This is module I  

Introduction to Visceral Osteopathy Concepts & Principles 

Women's Health Series

 it is recommended to follow the numbered order of the modules when learning this course.  You will need to learn the theory taught in the first four modules before progressing to the last two practical modules of this course.


If you encounter female patients in your practice with Bladder & Uterus pelvic complaints but feel ill equipped to help them,  this course is for you!

This series on Women's Health teaches you about the Mechanics of the Female Pelvis and how Dysfunction within this region can lead to Common Female Pelvic Complaints such as Urinary Incontinence due to Bladder Prolapse. Dysfunctional Placement of the Uterus is also reviewed. Assessment Techniques are taught and a Complete Treatment Protocol is provided.

Techniques taught all correspond to Osteopathic Principles of Visceral Osteopathy and Spinal Reflex Centers.  As a result, all techniques are external and Osteopathic in nature.  This is not a pelvic floor physiotherapy course. 

The Workbook that accompanies this course series:

Here's what some Osteopaths around the world are saying about the need for Women's Health continuing education:


From the UK:

"I have a particular interest having taught therapeutic pilates for over 10 years which exposed me to the prevalence of uro-genital dysfunction and the lack of support and treatment available through conventional pathways, particularly post - natally. Having had my first child two years ago during my training.., contact with other new mothers has highlighted even more the lack of education around post natal recovery and consequently the low expectation of new mothers in terms of regaining full function. I've been amazed at how many young women accept stress in continence as an inevitable part of motherhood. I've also been reading texts around the emotional and spiritual connections of women's pelvic dysfunction and although I don't have the skill yet, hope to explore this further. ... passion for postnatal osteopathy has rubbed off on me!"

From France:

" I’m working in France, UK trained and have my own practice in the middle of fields and am trying to set up a Well Woman’s centre, a concept which doesn’t really exist in France.  
It’s such a huge, undiscussed area which, if I were perfectly honest, I feel quite inadequate to treat effectively apart from a few techniques learnt at college."



A recent grad writes:

" I am very excited to start my professional career and I have always had a passion for visceral osteopathy, which was taught only briefly in our curriculum. Anecdotally I had some fantastic experience treating an older man with serious incontinence issues (he was self catheterising twice daily) and a young  ... woman with two uteruses (uteri??) with a lot of post partum pain. These experiences greatly sparked my interest in visceral practice and I hope to learn as much as possible!"

From New Zealand:

"I am in New Zealand... on maternity leave.  I have always enjoyed visceral treatment (especially receiving it) but this area would specifically interest me as I am currently in my early pregnancy. I feel when I return to work (one day) I will like to specialise in treating mothers."

From Norway:

"I am a male osteopath from Norway. My interest in women’s health is based on my clinical practice where I see women with menstrual pain and other issues almost every week, and how much I can help with fairly little experience. My () also suffers from endometriosis and adenomyosis and I notice that my experience isn’t enough to give her adequate help. I’ve had some visceral training during my education, but I feel I’ve just scratched the surface."


Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Welcome from our Educational Director

    • Welcome from your Instructor!

    • Ensuring you cover all of the course content
  • 2

    Basic Principles of Visceral Osteopathy

    • Introduction to Visceral Treatment of the Female Pelvis

    • Unique Principles that Govern the Pelvic Cavity

    • The Principle of Volume Pressure

    • "Nature abhors a vacuum"

    • The Principle of Organ Mobility

    • The Emotional & Psychological Component of Pelvic Pain

About the instructor

Educational Director & Instructor

Maureen Hannah Maher

Since Maureen began teaching, she found that not only does she have a natural gift for it (her parents were both teachers, so let hear it for genetics!), she found that she also holds a great desire to give back to the community and a profession that has been so fulfilling to her, and share over twenty years of acquired experience and knowledge.   Maureen brings extensive knowledge in Osteopathy  to her educational seminars.  Throughout her career which began in Montreal in 2003, Maureen has been an accredited member in good standing in several provinces across Canada, including the CPMDQ (Quebec), OsteopathyBC (British Columbia), OFOP (Ontario) and SCMMAC (Quebec). Like many classically trained Manual Osteopaths in Canada, Maureen wrote a thesis as part of her Osteopathy training. Hers was within the field of Cranial Osteopathy, on the Prevalence of Muscle and Myofascial Chain Link Dysfunctions and the Temporal Bone. Maureen was also an Associate Overseas member of the Australian Osteopathic Association (AOA) from 2008 to 2011.  After undergoing accreditation evaluation for foreign trained Osteopaths in Perth, Western Australia, Maureen was offered a position in one of Singapore's leading Osteopathic Clinics, giving her the distinction of having been the first Canadian trained Osteopath to be approved to practice  in South East Asia.   Right before the worldwide economic collapse in 2010, Maureen was offered a position in Shanghai China, which required accreditation with the GOSC, UK, which she began, but as prevailing economic conditions worsened, the position was put on hold, and Maureen decided instead to settled in Toronto, Canada, where after reluctantly accepting a poorly paid teaching contract, her students began asking her to design courses in more specialized subjects within Osteopathy, including Women's Health and Pediatrics.  It was not long after that Maureen founded the Center for Continuing Education of Osteopathy & Manual Therapy where she continued to innovate every day! Today, Maureen still teaches continuing education courses in specialized fields of Osteopathic Manual Therapy. Her students say that Maureen's teaching style is animated, engaging, but most importantly, informative.  Her gift lies in communicating complex theories in simple terms and analogies.  Her students come away with a clear grasp of Osteopathic concepts for treatment, and practical knowledge of how to apply them.  In more recent years, Maureen has created online versions of some of her most popular courses, and it is thanks to this new era of online learning that Osteopaths throughout Canada and throughout the world have been able to use Maureen's teachings and treatment protocols to help women, infants, and the general public find relief from the bodily dysfunctions that are so amenable to osteopathic manual treatments. Practitioners who enroll in any of our continuing education courses can contact Maureen at any time by email or pre-arranged phone call with clinical questions.  As a result, many Osteopaths worldwide still consult with her today regarding challenging Osteopathy cases.