The Anat Baniel Method for Children (ABM): A Hands on Experiential Workshop for Parents and Professionals

Presented by Josie Davenport LMT, LCSW. and Cherly Eichner, P.T.

Date: September 17th, Friday 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00-6:00 p.m. and Sunday 9:00-6:00 p.m. offering 18 CEU's to Licensed Massage Therapists, Nurses and Physical Therapists. Register

Josie Davenport, LMT LCSW ABMC An Anat Baniel Method Practitioner(sm) and a Feldenkrais Practitioner with years of advanced training and experience, Josie is dedicated to making differences in the lives of children who are born with disabilities and with their families. In the same way, Josie teaches Elders and Professionals how to use these state-of-the-art paradoxical movement lessons to create changes in previous areas of pain and discomfort

Cheryl Eichner, PT ABMC An Anat Baniel Method(sm)Practitioner, Cheryl has been an assistant trainer in the Anat Baniel Method for several years. Cheryl has a busy practice in the Palo Alto, CA area where she specializes in working with children with neurological and learning disabilities. Cheryl is dedicated to empowering parents by teaching them how to understand and support their child's learning and progress and by supervising ABM practitioners.

Course Description:

The Anat Baniel Method (ABM) has been shown to be clinically effective for over 30 years for helping children with special needs upgrade their capacity for learning new movement options, emotional regulation and cognition. "With the Anat Baniel Method (ABM), a very different approach is taken. Rather than focus on the limitations and try to directly fix the presenting problem on the level of muscle, bone, joints, and soft tissue, the focus is shifted to where the most powerful solutions actually lie - with the brain." (Anat Baniel, Massage & Bodywork Magazine, Dec-Jan 2007)

With the ABM, instead of asking a child to do directly what is already difficult or impossible for them to do, we perceive and find the components and incremental steps that are necessary to build the skill. For example, children begin building the skills for the coordination of rolling up to sit, sitting, crawling and walking - while on their backs, bellies and side-lying - before they actually sit up. In this method, we do lessons in different positions and configurations to help build those components needed for later skills and to generalize their learning process.

There are two modalities for learning in the Anat Baniel Method(sm): transformational movement lessons(TML) and functional synthesis(FS). These are the same lessons delivered two different ways, by guiding verbally or through gentle touch contact. There are more than a thousand movement lessons, many of which are developmentally based, which support and enhance a diversity of dynamic movements. In this workshop, you will experience a group of these lessons, first as movement lessons and then as hands-on skills that directly correlate with those lessons. Participants are taught to pay attention to small differences which can be enhanced comfortably into larger easy movements that may not have been options even a half hour earlier.

• Learn the 9 essentials for lifelong vitality
• Experience brain-changing movement lessons
• Learn about neuro-plasticity and it's relevance to children with disabilities
• Observe children receiving lessons from experienced ABM practitioners
• Learn hands-on techniques based on the Anat Baniel Method(sm)
• Enjoy the learning process

Cost: $275.00 in advance(due by August 17th) and $325.00 (August 18th to September 17th 2010) Register

Parents please note: Part of Day 2(Sat. Sept. 18th) will be a Free Children's Clinic. This clinic will be observed by workshop participants.

Cheryl Eichner will be working with children for several days during the week following the workshop (Sept. 21,22,23) If you would like to schedule lessons for your child please let her know as far in advance as possible.