Social workers practice in partnership with clients in a variety of systems where needs are many and resources are never prevalent enough. Crises create short-term stress, which may become chronic stress for practitioners and clients alike. Such stress affects our body, mind and spirit. This workshop explores the effects of stress and the benefits of therapeutic massage in managing stress and encouraging overall physical, emotional and mental health.
Agenda:
Overview: My interest in Stress as a Massage Therapist and a Social Worker
Definitions of Stress
Signs and Causes of Dis-stress (handout)
The Physiology of Stress
The Therapeutic Benefits of Massage for Stress (handout)
Self-Care Massage (handout) and Breathing
Massage Resources (handout)
Learning Objectives:
Understand how environmental stress is an issue for clients as well as social workers, and be able to identify chronic vs acute stress
Learn about the biological and physiological effects of stress and its impact on how well or how poorly an individual is functioning
Learn the importance of incorporating a bio-psychosocial assessment in one’s clinical practice for the purpose of treatment planning with clients
Understand the patterns of cortisol, and how this impacts individuals and those who are diagnosed with depression
Be able to identify common stress triggers and how stress can impact individuals on a variety of levels, including physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioral
Identify three massage techniques and how massage can be an effective strategy in alleviating symptoms of stress for clients as well as social workers
Identify the three primary reasons individuals get a massage and be able to describe some of the benefits of massage therapy
Learn resources that can be used by clients and social workers to locate massage schools and therapists in their communities
Faculty:
Diana Alstadt, CAPSW, CMT
Diana Altstadt, CAPSW, CMT: Diana’s understanding of stress and social work derives from her own practice with the child welfare system, alternative education for youth involved in gangs and intimate partner violence. Having decided “why settle for some stress when you can have much more,” Diana left her child welfare position in 2007 to become part of the first cohort in UW-Milwaukee’s new PhD in Social Work program. Diana graduated from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy in 1994 and is certified to practice massage in Wisconsin. She currently works as a massage therapist at Massage Envy in Brookfield.