Educational Courses of Study

Preparation
for Rolfing® Training

Students must complete one of the two prerequisite courses: Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration (FORSI) or Advanced Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration (AFORSI). During both of these courses, the instructor will assess each candidate's readiness to begin Rolfing Training. Working individually with each student, the instructor establishes a mutually agreed upon plan of practice and review for the interval period between Unit I and Unit II.

Entrance Requirements
The following are required before beginning this Unit:

1. Documentation that the student is beyond the age of compulsory education via submission of one of the following:
   1. High school diploma or GED.
   2. Transcript documenting a minimum of 60
      semester hours from an institution of higher
      education.
2. Submission of a written two to three page personal essay describing how your life experience demonstrates your ability to follow a course of study through to completion.
3. Completion and approval of an application and required enrollment forms.

Objectives
This six-week intensive course is designed to provide the entry-level student with the essential skills and academic knowledge required for the successful study and practice of Rolfing structural integration. Students study Anatomy, Kinesiology and Physiology from the distinct perspective of Rolfing. Students learn guided palpation and touch through training in Skillful Touch, RISI's own form of clinical practice bodywork. Students also train in the essential dynamics and professional skills needed to cultivate and maintain professional therapeutic relationships with clients. The Unit I/FORSI lectures and demonstrations prepare students for RISI's Life Sciences Entrance Exam which all students must pass for acceptance into Unit II: Embodiment of Rolfing and Rolf Movement.

During Unit I, students gain experience and receive feedback on their touch skills and client/practitioner relationship skills. Initially, students learn touch and palpation by working on classmates. The final stage of this six-week course includes participation in a RISI Skillful Touch Clinic where students work on actual clients under the supervision of their instructors.

During Unit I, each student, in collaboration with the instructor, establishes an individual plan to maximize his/her learning experience during the three month interval prior to starting Unit II: The Embodiment of Rolfing and Rolf Movement Integration.

Class format
This six-week intensive course meets five days a week. Unit I: Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration offers an integrated and innovative approach to learning about the human body. Taught through well-illustrated lectures, experiential exercises and guided palpation, classes are designed to provide the optimal learning experience. RISI instructors emphasize the individual learning experience by providing each student with support for his/her specific learning needs. Students both study the foundation subjects as well as develop skills and knowledge in perceptual acuity, efficient body use, and quality of touch. After successful completion of Unit I and all other requirements, students are eligible to enroll in Unit II: Embodiment of Rolfing and Rolf Movement.

Following completion of Unit I: Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration (FORSI) students must document fifty additional hours of Skillful Touch practice. Continuing self-study in the life sciences is also recommended.

ADDITIONAL FEES

1. Cost of books ranges from $250 to $500.
2. Tuition fees do not include housing.
3. Life Sciences exam fee is included in course
   tuition. Retesting fee is $75.00.

Entrance Requirements
The following are required before beginning AFORSI:

1. Documentation that the student is beyond the age of compulsory education via submission of one of the following:
   1. High school diploma or GED.
   2. Transcript of a minimum of 60 semester hours from an institution of higher education.
2. Submission of a written two to three-page personal essay describing how your life experience demonstrates your ability to follow a course of study through to completion.
3. Completion of at least a 250 hour bodywork program. Students must submit an official transcript that shows at least 47 hours of Anatomy, 21 hours of Physiology, 45 hours of Massage or other approved touch training, and 15 hours of Therapeutic Relationship.
4. 50 documented hours of post-graduate massage practice experience or comparable clinical experience.
5. Completion and approval of an application and required enrollment forms.

Objectives
Advanced Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration is an accelerated class designed for trained massage therapists and bodyworkers who are interested in training at RISI to become a Rolfer. Advanced Unit I provides massage and bodywork professionals with the training and skills required to make a successful transition into Unit II: Embodiment of Rolfing and Rolf Movement. Through lectures, demonstrations, experiential exercises and clinical practice, students are introduced to new key concepts related to the mastery of the principles and procedures they will learn in Unit II.

Students are introduced to Rolf Movement Integration and trained in Skillful Touch, RISI's own clinical practice form. Each student is assessed individually, receives feedback, and develops a learning plan in collaboration with the instructor that maximizes their learning experience during the interval prior to the starting Unit II. An informative review of Anatomy, Physiology and Kinesiology is included in preparation for RISI's Life Sciences Entrance Exam, required for entry into Unit II: The Embodiment of Rolfing and Rolf Movement.

