the session
4. appropriate communication and responsiveness to the client’s feedback during the session
Some questions to consider: Some time during each study group will be devoted to checking in with you about your program and your progress. Here are some questions to think about:
1. Why do you want to be an Advanced Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy?
2. What do you currently see as your strengths and weaknesses?
3. Where do you see yourself currently in your training?
4. Are you interested in any specific input or feedback?
5. What are your needs/expectations of your advisors?
For more information about the Advanced Practitioner training program:
Modules, Classes, Schedule, Tuition
For more information about Ortho-Bionomy:
Society, Practitioner training program, Trademark guidelines
