Continuing Education Classes

CE classes at PNWSM are shorter and more flexible than the typical two or three day weekend CE class. Brian's home classes are limited to 6-8 students, and are more like tutorials, rather than large, formal, structured classes. The emphasis is on really learning and retaining the information, rather than just being exposed to it.

All classes are NCB approved (NCB #451040-09) and valid for NCB, AMTA, and WA state CE Credit. You will be issued a certificate at the end of class.

Treatment Massage for the Low Back Structures

Chronic low back pain is a major cause of suffering and is often stubbornly resistant to standard massage therapy. Learn specific and effective techniques to treat chronic back pain and the deeper connective tissue structures of the low back—structures that are often overlooked by massage practitioners. The focus will be on the sacrotuberous ligament, the iliolumbar ligament, the sacroiliac ligament and joint, and the facet joints. We will also be discussing the interrelationships between these structures and the muscles, fascia, and neuromechanisms of the low back.

Instructor: Benjamin Lee
CE hours: 5
Location: Ballard, WA
Tuition: $100

Upcoming Dates:
  • Friday August 13, 2:30-7:30pm Register

Muscle-Specific Deep Tissue Techniques for the Back

We will focus on some precise, muscle-specific Deep Tissue techniques for the back that are probably different from, but complementary to what you learned in massage school and elsewhere. The focus will be on releasing and unbinding the erector spinae, transversospinalis group, QL, serratus posterior inferior, lumbodorsal fascia, and the fascia of the trapezius, rhomboids, and levator scapulae.

Students who have taken this class have reported that it helped to increase their precision, palpatory sensitivity, and effectiveness with their back massages, and that they were able to integrate the techniques into their practices right away. Body mechanics will also be a focus of this class, as well as proper use of fingers and elbows to save wear and tear on joints.

This class is sponsored by the Therapeutic Training Center.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 4.5
Location: Therapeutic Training Center
Tuition: $90 (if registered by July 28)

Upcoming Dates:

Deep Muscle-specific work of the Anterior Neck

Many people learned in massage school to avoid this area, but it responds safely and well to skilled and precise touch. We will focus on the scalene, suprahyoid, infrahyoid, and longus capitus and colli groups. This is really helpful work for clients who have been in car accidents, have emotional issues with their throats, or use their voices professionally (e.g., singers).

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 3.5
Location: Ballard, WA
Tuition: $75 ($60 reviewers and BUSM grads)

Upcoming Dates:

CTM-Bindegewebsmassage Review

Bindegewebsmassage is a precise and elegant way to work with the body's dermatomes and autonomic reflexes to induce corresponding autonomic changes in specific organs. It is quite powerful, although it can appear subtle at first. It is very effective with menstrual cramps, eliminating or reducing symptoms over 90% of the time. It also can be helpful with reducing the symptoms of migraines and asthma.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 3
Location: Ballard, WA
Tuition: $50 (reviewers only)

Upcoming Dates:

Massage and Prostitution: What's Going On?

One of the great frustrations legitimate massage therapists face is the confusion in the public eye between massage therapy and prostitution. We like to believe that there is less of this confusion than there used to be, and that massage is much more accepted as legitimate therapy by the general public. The truth is that the overlap has actually gotten worse in one significant respect: there are more prostitution businesses fronting as massage businesses in Washington than ever before. Some of these businesses are engaged not only in sexual massage, but in human trafficking.

Come and learn why the problem has gotten worse and what we can do about it. Our instructor will be Butch Watson, LMP, a massage therapist and retired police detective who has been studying the problem for 3 years. The situation we find ourselves facing in Washington is a perfect storm of legal, legislative, enforcement, and economic issues. This class is a call to action—our response to the problem will need to be organized, nuanced, and multifaceted if we are to disentangle our profession from prostitution.

This class satisfies the new Washington State Ethics requirement, and fulfills 4 hours of the NCBTMB Ethics requirement.

Instructor: Butch Watson
Ethics CE hours: 4
Location: Redmond, WA
Tuition: $75 if registered by August 20th; $100 thereafter
Registration: Send check to Pacific Northwest School of Massage, 7511 25th Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98117

Upcoming Dates:
  • Wednesday August 25, 6:30-10:30pm

Understanding the Somatic Nervous System and Proprioception

When we are at our best in a massage, we are skillfully engaged in a conversation with our client's nervous system, including the autonomic and somatic components. In this class we will focus on the somatic nervous system, including proprioception, cortical-limbic influences, coordination, the gamma efferent system, implications for bodywork, and how to skillfully and effectively apply this knowledge in your practice.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 5
Location: Cortiva Institute Seattle
Tuition: $100

Upcoming Dates:

Deep Tissue Chest and Supine Shoulders

The chest is often overlooked as a primary contributor to back and shoulder issues, and is the source of our breath and our taking in of life. Learn and review simple but powerful methods to release the diaphragm, sternum, ribcage, and anterior shoulder girdle. Come prepared to go a little deeper, and to push and explore your edges a bit.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 4.5
Location: Seattle, WA
Tuition: $90 if registered by September 7; $110 thereafter

Upcoming Dates:

The Neuroendocrine System, Stress, and Massage

As massage therapists, we are sometimes looked upon as stress-management specialists-- our clients are looking for relief from their stresses, and we are trying to manage our own stresses as well. But what is this thing we call stress? And since it's not going away, how do we effectively work with it?

