News FOR and ABOUT the MEMBERS of FGNA |
Nominations Are Open: Be the Change You Want to See in Our Organization! |
2020 was a year of change, and your Board of Directors helped shepherd innovation and support to help members survive and thrive. With The BOD’s guidance, FGNA:
- Produced the first online FGNA Conference when the lock-down forced the cancelation of the conference;
- Introduced Zoom cafés for practitioners with speakers on topics ranging from inclusion to COVID protocol;
- Provided an online platform based on Rob Black’s original contribution for advertising practitioner online classes;
- Created a special Speaker Series to foster professional development;
- Protected our right to practice in multiple states;
-
Revamped the Practitioner Event portal on feldenkrais.com;
- Supported NATAB’s creation of a Pilot ATM® Teacher Program;
- Successfully built connections to other practices for a greater legislative leverage.
This is an exciting and challenging time to be part of the FGNA Board of Directors team.
We are ready to move forward - with new initiatives, new marketing ideas, new training possibilities. It's a rewarding experience to serve, helping our profession keep its integrity and mission.
What do you want from FGNA?
Become a part of the TEAM that helps us all realize our avowed and un-avowed dreams. You will work with experienced practitioners who are deeply committed to the advancement of our profession. You may discover that by volunteering to work with FGNA, your own practice will benefit. Join us!
Nominations are now open for FGNA Professional Members
Board of Director Positions – 3QTR 2022 – 3QTR 2025:
Director 2
Director 3
Director 5
Board of Director Considerations:
- Possess good listening skills.
- Work as a team player.
- Maintain board member profile and speak as a collective voice.
- Basic computer skills, a computer, and knowledge of Google docs and bandwidth availability.
- Attend online monthly BOD meetings, and additional meetings as called by the Board.
- Attend two face-to-face meetings, for the full duration of the meeting.
- Read all relevant shared documents, comment, and participate in the discussions. Read information and communication updates if not able to attend a meeting.
- Every Board member has individual portfolio projects, to include participation on appointed committees.
- Board decisions may affect this list in the future.
- Nominating Committee: Term: Jan 1, 2022 – Dec 31, 2024 Seat 2
- Nominating Committee Considerations
- Assist in soliciting and vetting FGNA members for elected positions on the Board of Directors and Committees
- Wordsmithing and letter writing skills.
- Familiarity with FGNA member profiles and interests
- Experience in organizing file systems and yearly tracking of committee correspondence and election planning
- Ability to work independently and collectively
- Availability to work under deadline as Annual Meeting date approaches
If you are interested and have questions or know someone who might be interested, please contact the FGNA Nominating Committee!! Deadline for inquiries/submission of paperwork before the Annual Meeting: August 23, 2021.
Thank you!
FGNA Nominating Committee:
|
Don’t miss the next Zoom Café!
|
Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 7 p.m. EST
The Public Wants Your Workshop!
Maybe you've considered teaching an all day workshop. Maybe you are just imagining the first approximation. But we hear from the public that comes to the website that they are eager to learn. This Zoom Café offers three different perspectives on teaching an all day workshop with three very experienced teachers: Bonnie Kissam, Prisca Winslow, and Nancy Neiditz.
Bonnie Kissam has been teaching online full day classes throughout COVID. An assistant trainer who studied with Moshe in Amherst, Bonnie brings years of expertise to how to organize material online.
Prisca Winslow is an assistant trainer with a thriving practice in Taos. She has done many weekend onsite/in person workshops and will share some of her insights and suggestions.
Nancy Neiditz is a physical therapist and long time practitioner (1994) who has done full day workshops for physical therapists on infant torticollis. She will offer her perspectives on working with the PT population with strategies you can apply to any population.
|
ATM® Pilot Applications Due By June 30 |
Applications for accreditation of pilot project ATM® teacher training programs are due by June 30. If you are considering putting in an application or need more time, please do not hesitate to contact NATAB before that date at natab@feldenkraisguild.com.
