The Cheerful Academy
Pelvic Floor Physio Courses, Mentorship & Community
We support physios in feeling confident and skilled in their clinical reasoning.
Our accessible, affirming pelvic health training program and mentorship supports practising pelvic health physiotherapists who are developing their clinical application. Every physio has their own unique approach and we celebrate that uniqueness. Our curriculum supports you in honing your own style and application, and to develop clinical reasoning at your own pace.
What you'll walk away with.
We want you to be confident and competent no matter which client walks through the door!
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We help you build structured clinical reasoning and develop complexity at your own pace.
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Every physio has their own unique approach. Our simple and effective framework to develop your own approach in reasoning with complex clients.
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We give you mentorship, support and community, so you're not learning alone.
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Developed and hosted by Cheerful Pelvis physiotherapists, the academy content is accessible, and the learning framework is designed to be applied in your clinic right away.
Testimonials
“I had just entered the wonderful world of pelvic health and had taken a few courses but felt I was missing that real life component. I'm so glad that we found the Cheerful Pelvis to fill in that gap. We got to work on cases, trouble shoot, brainstorm and be vulnerable together. I've been in the industry for several years now and having a community to lift each other up is what we need to move the profession forward. Thank you Anniken, Trish and the Cheerful Pelvis for leading that charge.”
Jessie Wong, Physiotherapist and Regional Director of Myodetox
“The mentorship service provided by the cheerful pelvis has enriched and developed my practice more than four 90 minute sessions have any right to do. The depth of knowledge shared and the curious/compassionate environment cultivated by TCP allowed us to grow together in a profession where we can often feel pitted against each other and judged for our weaknesses. ”
Shannon Boyle
“Trish and Anniken are amazing therapists, clinical minds and people. They offer a supportive learning environment and a space where you can ask any question without judgement. They work to teach you specific knowledge but also how to dig from within to use your own clinical reasoning to problem solve.”
Anon
“When I completed my pelvic floor certification, I felt quite daunted by the task of providing quality care for my clients. Despite there being a large number of resources offered through my training, I felt like I was "on my own" to figure things out. The Cheerful Pelvis mentoring sessions created an amazing sense of community, facilitating learning of both clinical reasoning and knowledge in a safe, friendly, and supportive container. Everything was well-organized, from the scheduling and timing of each session to the content delivery itself. ”
Anon
“I really enjoyed this virtual mentorship series, not only did I learn a lot from the material and discussion itself, I found it very valuable to engage with practitioners who are in a similar place in their practice as I am.”
Anon
“Thanks again for a great session, it truly came at a time when I was feeling quite lost in terms of getting past the knowledge that I had accrued from the PHS levels but not really knowing where to do next and as I said with pelvic floor when I'm in my office all the time I don't always get to chat or pick up things from other therapists and it is something I miss about working in an open ortho space so I found these sessions invaluable. Both Anniken and Trish were wonderful teachers and very different which I found helpful.”
Anon
“Mentorship with Anniken and Trish has helped me grow significantly as a physiotherapist. As someone newer to pelvic health, it was really easy to fall into autopilot mode and a "check box" approach to treatment when faced with difficult cases. However, mentorship really challenged me to critically think and understand the "why" behind what I was doing. I feel like this has increased my confidence as a physio and the effectiveness of the care I am providing, as well as it has improved how well I connect with my patients. Most importantly, Anniken and Trish have created such a supportive and safe space to be curious, learn, and ask questions (many!).”
TCP employee
“The Cheerful Pelvis mentorship series is perfect for pelvic floor physiotherapists looking for a supportive and collaborative learning experience. Trish and Anniken demonstrate extensive knowledge with regards to pelvic floor issues, but more importantly how to clinically reason what each patient may need depending on their goals. This series is a wonderful balance between knowledge acquisition and how problem solve. ”
Jenny P
Instructor(s)
Anniken Chadwick
[email protected]
I’m Anniken, a half 'English sense of humour' and half 'Norwegian Viking' immigrant settler in BC. I’m a cishet woman. I’m sensitive, courageous, and intuitive. My passion for innovation allowed me to create my business, The Cheerful Pelvis, which is my greatest achievement to date. I am passionate about making waves, critically challenging norms, and creating spaces for people to grow.
I have been a physio since 2007, and a pelvic health physio since 2010. I have taken training in somatic psychotherapy and have an MEd in contemplative learning. I love combining these skills to treat complex persistent pain and trauma clients, and teaching others how to do the same.
Trish Gipson
[email protected]
I am a 3rd generation Canadian of European descent. I use she/her pronouns. Labels I wear most proudly are mom, spouse, physiotherapist, and mentor. I am a lover of learning, a seeker of knowledge, an athlete, and a motivator. I get jazzed about the next dopamine hit, whether it's finishing a project or crossing a finish line, and I'm equally excited if it's someone I've been supporting that gets their "win". Along my learning journey I have received FCAMT and ISM (Integrated Systems Model) certification, and have learned how to weave my orthopedic training with the psychosocial and soft skills essential to pelvic health. This has taken me to a place where I love to treat athletes and high-level pelvic floor function, but equally love the challenges that come with complex and persistent pain. My favorite part of the job (when I'm wearing my mentor hat) is to help other physios integrate all their learnings together to craft their own unique practice.
FAQ
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Do you teach pelvic health exams?
No!! Our courses are for clinical application. They're best to do after you've done your basic pelvic exam instruction. Once you've learned this and the basic pelvic floor conditions, there's a big learning curve for clinical reasoning and application. That's what our courses are designed to help with. That said, we're happy to help with any questions about physical assessments.
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Are your courses in person?
Our courses are designed to help how you think and apply skills, so they are all deliverable online. We will however be hosting some odd pop up in person sessions (for the FUN!) - stay in touch to find out more.
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At what stage in my pelvic health journey are these courses relevant?
The courses are designed to build, starting with the pelvic health essentials and working to trauma and complex pain presentations. But you can self-assess based on the content and see where we can best meet your needs. If in doubt - chat with one of us to see where you're learning would best benefit.
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I've done my basic levels, why do I need this?
We have found with all our hires at The Cheerful Pelvis that there is a huge gap between getting the basic knowledge and skills and being confident and competent in the clinic. Our courses are designed based on the content and approach that helped our staff the most.
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Acknowledgement
Our teachings have been built on learning with and from our community. A big thank you to;
All of the wonderful staff at The Cheerful Pelvis who helped us learn how to teach and mentor. All our pelvic health colleagues who've been open in sharing their wisdom. All of the clients who we learned from and refined our clinical skills with.
Diane Lee and the Integrated Systems model for helping us get out of the pelvis. Pat Leiblich and Penny Wilson of BC Women's Continence Clinic. Uro-Sante and Pelvic Health Solutions for their pelvic floor training. The NOI group for their research and teaching on persistent pain, and Carolyn Vandyken for being instrumental in bringing this research into the pelvic health world. The Corker Co for coaching us in facilitation and leadership.
Trish acknowledges Carol Kennedy and May Nolan for their orthopedic mentorship. Julie Wiebe for inspiring her approach to pelvic health in athletes.
Anniken acknowledges Integrated Body Psychotherapy for somatic therapy training. All the professors at SFU's Contemplative Inquiry in Educational Approaches Masters program, who gifted her with the most transformative journey in teaching and learning. Yvette Lalonde of Inner Flow Wellness for Movement for Trauma and Embodiment training.
We would also like to state that we are grateful and indebted to the Coast Salish peoples for their care of the land that we live, work and teach upon.