The concept of massage therapy using stones has been used in many different cultures for many years.Tribal Healers and Village wise women used rocks from the river beds and warmed them either in hot coals or hot water.  By placing the hot stones on cloth on the body and arranging them along the energy points of the body, this would help to relax the muscles and reduce pain or discomfort, and therefore support the healing process.

The placing of the stones is often followed by a holistic massage which proves to result in a deeper and more intense treatment as the heat penetrates the body and relaxes the muscles and the cold stones stimulate the neural pathways and circulatory system.

This 10 lesson hot stone massage course shows the student the history of hot stone massage to the modern day development and use of hot stone massage techniques and associated therapies. The course focuses upon practical massage therapy techniques that can be learned and practised by the student, either as a stand alone therapy in its own right or as part of a practicing holistic therapist’s repertoire of effective techniques.

The course shows the student how hot stone  techniques can be incorporated into holistic therapeutic  practice which will be  of great value to practitioners of both the body working therapies and also of pure holistic treatments.

Who should take this course?

The course is completely stand alone and is aimed at students who wish to obtain competence and experience in a practical hands-on therapy.

No previous experience is required as the course covers the appropriate basics, but students of holistic massage will find that this course adds another dimension to their treatments.Practitioners of other therapies will find the course very useful as it adds another popular treatment technique to their existing practise.

Lesson 1

• Introduction
• History
• Uses
• Equipment Required
• The Holistic Process

Lesson 2

• Massage
• History
• Effects
• Cautions & Contra-indications

Lesson 3

• Basic A&P
• Diseases and Disorders
• Massage Techniques

Lesson 4

• Working with Chakras
• The Stones
• Using the Stones
• Care of your stones
• Stone Placement

Lesson 5

• Different types of stone therapies
• Preparing to treat
• Establishing the correct environment

Lesson 6

• Consultation & Assessment
• A complete stone massage treatment
• Aftercare

Lesson 7

• Other therapies that can be used with Hot Stone Massage
• Expanding on the treatment
• Common Conditions that can be treated

Lesson 8

• Working with clients
• The first meeting
• Creating the right professional conditions and workspace
• The Hopi Therapist’s clinic
• Establishing the working relationship
• Ethics and Legalities
• Professionalism
• Client Confidentiality
• The Consultation process
• Maintaining Records
• Data Protection and disclosure

Lesson 9

• Practicalities
• Running a therapy practise
• Finding premises versus working from home
• Accounting
• The Law and you

Lesson 10

• Finding clients
• Advertising
• Working with private clients
• Working with corporate and public sector clients
• Expanding your business
• Continuing professional development

Supplements to the modules:

• Consultation sheet
• Client questionnaires
• Treatment record
• Example of case study
• Pre-treatment checklist
• After treatment checklist/ Handout
• Example of a leaflet
• Reading list

Students of the College are now able to purchase Hot Stone Massage Kits from the College. For more information, click here.

On completion of your course, you will receive two qualifications:

Qualification 1: Hot Stone Massage Diploma

Hot Stone Massage Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, entitling you to use the letters SAC Dip after your name.

Qualification 2: Level 3 Hot Stone Massage Award

At the end of this course successful learners will also receive a level 3 NCFE Award certificate of achievement. That means that it is independently accredited at a level of learning equivalent to level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (in which case GCSE's are at levels 1 and 2 and A Levels are at level 3).

This award has been designed by Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners' or employers' requirements. Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that this learning programme has been scrutinised and approved by an independent panel of experienced educational professionals and is quality audited biannually by NCFE.

This course is currently only available to be studied via the traditional paper-based method.

Please click on the logo below to view a few sample pages of the course materials we provide. Whilst this is only a few sample pages, we do hope that it will give you some idea of the quality of the materials we provide. If you have anymore queries in relation to the course materials, please feel free to contact one of our friendly course advisors who will be more than happy to deal with any queries that you may have.

Click to View

At the end of the course you will receive an award issued by Stonebridge Associated College, and also gain full awarding body accreditation for the course.

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 160 hrs.

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

What's Included

• All study materials
• Study Guide
• Full Tutor and Admin support
• The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).

What is NCFE

NCFE is the UK's longest established awarding body, recognised as a highly professional and responsive organisation, committed to maintaining excellent customer service and a friendly approach.

NCFE is recognised as an awarding body by the qualification regulators ('regulators') for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The regulators are the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) in Wales and the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland.

Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that the college has been inspected and approved by an independent and experienced education professional and is quality audited biannually by NCFE. The centre delivering the programmes has been licensed by NCFE on the basis of its own quality systems. At the end of an accredited course, successful learners will also receive an NCFE Award certificate of achievement.

For more information on this award, click here

About the author of the course

The author of the course has earned  Professional qualifications in Holistic Massage, Anatomy and Physiology, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Professional Relaxation,  Acupressure, Hypnotherapy, Indian Head Massage, Thai Massage, Auricular Thermotherapy, Facial Massage, Hot Stone Massage , NLP, Life Coaching and CBT and Business Studies .

She is a member of Embody and AMED.She has worked as a Holistic Therapist for a number of years and headed up several holistic treatment departments for NHS drug treatment services.

She currently manages a Holistic and Beauty Therapy educational unit and teaches Anatomy and Physiology and Business Studies for ITEC and runs her own Life Change practice.

Below you will find a list of courses that previous students have taken to complement their course. We hope that this list will give you some idea of the types of progression courses we offer, or alternative course options that may be of interest to you.

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