In this class we will explore the nature of stress, some of its paradoxes, and how to skillfully work with it. We will review the anatomy and physiology of the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system, how they respond to stressors, and why. We will explore some stress disorders caused by autonomic/neuroendocrine imbalance (they are rampant in our culture), and how massage and other factors influence ours and our clients' health and balance.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 6
Location: Spokane, WA
Tuition: $120 if registered by 9/15; $150 after
Registration: Send a $50 non-refundable deposit to Tim Gilreath, 730 N. Hamilton St., Spokane, WA 99202

Upcoming Dates:
  • Saturday October 2, 10:30am-6pm

Deep Tissue of the Iliopsoas, Diaphragm, QL, and Paraspinals

You will learn specific, potent, and effective deep tissue techniques to release the iliopsoas, diaphragm, QL, and lumbodorsal and lumbosacral fascia. These are straightforward, musclespecific techniques that can be immediately applied in practice.

We will then focus on some muscle-specific deep tissue techniques for the paraspinal muscles that are different from but complementary to what you learned in massage school. Students have reported that these paraspinal techniques have helped to increase their precision and effectiveness, and that they were able to integrate the techniques into practice right away.

Body mechanics will be a focus throughout the day, as well as proper use of fingers and elbows to save wear and tear on joints.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 7.5
Location: Spokane, WA
Tuition: $150 if registered by 9/15; $185 thereafter
Registration: Send a $50 non-refundable deposit to Tim Gilreath, 730 N. Hamilton St., Spokane, WA 99202

Upcoming Dates:
  • Sunday October 3, 10am-6:30pm

Nutritional Self-Care: Know Your Macronutrients

Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, and water. Good nutrition from a healthy diet is the foundation of any wellness program, especially for manual therapists who are constantly using their bodies in strenuous activity. Learn foundational information that will help you evaluate nutritional information more critically, and help you to better understand not only what, but also why a given food or nutrient is or isn’t good for you.

In this class, students will learn:
  • the major complex carbohydrate and sugar groups and their effects
  • how proteins and amino acids work, and why their composition is important to your health
  • composition of fats and fatty acids; how they relate to diet, health, and your choice of massage oil
  • what happens to the body’s physiology when macronutrient’s are consumed outside of the body’s requirements
  • sources, composition, and actions of soluble and insoluble fiber
Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 5
Location: Passages Retreat Center in Leavenworth, WA
Tuition: $120 if registered by 9/22; $150 after

Upcoming Dates:

Deep Tissue of Legs

The legs and hips are often treated by bodyworkers for the least amount of time in a session. Yet they support the upper body and are under tremendous compressive force, whether we're moving or stationary. In this class, you will learn specific, potent, and effective Deep Tissue techniques to release the gluteals, rotators, and the front and sides of the legs. These are straightforward, muscle-specific techniques that can be immediately applied in practice. Body mechanics will also be a focus of these classes as well as proper use of fingers and elbows to save wear and tear on joints.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 7.5
Location: Passages Retreat Center in Leavenworth, WA
Tuition: $150 if registered by 9/22; $180 after

Upcoming Dates:

Deep Tissue Techniques for the Iliopsoas, Diaphragm and QL (Quadratus Lumborum)

"The Core" is a popular term these days. You hear, "you must strengthen your core" quite often. These muscular structures support the core—they are integral to maintaining balance, structural alignment, ease of breathing, and the ability to function without lower back pain.

You will learn specific, potent, and effective Deep Tissue techniques to release the iliopsoas, diaphragm, quadratus lumborum, lower multifidus, and the lumbodorsal fascia. For each structure, several Deep Tissue techniques will be provided to give you multiple treatment choices when working with your clients. These are straightforward, muscle-specific techniques that can be immediately applied in practice. We will also focus on proper use of fingers, knuckles, and elbows for optimal results and to save wear and tear on joints.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 4.5
Location: Seattle, WA
Tuition: $90 if registered by September 21; $110 thereafter


Upcoming Dates:
  • Wednesday October 13, 2:30-7:30pm Register

Hydrotherapy Principles and Physiology and Banya 5 Field Trip

This course will focus on how the massage practitioner can strategically and effectively apply hydrotherapy in massage and in life starting with a review of the effects hot and cold hydrotherapy have on the nervous, muscular, circulatory, integumentary, and digestive systems. Following a survey of different hydrotherapy applications, course participants will take a hydrotherapy field trip to Banya 5, a Russian spa located in South Lake Union, to experience a 230-degree radiant-heat sauna, steam bath, hot bath, neutral saline bath, and a cold plunge.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 5
Location: Cortiva Institute Seattle and Banya 5
Tuition: $120 (includes entrance to Banya 5)
Materials to bring: Pen and paper, bathing suit

Upcoming Dates:

Deep Muscle Therapy Workshop in Hilo, Hawaii

Join us for a three-day NCBTMB-approved workshop in Hilo, Hawaii. We will focus on Deep Muscle Therapy techniques for the back, chest, iliopsoas, shoulders, and neck. Please download the registration form for more information or contact Shannon Cornwell at 800.557.5433 or s_cornwell@hotmail.com.

Instructor: Brian Utting
CE hours: 16
Location: Hilo, Hawaii
Tuition: $300 if registered and paid by September 24; $375 thereafter
Registration: Please download, fill out and mail in the Registration Form

Upcoming Dates:
  • October 22-24