Swiss Osteopathic Center for Kids Training Program – SOCK Module 14

“ Learn from yesterday,
Live for today,
Hope for tomorrow.
The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
Albert Einstein

Dear Friends,

Together with Dr. Jealous we founded the clinic and the training program in 2006, with a whole team of dedicated Osteopaths sharing the same ideal, serving children and their Health.

We started our program that has grown to be a wonderful “meeting place” for Osteopaths from all over the world to share, learn and treat children together. There are today SOCK Clinics and training programs in many countries and many Osteopaths were granted a Diploma in Pediatric Osteopathy. The courses are designed to enable registered Osteopaths to develop into safe and proficient pediatric practitioners with high–level critical reasoning and practical treatment skills. It secures their knowledge base, and makes them aware of its limitations.

Our program for this new Osteopathic Treatment of Children has been assembled with Love. The program will give you the opportunity to learn and work with some great teachers from all over the world. All of them having years of experience treating children. All the teaching units in this program are being led by osteopathic experts committed in service to the treatment of families and children. It is the first time that so many teachers and students of Osteopathy have worked together to build up one curriculum, which will serve as a reference in pediatric osteopathic medicine.

The curriculum is based on the biodynamic model as designed by James Jealous D.O. The fundamental courses will be given by Werner Van Camp D.O., who has been a personal friend and student of Dr. Jealous for many years. Additionally, members of the Biodynamics Faculty and of the SOCK Faculty, will present the study of the Osteopathic approach of the treatment of children. Supportive assessment will be given through sharing in the teaching clinic, adding depth and continuity to learning.

Teaching topics will include:

• An osteopathic approach to pre-conception care, to include issues of fertility and assisted conception.
• Ante natal care, of mother and baby. To include issues of fetal positioning, and self help measures for labor and delivery.
• Birthing and Issues arising from fetal “malpresentation.”
• Case history taking appropriate to the child.
• Engaging children and the family in a clinical/treatment setting, to include appropriate use of language and “management” of the complex presentation.
• Osteopathic and clinical assessment of the newborn, pre-school, school and adolescent child.
• Osteopathic differential diagnosis on children from newborn until the age of 18.
• Assessment and osteopathic management of respiratory presentations in children.
• Assessment and osteopathic management of infectious presentations in children.
• Assessment and osteopathic management of orthopedic presentations in children.
• Assessment and osteopathic management of neurological presentations in children.
• Assessment and osteopathic management of trauma related issues in children.
• Assessment and osteopathic management of congenital/genetic issues in children.
• Failure to thrive and growth and development issues in children.
• Osteopathic support of the premature child.
• Osteopathic approaches in behavioral issues.
• Osteopathic treatment principles appropriate to the engagement of children.

All of these topics will form a significant part of the teaching, both at a lecture and hands on level in the clinic. When necessary, topics will be taught on a body system basis i.e. respiratory, orthopedic, neurological, etc. However, the intention of the course is to re-awaken the soul of the Osteopath, working from the form of Dr Still’s simple but profound principles, to allow the Osteopath to engage disease in whatever form it may present in the child. Students will take benefit of many years and thousands of treatments of experience from the teachers and colleagues. It will provide students a tremendous foundation to welcome and help children and their families in their daily practices.

The program is presented in a form of three 4-day modules a year. This training program since its creation is unique in the world of osteopathic treatment for children and was the first of its kind. Woven around a practical day of treatment of patients in our children’s clinic will be some 20 hours of lecturing, reflective learning, study and time to explore the subtle nature of the exchange between Osteopath and child. Completion of the entire curriculum will take 6 years. This may seem long, but there is a lot to study and experience together and “time goes fast if you have fun” as our actual participants say. The schedule and timetabling for the teaching has been set at a tempo designed to maximize the learning potential from the three and a half day training units.

There is no better osteopathic teacher than the patient, a child.

As our founder Dr. Still said “The role of the Osteopath is to find Health in the patient, anyone can find disease.”

If you are interested in this program, please contact us as soon as possible at sock@bluewin.ch.

Kind regards,

Werner Van Camp D.O. MSc. Ost. Course Director

Rebecca Mudry van Camp D.O. Course Administrator

Dr. Greg Yesensky D.O. Faculty member

Dr. Katherine Gill M.D. Faculty member