Author(s): Gayle MacDonald

Complementary Medicine

Education is undergoing a vast transformation through the creation of new technologies. While the workbook/journal format might seem low-tech by comparison, it has an important place in acquiring knowledge and skills. A workbook is the original self-paced learning system.

Whether a practitioner is beginning to study massage for people affected by cancer or is deepening their practice, learning occurs through a number of directions: self-study, guided clinical lessons with an experienced teacher, supervised hands-on practice with clients, mentoring, and peer support via group interactions. Medicine Hands, the textbook, addresses the knowledge needed to work safely with these clients. Medicine Hands Therapist Workbook and Journal focuses on practicing with the information so that it becomes more ingrained. The workbook and journal uses the following types of activities to build practitioner knowledge: * quizzes * supplemental activities * awareness exercises * reflective questions * ethical dilemmas * touch exercises * case studies. Like Medicine Hands, the workbook and journal continues the use of the pressure, site and position framework as a core tenet.