Class Format:
This ten-day (five days a week for two weeks) intensive course is an accelerated, in-depth survey designed to tap into the foundation skills students already have, while simultaneously instructing students in the new skills they will need to succeed in Rolfing. The dual emphasis here is on cultivating a new conceptual base and training students to transition their current touch and palpation skills to Rolfing. Students are challenged to explore and learn about the specific features and requirements of touch and palpation in Rolfing structural integration, including how it will expand and diversify their current skill set and professional practice. Upon successful completion of Unit I: Advanced Foundations of Rolfing Structural Integration and completing all other requirements, students are eligible to enroll in Unit II: Embodiment of Rolfing and Rolf Movement.

ADDITIONAL FEES

1. Cost of books range from $250 to $500
2. Tuition fees do not include housing.
3. Life Sciences exam fee is included in course tuition. Retesting fee is $75.00.
4. Tuition for regional trainings may be higher and course format may differ from what is described here.

PLEASE NOTE: Rolfing is not taught in Unit I. Completion of Unit I does not entitle the student to use the terms Rolfer or Rolfing nor does it guarantee entrance into the Rolfing training program.

Entrance Requirements

1. Successful completion of Unit I (FORSI) or Adv. Unit I (AFORSI).
2. FORSI students only must allow a minimum three month interval between completing Unit I and starting Unit II, both to complete the required fifty hours of Skillful Touch massage practice and for knowledge integration.
3. Passing grade on RISI's Life Sciences Exam.
4. Verification of having received the Ten-Series from a Certified Rolfer at least six months before the start of Unit II. This waiting period following the Ten-Series is to ensure the student's optimum integration of the structural integration experience.
5. Verification of having received five Rolf Movement Integration sessions from a Certified Rolfer or Certified Movement Practitioner prior to starting Unit II.
6. Approval of completed application and required enrollment forms.
   Please note: This application is due eight-weeks before the start of the Unit II class in which the candidate plans to enroll.

Objectives
The first week of Unit II focuses on each student's personal embodiment and understanding of the Principles of Rolfing as they are experienced in Rolf Movement Integration. The next seven weeks of instruction provide the student with the skills to recognize simple structural patterns in the body's form and in its function, to see structure in relation to gravity, and to achieve a working knowledge of the basic principles and theories of Rolfing and Rolf Movement.

Class Format
This eight-week intensive class meets four days a week. During this phase of their training, students will give and receive a Ten-Series of Rolfing and three Rolf Movement sessions. Lectures, demonstrations and clinical applications will provide students with a broadened perspective on the Rolfing experience. Students will integrate the structural and functional approaches to Rolfing, learning how to determine when each kind of session is appropriate. The subjects of fascial anatomy, efficient body use, client/practitioner communication, and structural analysis are critical to this phase of Rolfing training.

ADDITIONAL FEES

1. Tuition fees do not include housing.
2. Tuition for regional trainings may be higher and course format may differ from what is described here.

Prerequisites

1. Successful completion of Unit II.
2. Submission and acceptance of the written paper four weeks prior to the beginning of class.
3. Approval of the Unit II instructors.
4. A minimum three-month interval is required between completing Unit II and beginning Unit III.

Objectives
In this class students work on clients under instructor supervision. Upon successful completion of this course, students graduate as Certified Rolfers.

Class Format
This class meets four to five days per week for eight weeks. During Unit III students apply the knowledge and techniques learned in Units I and II to clinical and practical situations. Each student will perform the Rolfing Ten Series on two clients from the community, in the classroom, under instructor supervision. In addition, students will give "Post-Ten" and Rolf Movement sessions to outside clients, further preparing them for the diverse needs of a real-world clientele.

Ongoing attention will be given to students' developing efficient body use while working and improving client-practitioner relationship skills, quality of touch, and body-reading. Professional ethics and business skills are also taught in this Unit, along with public education practices, preparing students to develop an independent Rolfing practice.

ADDITIONAL FEES

1. Tuition fees do not include housing.
2. Tuition for regional trainings may be higher and course format may differ from what is described here.

Students who graduate from the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration receive a certificate that documents their status as a Certified Rolfer.

Once certified as Rolfers, students can continue to develop their Rolf Movement skills through this program.