The FGNA Board of Directors approved requirements for up to six Pilot Project Awareness Through Movement® Teacher Training Programs in North America, preparing graduates to qualify to become FGNA Certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement TeachersCM. The purpose of these pilot projects is to offer professional training programs that will produce strong, competent and confident ATM teachers.
Click here for links to requirements, application forms, and further information.
|
Are you holding an event, workshop, or class? Please make sure that in your advertising or on your website that you are posting a disclaimer that states that anyone who is unauthorized to practice Functional Integration® lessons, Awareness Through Movement® lessons, or the Feldenkrais Method® of somatic education, or use FGNA service marks unless they have received authorization from FGNA.
Attendees who are not authorized to use FGNA service marks are required to sign a form that has been approved by FGNA
|
Spotlight On Legislative Advocacy! |
Your Guild staff and volunteers have been hard at work protecting your right to practice!
Kansas
A bill was introduced to establish licensure for massage therapy, but didn’t pass before the legislative session adjourned. Thanks to FGNA participation in the Joint Governmental Relations Committee (JGRC) of the Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Organizations (Federation MBS), the bill included the exemption for movement practices that Federation MBS member organizations support.
Massachusetts
S.221 and H.350: Thanks to the great work of our members in Massachusetts, we’ve successfully defeated efforts to remove exemptions and require bodywork licensure in the last three legislative sessions. But we can’t rest on our laurels. New bills seek to license the Feldenkrais Method and other professions as “alternative healing therapies”. FGNA members are working with Government Relations Administrator Andrea Wiener, Massachusetts liaison Misha Forrester and our allies, to prepare written testimony, contact legislators and testify in the committee hearing.
Minnesota
Bills to establish licensure of massage therapy and Asian bodywork therapy, were introduced in February 2021. The bills included exemption language approved by FGNA and our allies. The legislative session was adjourned before the bills could be heard, so they will be reintroduced next year. FGNA has been part of a coalition working with AMTA on the exemption language since 2017. FGNA member Lisa Walker has been working with Andrea on this since 2017, and is an invaluable and very strong participant in the process.
Ohio
Bills were introduced to amend the massage licensure statute. We didn’t have or need an exemption in Ohio because of the way massage was defined, but the bills would change the definition in a way that makes exemption important. Our members, staff and allies are hard at work to change these fast-moving bills. Members including Cynthia Allen, Samantha Damoulakis, Martha Gramss, Russ Hall, Suzanne Marshall, Melinda Murphy and Brian Shircliff have prepared written testimony, testified in hearings and reached out to legislators. When challenges emerged, they went above and beyond and contributed the lion’s share of funds that made it possible, along with contributions from other movement educators, to hire a lobbyist. The lobbyist hit the ground running at the busiest time of year. Along with strong testimony by Suzanne, Melinda and six other movement educators at the most recent hearing, this resulted in the sponsors and committee chair being willing to amend the bills to add exemptions, greatly brightening the outlook for the bills.
Vermont
A bill was passed in 2020 requiring registration for massage therapists, bodyworkers and touch professionals. Vermont practitioners Mischul Brownstone, Paul Erlbaum, Gillian Franks, Carolyn King, and Uwe Mester prepared written testimony and testified in hearings. Their participation resulted in a change to the bill, to exempt practitioners if the client remained in street clothing. At the last minute, this language was removed. However, registration is only required if there is “a reasonable expectation of privacy”. There will be a hearing and opportunity for input on the development of administrative rules. We’ll seek clarification in the rules that the definition of massage and bodywork in the statute doesn’t apply to practice of the Feldenkrais Method.
|
Have you Updated Your Profile? |
Make sure to update your photo and contact info on Feldenkrais.com. There are hundreds of people trying to find practitioners after the last Summit. You are missing out on new students and clients! It only takes a few minutes to add your photo and contact information. Don’t miss out on this member benefit!
|
And While You’re At It - Update Your Events! |
We’ve completely revamped the Events Portal. The new improved portal also offers many new options for members wanting to list classes. Just log in (remember it’s www.feldenkrais.com NOT feldenkraisguild.com) open the Member Menu and go for it. Remember, you can’t get students if they can’t find you!
