WHEN: March 8, 2027 from 9:00 am – 11:30 am MT through Zoom.
Zoom link will be provided closer to the event. CMMOTA Members will earn 2.5 CEC for this course.
COURSE OPTION:
Consent as a Practice: Working with Grief
Grief can change what a client needs from one massage to the next—and sometimes even from one minute to the next.
In this practical, compassionate course, we’ll explore how grief can affect choice, communication, boundaries, and a client’s relationship with touch. You’ll learn ways to practice ongoing consent that support agency without asking a grieving client to make every decision for
themselves.
We’ll look at changing preferences, decision fatigue, emotional responses, and those moments when a client says, “I don’t know—you’re the professional.” And we’ll explore how to notice without assuming, offer choice without overwhelming, and respond when grief shows up as it
often does—in unexpected ways.
These days, most people are grieving the loss of someone and/or something they loved. Creating a practice of ongoing consent is an important way you can support them You don’t need to have all the answers. You just need a willingness to stay curious.
No previous grief-informed or consent training is required.
Tanya Thomlinson, RMT
Originally from Winnipeg, Tanya Thomlinson lives in beautiful Calgary, Alberta. She holds two Bachelors degrees – in Psychology from the University of Manitoba, and Economics from the University of Winnipeg. After a career working in both the non-profit and corporate worlds, Tanya stepped away from paid work for several years to raise her family, and then began her massage therapy studies in 2016. After working at a clinic for a few years, she opened a home-based practice in 2021. Within the first year, Tanya realized that most of her clients were people experiencing loss and grief, who were using massage as a means of grief support. She felt called to work specifically with this population and niched her practice. With lived experience as a grieving person, a caregiver, and a grief support provider, Tanya decided to build on that with a Certificate in Grief Education from the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, which she completed in 2023. Tanya is a regular volunteer with the Rejuvenation Program at Ronald McDonald House Calgary. Tanya enjoys keeping active and fit in various ways like walking, strength training, and dance. She loves reading, binges true-crime podcasts like there’s no tomorrow, and makes the world’s best perogies, according to her family and friends.
Refund Policy:
Full refund 45 days prior to the event (less fees).
50% refund 30 days prior to the event.
No refund 14 days prior to the event.
