Webinar Description:

Children are incredibly fun to work with; they are vital, mobile, and tremendously present. This conversation will highlight essential principles for working safely and effectively with kids ages 2-12. Treating relatively-healthy children doesn’t require a whole new set of manual skills. Instead, we need to intelligently adapt the work we already know to meet the needs of young people. Because a child's system is so available, treatments tend to be short and immediate. This age group requires constant adaptation and improvisation, which is what makes it so fun (and sometimes challenging!).  

One adaptation is our assessment method. Typically, in structural bodywork, we use visual assessment at a distance (often with the client/patient minimally clothed). This approach can be tricky to use with children (power dynamics, vulnerability and even standing still/following directions). A simple, palpatory method for postural and fascial assessment will be introduced as a substitute. 

This assessment method reveals where tension and shear patterns are in the system, and is often perceptible — even to young children. This gives them information about their own bodies, from the inside-out. Children are often quite curious about their own bodies, and as a practitioner, we have the chance to empower them toward a healthy connection to their body. This can be one of the more gratifying aspects of working with children over time. 

Please note: We will not address specific treatments for children with special needs. 

About Lauren Christman:

A bodyworker since 1994, Lauren’s practice synthesizes structural integration (KMI), visceral manipulation and craniosacral therapy with adults as well as infants and children. In 2004, she became certified in KMI as a way of deepening her understanding of whole-body patterns and myofascial release. She is grateful to Tom for his mentorship and insights which allowed her to integrate the various osteopathic methods that have captured her attention for many years. 

As a senior faculty member, Lauren taught with Kinesis for over 7 years (2005-2013), both short courses and within the KMI certification program. Before and since, she taught advanced courses in intraoral methods, structural bodywork, visceral/neural mentorships as well as her approach to working with children: Pediatric Fascial Balancing. In early 2017, she expanded these offerings by taking over a 250+ hour Craniosacral Therapy certification program, which combines biomechanical and biodynamic methods. Teaching is a passion for her, one that allows her to explore all aspects of advanced manual practice, from theory and current research, to the keen methodology and process-oriented dimensions of transformative bodywork.