Built in Adobe Captivate:
CEU Course for Licensed Massage Therapists.
The Goal: Moving Massage Therapists from "Autopilot" to Culturally-Responsive Presence.
Most CEU courses for massage therapists focus on external techniques or client management. This project turns the lens inward.
"Present, Not Just Practiced" is a specialized learning experience designed for licensed massage therapists with 2+ years of experience—the ones who are technically skilled but sense a "plateau" in their practice. The course addresses therapeutic complacency: the moment experience quietly erodes presence, and the scientific reality that a muscle cannot release if the nervous system does not feel safe.
The Problem: The "Experience Trap"
Through clinical observation, I identified a pervasive "Autopilot Mode" among veteran therapists. High technical proficiency often leads to a bypass of the practitioner's own physiological "settling in" period. This creates a disconnect that results in practitioner burnout and diminished client outcomes.
The Solution: A Rooted Approach to Regulation
To solve this, I moved away from Western-centric models (like Polyvagal Theory) which often overlook the lived experiences of marginalized practitioners. Instead, I implemented I’sha Gaines’ Rooted Function Theory™ as the instructional backbone.
Key Framework: The FIVE BODIES™ Assessment I designed the curriculum to guide therapists through a systematic audit of their state using five distinct lenses:
Ancestral Body: Identifying inherited resilience and metabolizing historical stress.
Physical Body: Addressing somatic readiness and active "settling."
Emotional Body: Clearing the "stuff" and residue carried into the room.
Cognitive Body: Breaking autopilot scripts and mental loops.
Spiritual Body: Reconnecting to the sacredness of the healing vessel.
Skills Demonstrated
Tools: Adobe Captivate (Advanced Interactivity), Articulate Rise.
Design: Scenario-Based Learning, Variables & Branching Logic.
Theory: Rooted Function Theory™, The FIVE BODIES™ Framework.
Sole designer and developer. Full lifecycle from needs analysis through assessment design and publication.
4.0 Contact Hours. NCBTMB Approval Pending.
stay present
stay present
Built on THE FIVE BODIES, the course covers four modules:
Module 1 — When Did We Stop Noticing? The Complacency Problem
Module 2 — Your Nervous System Is the First Tool You Pick Up
Module 3 — The Pre-Session Ritual: Centering as Clinical Preparation
Module 4 — Reading the Room: Presence in Action
Includes case studies drawn from real client interactions, guided audio practices, knowledge checks, and a final assessment with certificate of completion. Currently in development for NCBTMB approval submission.
