Aquatic Continuing Education for Physical Therapists

As a dedicated Physical Therapist, you’re constantly seeking ways to enhance patient outcomes, expand your skill set, and meet your annual continuing education requirements. At Swim Angelfish, we provide comprehensive online training courses in aquatic therapy, designed specifically to empower PTs like you with the specialized knowledge and techniques to truly make a splash in your practice.

The Therapeutic Power of Water

Aquatic therapy provides a uniquely beneficial setting for a diverse range of patients, from those with pediatric developmental delays to individuals with neurological conditions and orthopedic rehabilitation needs. The natural qualities of water—buoyancy, hydrostatic pressure, and viscosity—offer an unparalleled therapeutic environment.

  • Reduced Weight Bearing
    Buoyancy minimizes the impact on joints and muscles, allowing for earlier intervention and pain-free movement, especially crucial for post-surgical patients or those with chronic pain. It is also helpful with neurological patients trying to move more independently, as it eliminates gravity and supports the body.
  • Enhanced Resistance
    Water’s natural viscosity provides multi-directional resistance, strengthening muscles, and improving endurance.
  • Improved Balance and Coordination
    The supportive environment of the water reduces the fear of falling, enabling patients to practice balance and gait activities with greater confidence and less risk. It slows down movement and helps with righting and equilibrium reactions.
  • Sensory Regulation
    The calming pressure around the body and structured movement can be highly beneficial for individuals with sensory processing challenges, promoting relaxation, self-regulation, and focus.

A Proven Methodology: Built on PT & OT Expertise

Our online aquatic therapy courses are developed by the same experienced Occupational and Physical Therapists who created the renowned Swim Whisperers® methodology, bringing their decades of expertise directly to you. You’ll learn advanced strategies and practical applications for therapeutic interventions in the aquatic environment, including:

  • Innovative handling techniques for diverse populations.
  • Strategies to integrate primitive reflexes within the aquatic environment.
  • How to identify and overcome common challenges in the water, such as anxiety, sensory overload, and motor planning difficulties.
  • Ways to creatively structure aquatic therapy sessions to achieve specific therapeutic goals.

Our flexible, on-demand online format means you can absorb the material at your own pace, fitting it seamlessly into your busy schedule. Each course is meticulously designed with video content, case studies, and practical applications, ensuring you gain actionable insights that you can immediately apply in your clinic.

Plus, our courses are structured to help you meet your State’s continuing education unit (CEU) requirements, providing detailed course descriptions, references, and completion certificates.

Transform Your Practice and Patient Outcomes

By integrating Swim Angelfish’s aquatic therapy techniques into your physical therapy toolbox, you’ll be able to:

  • Offer new, effective treatment progressions.
  • Expand your client base to include individuals who thrive in the water.
  • