Incorporating matwork Pilates into your practice
Incorporating matwork Pilates into your practice. By Sophie Contreras (APPI Presenter, Physiotherapist, UHM Education Manager)
As a clinician working in private practice, additional income streams are always worth exploring. The addition of a Pilates service to your practice is an appropriate way to provide a valuable service, facilitating case load retention as well as attracting new clientele. On top of this, it adds welcome variety for clinicians and provides a break from delivering manual therapy.
It's no surprise that most Private practices now offer a Pilates service of some sort, it's become a very common treatment modality that clinicians are including in their day to day practice. But how else can you incorporate Pilates beyond incorporating it into your 1:1 treatment sessions or as a part of an individual's home exercise program? Is it necessary to invest in expensive Pilates equipment?
Offering either small group mat Pilates sessions or classes allows more clients to maintain contact with a clinician even if they no longer need regular manual therapy or individual consultation. 1:1 treatment sessions can become costly for an individual, however; offering group sessions can make attendance at the practice a realistic option for a longer time period. A group session should never replace the important assessment and individualised program design that a client initially receives, however; after the initial learning stages, many clients don't need to be supervised as closely and attending a group Pilates session could be an attractive option.
You can explore a few options to add additional Pilates sessions to your services. Some ideas include:
Mat Pilates classes - a session where essentially all attendees participate in the same sequence lead by the instructor. These classes can be population specific (seniors class, pregnancy/post natal, lower back pain class etc) or cater for a certain level (beginners, intermediate). Ideally, clients in this type of class should be of a similar level. If clients need more individualised attention, the below options may be more suitable.
Small group mat sessions - where the clinician supervises a few people (usually between 3-5) and rotates between the clients giving them certain exercises to do at that time based on their history and how they are feeling on that day.
Supervised mat Pilates sessions - where clients already know their Pilates programme and come into the session to perform their programme with the clinician in the same vicinity. These sessions are less labour intensive for the clinician who is there predominantly to supervise technique and give variations.
Programme design sessions - if opting for the above type of service, clients will need to know their programme in advance. Programme design sessions would be independent of a treatment session and include a re-assessment of the client and a discussion of ongoing goals as well as then teaching some higher level technique and designing the new programme. The client would then continue with their new programme in the supervised sessions.
All of these services can be purely based around matwork Pilates. Ideally, the practice would do well to invest in some small equipment to incorporate into these sessions such as small balls, massage balls, theraband, Pilates circles etc, this way the client may perceive extra value in attending sessions at the clinic rather than doing their programme at home. It also can help the Pilates programme feel more varied and diverse, especially for beginner level clients.
If your practice got to the stage down the track that investing in large equipment was an option, these sessions could then easily become blended between Matwork and large equipment.
Broadening your services through Pilates is a great opportunity to provide services at different price points, offering flexibility for clients and variety for clinicians within their working day.
The APPI Pilates Matwork Certification Series is the essential Pilates teacher training tool for allied health professionals. Designed by Australian Physiotherapists in 1999, the APPI Pilates method is now taught in 15 countries across the globe. The APPI Matwork Certification Series will provide you with the tools to work 1:1 with clients and teach Pilates classes. The APPI Pilates Method has been designed specifically for the clinical setting. The series is comprised of Matwork level 1, Matwork level 2 and Matwork level 3.
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As a clinician working in private practice, additional income streams are always worth exploring. The addition of a Pilates service to your practice is an appropriate way to provide a valuable service, facilitating case load retention as well as attracting new clientele. On top of this, it adds welcome variety for clinicians and provides a break from delivering manual therapy.
It's no surprise that most Private practices now offer a Pilates service of some sort, it's become a very common treatment modality that clinicians are including in their day to day practice. But how else can you incorporate Pilates beyond incorporating it into your 1:1 treatment sessions or as a part of an individual's home exercise program? Is it necessary to invest in expensive Pilates equipment?
Offering either small group mat Pilates sessions or classes allows more clients to maintain contact with a clinician even if they no longer need regular manual therapy or individual consultation. 1:1 treatment sessions can become costly for an individual, however; offering group sessions can make attendance at the practice a realistic option for a longer time period. A group session should never replace the important assessment and individualised program design that a client initially receives, however; after the initial learning stages, many clients don't need to be supervised as closely and attending a group Pilates session could be an attractive option.
You can explore a few options to add additional Pilates sessions to your services. Some ideas include:
Mat Pilates classes - a session where essentially all attendees participate in the same sequence lead by the instructor. These classes can be population specific (seniors class, pregnancy/post natal, lower back pain class etc) or cater for a certain level (beginners, intermediate). Ideally, clients in this type of class should be of a similar level. If clients need more individualised attention, the below options may be more suitable.
Small group mat sessions - where the clinician supervises a few people (usually between 3-5) and rotates between the clients giving them certain exercises to do at that time based on their history and how they are feeling on that day.
Supervised mat Pilates sessions - where clients already know their Pilates programme and come into the session to perform their programme with the clinician in the same vicinity. These sessions are less labour intensive for the clinician who is there predominantly to supervise technique and give variations.
Programme design sessions - if opting for the above type of service, clients will need to know their programme in advance. Programme design sessions would be independent of a treatment session and include a re-assessment of the client and a discussion of ongoing goals as well as then teaching some higher level technique and designing the new programme. The client would then continue with their new programme in the supervised sessions.
All of these services can be purely based around matwork Pilates. Ideally, the practice would do well to invest in some small equipment to incorporate into these sessions such as small balls, massage balls, theraband, Pilates circles etc, this way the client may perceive extra value in attending sessions at the clinic rather than doing their programme at home. It also can help the Pilates programme feel more varied and diverse, especially for beginner level clients.
If your practice got to the stage down the track that investing in large equipment was an option, these sessions could then easily become blended between Matwork and large equipment.
Broadening your services through Pilates is a great opportunity to provide services at different price points, offering flexibility for clients and variety for clinicians within their working day.
The APPI Pilates Matwork Certification Series is the essential Pilates teacher training tool for allied health professionals. Designed by Australian Physiotherapists in 1999, the APPI Pilates method is now taught in 15 countries across the globe. The APPI Matwork Certification Series will provide you with the tools to work 1:1 with clients and teach Pilates classes. The APPI Pilates Method has been designed specifically for the clinical setting. The series is comprised of Matwork level 1, Matwork level 2 and Matwork level 3.
VIEW OUR UPCOMING COURSES
MORE INFO/ BOOK NOW