Professional Tui Na Massage Diploma

Mode of study: Weekend or weekday core units + 40 Fridays or Saturdays in year 2.

Point of entry: October (weekend or weekday core units) or March (weekday core units only).

Attendance: 6 days a month in year one, 10 days a month in year 2.

Course description: certificated professional course in Tui Na Massage.

Subjects Studied

Year 1

Point Location 1: This unit introduces the study and practice of point location and provides the student with awareness and understanding of qi in its practical and theoretical manifestations.

Qi in Practice: This unit looks at how Qi is developed and used through the medium of supervised exercises and bodywork, and through the observation of class clinical sessions with experienced practitioners.

Chinese Medicine Theory 1 & 2: Unit 1 introduces the historical background and modern interpretations of the theoretical building blocks of Chinese Medicine, in the form of Yinyang theory, Five Phase/Element theory, the Five Basic Substances, Superficial Jingluo meridian pathways and the Zangfu Pathologies related to Fire and Water. Unit 2 goes on to develop a practical understanding of the modern interpretations and therapeutic usages.

Practitioner Development 1: This unit encourages students to focus on the relationship between the therapist and the patient, using observation in the Teaching Clinic as a context, and with class sessions interspersed to consider the theoretical aspects.

Anatomy: This unit introduces the study of human anatomy, with an emphasis on the practical skills of surface anatomy, and on the terminology needed for an understanding of and communication in the subject.

Year 2

Point Location 2: This unit develops the study and practice of point location, to increase the student’s awareness and understanding of practical skills and qi.

Tui Na Techniques and Methods: This unit introduces all the basic tui na manoeuvres and moves on to cover special techniques, area routines and practical skills such as cupping, gua sha and moxibustion. Orthopaedic tests are covered as well as external herbal formulae.

Tui Na Clinic: This unit puts theory and practice together creatively to use a range of tui na techniques to look at complex disease patterns in Chinese medicine. It applies existing theoretical knowledge, reflective practice and practical skills acquired throughout the programme in the context of supervised clinical practice with patients in the Teaching Clinic.

Medical Qi Gong: This unit begins the development of students’ own physical and energetic self, their strength, stamina, sensitivity and internal qi through study and practice of Shaolin (yang style) qi gong. It goes on to work further to develop qi with Six Sounds (yin style) qi gong. On graduation students will be able to prescribe qi gong exercises for patients and project their own qi for healing purposes.

Chinese Medicine Theory 3 & 4: Setting out from the theoretical building blocks established in CMT1 and CMT2, unit 3 introduces the differentiation of patterns, including their relationship with the disease categories of conventional medicine.

Practitioner Development 2: This unit reinforces the work of PD1 to develop and support the student’s increasing professional maturity particularly with reference to experiences derived from clinical assistance.

Physiology and Pathology 1 & 2: These units look at the study of the biological function and the relationship between cells, tissues, organs and systems making up the body as a whole, looking also at the disease process and its effects upon normal physiological processes.

Qualifications:

• Licentiate Diploma in Tui Na (DipTuiNa)
• Membership of the British Tui Na Association (MBTNA)
• Membership of the Federation of Holistic Therapists (FHT)
• Membership of the International Council of Holistic Therapists (MICHT)

A non-refundable application fee of £50 is payable when you apply for a course at LCTA. A deposit of £500 is payable to secure your place when you receive an offer. Please note, your deposit is non-refundable and if you decide to defer or cancel your place on the course within four weeks of the start of term it will be lost. The application fee and deposit are both offset against your first year’s course fees, with the remainder of fees are due two weeks before the start of term. Payment plans can be arranged on occasion but a 5% charge will be made. This can be discussed further at interview.

All classes run for a full day from 9.30am to 5pm with lunch and tea breaks. The College is closed over the Christmas and Easter breaks. Timetables detailing exact dates of each class are usually available on enrolment but can also normally be given earlier on request. If your existing qualifications do not meet the entrance requirements for these courses you may be able to take the relevant units on a stand-alone basis at LCTA either prior to or concurrently with the course.

We also run regular study trips to China for final year students, graduates and practitioners to work in a Chinese TCM hospital in Hangzhou.