Workshop for Teachers and Trainees:

Adapting Alexander Technique for People Living with Parkinson's and their Partners

The main objective of this course will be to learn about the particular needs of People Living with Parkinson's (PLwP) and to suggest ways to apply Alexander principles when working with this population. Our focus will be on how AT can help PLwP develop practical skills for self-management of motor symptoms such as balance, gait, falls and "freezing" as well as non-motor symptoms such as anxiety and sleep interruption, and increase their confidence and independence.

For PLwP, AT can greatly help them improve iADLs (instrumental activities of daily living) and provide hope by guiding them to an improved conscious control. It can also give tremendous support and a more positive outlook to the spouses and other family members and care partners of a PLwP.

Booking:  Register online  http://www.thepoiseproject.org/teacher-training-london

Some of the topics we will cover:

·      Definition of Parkinson's and symptoms

·      Current research in AT for PD

·      Report on THE POISE PROJECT AT for PD initiative and our recent targeted team presence at the 4th World Parkinson Congress in Portland OR in September 2016. There were 4500+ international delegates at this Congress and we want the AT community to feel well prepared to meet the demand when interest in AT is successfully generated amongst this population.

·      How traditional AT educational methodology can be adapted for this population and some best practices as recommended by AT teachers with expertise in the field

·      How to include care partners to support learning and increase retention of AT principles for PLwP, as well as to give them self-management skills to address the serious stresses of their own circumstances

·      Working with middle and late stage PLwP, particularly when there is cognitive decline.

·      Emotional and psychological considerations when working with individuals with a degenerative disease, both for participants and for teachers

·      The realities of financial concerns when delivering AT for PLwP and a discussion of how we can work together to find future solutions

·      How best to talk about AT to the medical care providers, allied health professionals, and research scientists that you may come in contact with in the field of Parkinson's disease and when advocating for AT for this population

Monika Gross is the Executive Director of THE POISE PROJECT, an independent nonprofit created in 2016 in the USA for the sole purpose of bringing the principles of Alexander technique (AT) to a broader population. Our mission is maintaining natural poise throughout all stages and challenges of life. Monika presented the model for THE POISE PROJECT in a workshop in August 2015 at the 10th International Congress of the FM Alexander Technique at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Her strategic professional development model draws on six years of research that grew out of her interest in facilitating broader access to the educational principles of AT through targeted initiatives, with "AT for Parkinson's" being the first. Monika has taught AT postural integrity and performance skills for over thirty years. She had her first Alexander lesson in 1976 at age 19, and was certified in 1985, training with Lydia Yohay (ACAT). Monika taught in New York City for 25 years and in Asheville, NC since 2010.

Email:  monika.gross@thepoiseproject.org           
Website:  thepoiseproject.org
Phone:  (USA) 1-828-254-3102 (EST)              
Skype: thepoiseproject