CORE* Bodywork Certification

(Noah) Steven J. Karrasch is certified by the National Certifying Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a provider of continuing education under Category A. He is also licensed by the state of Arkansas as a continuing education provider. Noah teaches many classes of continuing education for massage therapists and bodyworkers in the Midwest.

The CORE* Bodywork training and certification process is four phases long. There are specific goals for each class and to become certified as a CORE Bodyworker with Noah, all four segments must be completed. Levels III and IV have prerequisites. Most of these classes are held in Springfield, MO; occasionally in Little Rock, AR and Kansas City, MO. Various 6-hour classes are held in other locations:  Eureka Springs and Fayetteville, AR; Columbia and St. Louis, MO.

CORE I — The Power of Deep: a 20 hour class introduces the philosophy of CORE work, sharpens assessment skills, discusses in depth psoas muscle with palpation, works with Noah's Muscle Roadmap model, creates stretching cues for client and practitioner, talks about the quality of integration in bodywork sessions, and provides opportunities for practice both in partnerships and with outside models (you may bring a model at no extra cost). Students will learn a CORE recipe for one-hour session.  Note: This class includes elements of several 6-hr classes: Psoas, Top Ten Hot Spots, Muscle Roadmaps, Stretching. Some information will seem old to you if you have taken these classes. An alternate format will be to have taken two or three 6-hr classes instead of CORE I. Talk to Noah if you have questions about whether you qualify to bypass CORE I.

CORE II — Planning Your Work: a 24 hour class; suggested prerequisite is CORE I or 18 hours of other continuing education classes taught by Noah. He calls this class "Critical Thinking for Bodyworkers." In three days of class students observe, receive, and give a three session series of bodywork on models and on each other, designed around a framework of working with line and girdles of the body. The purpose is to teach students to plan their series, to be able to create goals for sessions within a framework, and to prepare them for the recipe of CORE III. Also included in this class:  review of CORE I, seated back work, front of neck work, and emotional anatomy.

CORE III — The Recipe: a 60 hour class over six days; prerequisite CORE I (or 18 hrs) and II. In this class Noah introduces his five series recipe and discusses the Ida Rolf ten session recipe and how it contrasts to the work we are doing. Students observe, receive, and practice Noah's five series and come out with a specific tool for addressing clients' body needs while enhancing their body awareness and understanding of self-imposed restrictions that can be changed. Particular attention is given to developing greater communication skills with clients. This class examines how health can be integrated into the lives of clients and students.

CORE IV — The Certificate: a 72 hour class taken over eight days; prerequisite CORE I, II, and III and by invitation only. This class is meant to be taken at least one year after III, with practice of the five series in between. It is for serious students who want to develop and polish deeper bodywork skills, and the class is guaranteed to change both the way you think about bodies and about the recipe for five sessions learned in CORE III. Those who have trained understand the value of CORE IV. The CORE IV certificate is not recognized by any governing or certifying body as a terminal degree; this training is for bodyworkers who seriously want to enhance their skills, not their credentials.

CORE V — though nothing formal is offered, Noah encourages any practitioner to pursue continuing education because there is always more to be learned.

Various 3- and 6-hour classes are also offered. See the CORE Bodywork Classes schedule for details.