What is a Movement Therapist?

Deciding on a professional title can be challenging, especially if you haven't pursued a conventional career path like Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, or Osteopath. 

These regulated professions come with specific degree qualifications that grant them membership in recognised Professional Registers (HCPC, GOsC, GCC, etc.), allowing them to use their degree name as their title. However, the scenario differs in the unregulated sector. 

To provide clarity, we aim to delve deeper into the role and skills of a Movement Therapist, assisting you in determining if it aligns with what you're looking for.

Movement Therapists are experts in restoring mobility and function in individuals impacted by injuries or pain. They employ a combination of movement exercises, hands-on manual therapy, education, and tailored advice.

Promote Health Across All Ages

Serving individuals of all age groups, Movement Therapists play a pivotal role in promoting overall health. They aid clients in pain management and in minimizing the risk of avoidable health conditions.

Empowering Independence & Longevity

Through their specialised guidance, Movement Therapists foster development and enhance recovery. This not only empowers individuals to continue their work but also equips them with strategies to maintain their independence for an extended duration.

Empowering Clients Through Education in Movement Therapy

Movement Therapy is a scientifically-backed approach, embracing a comprehensive and adaptable methodology to an individual's health and wellness, encompassing their overall lifestyle. Proficient in the latest advancements of Pain Neuroscience Education, these therapists masterfully translate theory into actionable practice.

Central to this approach is the active engagement of clients in their healthcare journey. By fostering education, raising awareness, and promoting empowerment, clients are encouraged to actively participate and customise their treatment plans.

Whether it's addressing back pain, recuperating from a sudden injury, preparing for daily routines, or gearing up for a sports event, Movement Therapy offers solutions for all stages of life.

Levels of Education in the UK - where we fit in

Movement Therapy is a higher education (HE) based profession - the key to higher education levels is the assessments.

We have designed an assessment process that is immediately applicable to practice.

Therapy education in the UK has long been focused on Levels and as you climb the levels the focus was on learning new techniques. 

Level 3: Effleurage and Petrissage
Level 4/5: Trigger Points, METs, Positional Release etc..

Much of the focus of the current National Occupational Standards is based around the outdated narratives of fixing postures, movement discrepancies, trigger points or fascia causing pain. These topic areas are engrained within the course material and in the assessment process. 

Say goodbye to... "We have to teach this for the exam but you don't do it in real life"

We delivered qualifications through awarding organisations for over 15 years but it meant that we had to teach and assess based on outdated information. This way of teaching puts new therapists at a disadvantage when trying to work alongside other medical professions.

We decided to move away from these awarding organisations so that we were in control of our content and assessments and this means we can immediately implement changes in scientific approaches to therapy and relay this information to our learners so they are being taught the most up to date information. . 

We have mapped the Movement Therapy Diploma to the National Occupational Standards at Level 5. At the end of the course you will receive the Movement Therapy Diploma and full Endorsement from the Sports Therapy Association. 

You will be able to join the STA as a full member and gain your insurance through Balens.

 "Movement Therapists use their knowledge and critical thinking skills to improve a range of conditions associated with the musculoskeletal system"

Global Expertise: From Therapists to Renowned Speakers

Comprising front-line therapists who've taught at the highest levels, our team of tutors boasts a rich blend of practical and academic expertise. We actively conduct lectures and workshops at premier conference events across the UK, Europe, and even extend our knowledge-sharing in the USA.

While we're dedicated educators, our commitment to private practice remains unwavering. Beyond imparting theoretical knowledge, we offer insights into our day-to-day clinical practices, ensuring a holistic learning experience.

With diverse roles spanning years, some of our tutors have had the privilege to work with elite athletes in professional sports settings. Yet, they also cater to the general public in their clinics, emphasising that while elite athletes might diligently adhere to rehabilitation plans, the real challenge often lies in addressing the varied needs of the broader community.

Bridging the Gap...

Why did we create the course?

The Movement Therapy Diploma was created due to the gaps that exist between clinical courses and those that are focused on soft tissue therapy as the primary modality.

There is clear benefit for some clients when they receive manual therapy but these benefits are often short lived and, on their own, do not empower clients to help themselves.

The Movement Therapy course is unique in that it bridges the gap between the soft tissue/personal training professions and registered healthcare. 