|
FGNA Annual Conference:
Registration Opens Next Week!
|
Multiple presenters, David Zemach-Bersin, Elinor Silverstein, Chrish Kresge, Anastasi Siotas, Nancy Haller, Moti Native, David Kaetz, Annie Thoe just to name a few, will present new material on topic from improving your teaching voice to pelvic floor health to primordial connections to memory loss, and many, many more!
|
New Book on the Feldenkrais Method® of Somatic Education |
“The Feldenkrais Method® – Learning Through Movement” is co-edited by Feldenkrais® practitioners Staffan Elgelid and Chrish Kresge. It covers the Feldenkrais Method and the concept of somatic education on which it is built, where movement is informed by the conscious brain and nervous system. Written and edited by 26 leaders and experts in the field, the focus of the book is on the Method and its many applications. This book also shows how the Feldenkrais Method can be applied in a variety of specific settings. Contributors include Jeff Haller, Lavinia Plonka, Larry Goldfarb, Ruthy Alon, Deborah Bowes, Andrew Gibbons, Donna Ray, Elinor Silverstein and many others.
|
FREE Events Sponsored by the Eastern and Southeast Regions |
Chat with a Trainer - Ellen Soloway - June 20 - 2 p.m. EST
|
Write an article, create a podcast or an interview, video, or ATM® lesson and find new members of your tribe! Our publications reach over 3,500 audience members and could help you promote your name, area of expertise, and your practice. Please contact us at fgnacommunications1@gmail.com.
July SenseAbility and In Touch
SenseAbility (for general public): Healthy Feet with the help from Feldenkrais Method®
Publication Date: July 9
Interest Deadline: June 18
The foot is an intricate structure that consists of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles. Finding better whole body organization and weight bearing can have a dramatic impact on how well one’s feet are. Full use of your feet opens up new horizons of movement and Feldenkrais practitioners are well equipped to aid the discovery. Do you have a story about feet? An expertise? An ATM? Share it with a hungry audience.
In Touch (for practitioners): Promoting Your Practice
Publication Date: July 16
Interest Deadline: June 25
Many of us want to make a good living doing what we love, and this issue is dedicated to just that: how we can develop our practice to make a good living and how we can make our practice sustainable. Share your experience promoting your practice, using social media, creating a sustainable client base, and finding your voice in talking to your potential clients.
SenseAbility is the Guild publication for the public audience. Articles are a maximum of 1,500 words in length. Multi-media submissions are welcome.
|
Did You Miss The Last Issue of SenseAbility?
|
Back issues of the Guild’s publication for the public, SenseAbility, have been added to the feldenkrais.com site. Find the latest issue dedicated to TMJ and Feldenkrais Method® here.
And back issues of In Touch are also available for members. Check under Resources at feldenkrais.com.
|
|
© 2021, FGNA, All rights reserved
The following are service marks, trademarks, collective, or certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America in the US: Feldenkrais Guild®, Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais Method®, Functional Integration®, FI®, Awareness Through Movement®, ATM®, Guild Certified Feldenkrais Teacher®, GCFTCM, Guild Certified Feldenkrais PractitionerCM, GCFPCM, Certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement TeacherCM, CFATMTCM, Feldenkrais JournalTM, Friends of FeldenkraisSM, and FGNA Feldenkrais Method Logo.
The following are service marks, trademarks, or certification marks of the Feldenkrais Guild® of North America in Canada: Feldenkrais GuildTM, Feldenkrais®, Feldenkrais® Method or Feldenkrais MethodTM, Awareness Through Movement®, ATMTM, Prise de conscience par le mouvementMD, Functional Integration®, FITM, L'intégration fonctionnelleMD, Guild Certified Feldenkrais TeacherTM , GCFTTM, Guild Certified Feldenkrais PractitionerTM, GCFPTM, Certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement TeacherTM, CFATMTTM, Friends of FeldenkraisSM , Feldenkrais JournalTM, and FGNA Feldenkrais Method Logo.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
