Conductive Education
A positive, practical approach that helps people with long term conditions move with more control, confidence and independence.
What is Conductive Education?
I believe that as humans we are larger than the sum of the parts of us that work well less the parts of us that do not. When I learned about Conductive Education my spirit soared. Finally, an approach to working with people with disabilities that at its core reflected this belief.
Conductive Education is a transformative approach that understands and values attitude, determination, personality, motivation, relationships, positivity and hope (yes, hope!) as central to the learning or rehabilitation process. It encourages people to seek solutions instead of dwelling in their problems, and to develop skills and strategies that enable them to live well despite life’s challenges.
Conductive Education was originally designed as a way for people to manage a narrow range of motor disorders, delivered in very specific small group settings. I have been privileged to watch children with cerebral palsy and adults with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and other less common or even undiagnosed conditions thrive in Conductive Education in New Zealand, Canada, England, Australia, Hungary, Israel, Kuwait and Norway. People don’t just benefit from Conductive Education: they defy the odds, achieve the impossible, break the rules, and become better versions of themselves.
In my years of practice I have learned that its reach is far broader than the group of people for whom it was originally designed. Its belief system speaks to the condition of being human, and it is part of how I approach everything I do, whether in a Conductive classroom, somebody’s living room, or a mainstream gym.
Group sessions
A Conductive Education group brings together people with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, stroke and other long term conditions that affect mobility and independence, in a positive, active, engaging and supportive exercise group led by a rehabilitation and movement specialist known as a conductor.
Through a systematic and comprehensive programme of movements and tasks, participants develop skills and strategies that help them move with more control and confidence, and directly address the challenges their condition brings. The group lets people learn from and be inspired by each other, and share their own solutions with others who can benefit.
Of equal if not greater importance, Conductive groups are places where friendships and social connections are made, where people with specific conditions and their families come together in understanding and camaraderie, and where fun and laughter meet positivity and hope.
Private sessions at home or online
Private Conductive Education sessions are an excellent complement or alternative to group sessions, giving you one-to-one attention in your own home. Working at home lets you tackle challenges in the place where they happen, and practise the solutions that work best for you there.
Private sessions are ideal when there isn’t a suitable group, when your needs can’t be met in a group, or when transport or other barriers make groups hard to get to. Family members, carers and support workers can take part too, so they can learn the skills and techniques alongside you and help you use them every day.
Lisa offers regular weekly in-home sessions in central, north and west Auckland, occasional consultations further afield, and private sessions online.
Intensive courses
Intensive Conductive Education courses, often called camps, are a fantastic way to bring Conductive Education to areas where it doesn’t yet exist, or to add a retreat that complements a weekly programme. They can also introduce your organisation’s services to a new group of clients, or bring together a range of complementary services: your weekly MS group might love a weekend retreat that combines Conductive Education, resistance training, water walking, yoga, nutrition and stress management.
Professionally and personally I love intensive courses: the energy and excitement, the tangible goals realised in a short time, the chance to influence the attitudes and abilities of so many people, and the possibility of building something new that will continue to thrive beyond my involvement.
Find out if Conductive Education is right for you
Your first consultation is free. Get in touch to talk about groups, private sessions or intensive courses.