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Rolfing® vs. Structural Integration
Discover the paths to practicing Structural Integration and a specific form of it called Rolfing®
Overview of the Field
What is structural integration?
Structural integration is a form of bodywork that focuses on the connective tissue, or fascia, that protects the muscles.
What is Rolfing®?
Named after its founder, Dr. Ida P. Rolf, Rolfing® is a specific form of Structural Integration bodywork. Through a series of gentle techniques, Rolfing® lengthens and repositions the fascia, which, in turn, helps release, realign and balance the whole body. Clients may experience dramatic improvements in posture, flexibility and energy levels.
What Is the Rolfing® Ten-Series
Aimed at optimizing the structure and function of a client’s entire body, Rolfing® involves a standard set of 10 sessions in which the practitioner frees restrictions in a particular area of the body. Divided into three distinct units, the “Ten-Series” works in this order:
- Sessions 1-3: Focus on breath work, arms, lower legs, head, shoulders and hips
- Sessions 4-7: Work on the core, feet and legs, pelvis, abdomen and back, neck and head
- Sessions 8-10: Emphasize integration and allow the practitioner to determine the best techniques to use at this point for individual clients
The aim of Rolfing® is to reorganize the connective tissues, called fascia, that permeate the entire body.
Training and Education
What You’ll Study in General
Training is available at specialized structural integration schools and natural health degree schools. In addition to beginner and advanced training programs, you’ll also find continuing education classes that can help you fulfill credits needed to maintain licensure in other natural health practices.
In general, you can expect your Structural Integration school to offer classes that cover these topics:
- Anatomy and physiology
- Kinesiology
- Structural integration theory and principles
- Movement integration
- Maintaining professional therapeutic relationships with clients
- Career development
- Clinical application of theory
What You’ll Study at The Rolf Institute®
If your goal is to become a Rolfer®, DIRI’s® certification programs cover five areas of knowledge and skills:
- Seeing
- Touch
- Embodiment
- Therapeutic Relationship
- Didactic
Average Length of Study
In general, structural Integration programs can involve close to 1,000 hours of combined classroom training and hands-on experience. Advanced practitioner programs may require around 600 hours of training. Generally, students can complete their program in 18 to 24 months.
Average Tuition
Tuition for standard structural integration school can cost $15,000 or more, generally speaking. Many training programs allow for a certain number of weeks between classes, which allows students to spread tuition costs over the course of many months.
For Rolfers® specifically, Dr. Ida Rolf Institute’s® Regional Basic Rolfing Certification Program is offered regionally across the US. It requires 600 hours and tuition for 2023 is $20,121. Plus another $1,012 in mandatory student fees.
Structural Integration Certification
General Structural Integration practitioners can get certified through the Certification Board for Structural Integration (CBSI)℠.
While those looking to become a Rolfer® must go through the Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration. The Rolf Institute® of Structural Integration doing business as Dr. Ida Rolf Institute® (DIRI) is the only school, that trains Rolfers® and Rolf Movement Practitioners.
Although optional, certification shows that you have graduated from a structural integration school that meets established standards of excellence in education and that you demonstrate competency and proficiency in your practice.
Career Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ current Occupational Outlook Handbook indicates that massage-oriented professions, like Structural Integration, can anticipate significant job growth in the near future, around 20% through 2031.
Key factors contributing to this growth include the public’s continued interest in touch therapies as a means to reduce pain and stress and an aging population that continues to explore natural medicine as a means to achieve better wellness.
Learn more about what a massage therapist does day-to-day.
Structural Integration Salary
Find state and national salaries for massage therapists, a structural integration-related career, here:
Learn more about massage therapist salaries.
Is a Structural Integration Career Right for You?
Structural integration welcomes practitioners from all backgrounds, whether they have experience in bodywork careers or not.
Building your career takes training in structural integration techniques combined with an in-depth understanding of how it can improve the structure and function of the body and how to convey to clients the role that body movements play in their health.
If you are interested in a structural integration career, take a closer look at structural integration schools. Then choose the training program that meets your personal and professional needs.
Sources: Rolf.org, Rolfguild.org