We understand our limitations and are well trained in identifying potential conditions that fall outside of our remit. We understand how certain pathologies can masquerade as musculoskeletal injuries/pain and have a safety net system in place to ensure that clients safety is always paramount.

The Movement Therapy Diploma has used the key modules from the Osteopathy, Chiropractic and Physiotherapy (MSK) degree programmes for its inspiration in putting together the 25 modules that make up the Diploma. 

The main focus for many other therapy courses is soft tissue therapy and whilst we teach this modality we focus more on the key, scientifically proven, factors that improve outcomes for clients: 

Case history taking
Empowerment
Knowledge of pathology
Clinical and functional anatomy
Clinical testing
Education
Exercise prescription. 

We believe that combining the manual therapy skills of Osteopathy/Chiropractic/Soft Tissue Therapy, with the exercise prescription skills of Physiotherapy and Strength & Conditioning coaching with the clinical skills of Osteopathy, Chiropractic and Physiotherapy makes a therapist that is perfectly placed to work with the regulated professions for the betterment of their clients.

The main goal of the Movement Therapist is to get clients back doing the things they love.

Know your limitations

We wanted to create a course where we can effectively communicate with both clients and healthcare professionals alike. 

By learning the key areas of pain neuroscience education (recommendations by the International Association for the Study of Pain - IASP) and systemic pathology you will have  learnt the same subject areas as covered on clinical degree programs. 

This is NOT to enable you to diagnose (this is the remit of regulated clinicians) but to understand the thought processes of a clinician so that you can communicate effectively with them.

Many of our learners want to improve their clinical skills but don’t have the time or money to go to University. They are also not usually interested in becoming a regulated clinician - they just want to be better therapists - this course will give you that.

Overview of the Four Phases

The course is split into 4 phases and each phase helps build on the experience from the previous modules. Our first module is an introduction to research methods. This is essential for anyone who is trying to find good information to inform their practice. 

To be good at clinical reasoning you must be able to read the literature; to read it, you need to be able to find it, once you’ve found it you need to be able to critically analyse it. It is then that you can decide whether it will inform your practice or not. 

This level of research methods is usually taught at Degree level but we embed the principles throughout the entire course, we will teach you how to find relevant research papers, help you interpret them and provide you with a framework for critical analysis.

You start to use the research and critical thinking skills from the pre-course module straight away in the Phase One assessments. Here you’ll be expected to search beyond the course materials and find information for yourself - critically analyse the information that you find and then apply it to the answers in your assessments. 

We cover the topics of pain and tissue healing - these are both essential areas to learn so that you can start to construct evidence informed treatments for your clients.

Phase Two is where you will examine every part of the body in detail. 

We cover all joint regions - Anatomy: Bones, Joints, Connective Tissue, Ligaments, Bursa, Nerve and Blood Supply for each region. 

You will have live anatomy education, continuously, every week via our FaceBook Group Learn Anatomy Online. With this level of detail to your anatomy knowledge you will then understand what a physical examination does, what structures are affected in certain positions. 

We also go in to depth regarding local and systemic pathology that effects each region so that you can identify when someone needs to be referred and when you can safely carry on with them. You will also learn how to create an evidence informed exercise plan for each area of the body. The aim of this section of the course is to teach you how to help reduce someone’s pain and getting back to what they enjoy. 

More importantly we teach you the signs and symptoms to look out for when things aren’t progressing smoothly and when they may need onwards referral. 
Once the client has passed through these early stages we then recommend you team up with strength and conditioning coaches so that you can then pass your clients on to them when your role is complete.

Phase 3 & 4 start to layer on specialist examination skills such as peripheral and cranial nerve testing as well as introductions to pharmacology and medical imaging, again, this is not so you can prescribe or interpret an MRI scan, but so that you know what the side effects are of the most common drugs and understand the benefits and limitations of certain types of imaging. 

Training at this level usually only occurs on degree programs. Once you have completed the Movement Therapy Diploma you will be one of the most evidence informed and analytical musculoskeletal therapists that you can be. 

What happens after?

Our graduates have gone on to:

  • Open their own clinics
  • Degree programmes in Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Chiropractic and Strength and Conditioning
  •  Masters level education in healthcare
  • ​Worked in the NHS 

or, and most commonly, carried on in their current role but with a huge amount of confidence with what they can and can’t deal with.

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