Treatment Approaches - St Joseph Institute

The treatment plan selected for you may include a variety of therapies which together seek to provide the desired outcome. Each program is individually designed, based on your needs, budget and availability. Among the healing approaches we use are the following:

Bodywork is an umbrella term that includes many types of hands-on therapies focused on re-aligning the structure of the body and facilitating energy flow through meridians and chakras. As a specialized form of touch therapy, bodywork employs the power of human touch to heal and restore the body holistically by influencing body, mind, emotions and spirit. Many dysfunctional conditions are relieved or completely healed through various types of massage and skin care treatments, as well as Essential Acupressure, Craniosacral Balancing, Neurofacial Release, Nerve Mobilization and Structural Alignment.

Begins with a Total Body Evaluation, which provides a complete patient assessment – a thorough exam that takes about 45 minutes. The physical therapist’s examination goes beyond the area of pain or complaint to look at the entire kinetic chain, revealing the source of the patient’s complaint rather than focusing exclusively on symptoms. The patient will undergo a neurological screen, muscle screening and joint testing to see if a problem in one area is contributing to, or is the result of, a problem in another area. An example of this would be a shorter leg causing low back pain, or a neck problem causing pain down the arm. By careful examination and patient history, the physical therapist may determine a need for referral to another medical practitioner, if the problem does not appear to be neuro-musculoskeletal in nature or cannot be treated by physical therapy.

In treating patients, chiropractors use manipulation to promote normal bodily function by correcting, or helping patients prevent, structural deviations. The principal procedure used by many chiropractors is a form of manipulation known as adjustment. This includes a variety of manual mechanical interventions.

The value of therapeutically touching a patient is universally acknowledged by health care professionals. Touch is an essential component of the therapeutic relationship, and it greatly enhances the patient’s well-being, regardless of the presenting symptoms. Touch is so powerful that it initiates a healing response even during the assessment/evaluation process. This positive beginning continues to grow throughout the therapeutic encounter, especially when skilled hands provide manipulation that plays a significant role in completing the treatment protocol and in achieving the desired outcome.

At St. Joseph Institute we have an integrated approach to mental health. Our mental health staff include fully trained counselors, as well as bodyworkers who are trained to identify and process issues as they are stored in the physical tissue or energy fields of the body. There is a strong correlation between the body/mind, and full recovery from mental health issues requires bodywork to accomplish two important objectives: (1) release from the body unhealthy patterns that keep us bound in old behaviors, and (2) reveal through the body sources of strength and growth that can help us realize our full potential. Together, bodywork and counseling bring a level of wholeness and well-being that quenches our human thirst for authentic healing by providing:

Mental Health Assessment for individuals is accomplished through a two-step process which includes:

•Mental Health Intake with a biopsychosocial inventory, as well as any additional assessment tools
•Bodywork Assessment, complete with a whole body evaluation from a structural and an energetic perspective

Assessments for couples and families vary according to the needs of the clients.