Rolf Movement Integration is framed in the principles of Rolfing. It works with a holistic understanding of the body's function in gravity, honoring the client's ability to integrate with and adapt to his/her environment. The Rolfing practitioner works with a combination of touch and verbal instruction to guide the client's body towards greater ease, elegance and freedom of expression.

A fundamental value of Rolf Movement Certification is the significance of the client's full participation in and awareness in his/her own Rolfing process. Ultimately the goal of this integration is the grace that emerges when people sense themselves to be present with their bodies and their environment.

Prerequisites

1. Certification as a Rolfer
2. Member in good standing

Objectives
Building on the knowledge gained in Rolfing Basic Training (Units I - II - III), Rolfers will deepen their understanding of the relationship between functional and structural Rolfing and will acquire the skills to give a complete, integrated movement series.

Class Format
Rolf Movement Integration Certification Program is organized in two phases. Phase I is three days and Phase II is a15-day, three-week format. These classes are offered annually following the conclusion of Unit III's schedule for that year.

This training is organized around practical lectures and instructor demonstrations. Paired with a classmate in a clinical setting, every student both gives and receives a functional series of five sessions. Each then gives the series to outside clients, under instructor supervision. This training also includes practicums that focus on specific techniques, strategies and the observation of function.

* Additional prerequisites may apply.

ADDITIONAL FEES

1. Tuition fees do not include housing.

RISI is committed to cultivating academic growth and therapeutic skills in all of its graduates. To maintain their Rolfing certification, Certified Rolfers must complete a minimum of 18 days of approved continuing education over a period of three to seven years in preparation for Advanced Rolfing Training. If certified as a Rolf Movement Practitioner, Rolfers have up to nine years to complete their CE Credits and enroll in the Advanced Training.

Rolfers' continuing education studies can cover a broad range of relevant subjects. Certified Rolfers may take workshops in specific manipulative techniques or may explore other related subjects such as CranioSacral Therapy or Visceral Manipulation. Some credit requirements can be met through approved mentoring programs.

Rolfers receive quarterly announcements of workshops and training opportunities. This information is updated regularly. Click Here.

These continuing education requirements are among the many ways in which The Rolf Institute maintains its high standards and demonstrates them to the community.

Prerequisites

1. Certification as a Rolfer.
2. A minimum of three years in Rolfing practice.
3. Eighteen days approved continuing education.

In order to maintain affiliation with The Rolf Institute, this course must be completed within seven years of initial Rolfing certification, or within nine years if one first completes the Rolf Movement Integration training. CE credits must fulfill certain categories.

Objectives
This training emphasizes how to make more precise and subtle distinctions and how to recognize and manipulate specific kinds of motion restrictions, including myofascial, articular, and functional. Working outside of the Ten-Series is emphasized.

Class Format
Class meets four days per week, either for six consecutive weeks, or in two three-week segments, spaced three to six months apart.

The Advanced Rolfing Training is a forum for refinement and development of the work through a deeper examination of the diverse aspects of Rolfing, with Rolfers bringing their practice experiences into the classroom setting. The Advanced Rolfing Training provides a format for examining the energetic processes that are a fundamental part of the client-practitioner equation. Each Rolfer learns how to use these processes consciously and intentionally. The focus is on being able to meet the specific structural, functional and energetic needs of the individual client. Attention is also directed to these same aspects of the practitioner's process. This training is designed to bring a deeper level of understanding to the Rolfer and his/her clinical practice.

ADDITIONAL FEES

1. Tuition fees do not include housing.

Enrollment and Tuition Deposit
Once you have been accepted into the program, you must reserve your space by sending your signed enrollment agreement and deposit to The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration. RISI accepts major credit cards (MC, Visa, AMEX), personal and traveler's checks, or cash. (Do Not Mail Cash)

Half of the tuition for all classes is due two weeks before the class begins. The remaining balance is due halfway through the class. Students will be assessed a late fee of $100 if payment is received after the due date. Students may not begin any class until the appropriate tuition has been paid. Late enrollment is occasionally permitted, depending upon space availability.

Note: Tuition and fees are subject to change. Candidates and students-in-training are given as much advance notice as possible of any changes.

Returned Checks Policy
All returned checks will be assessed a $25.00 returned check fee.

Payment Methods and Terms
This information is listed in The Rolf Institute Enrollment Agreement for each unit of training.

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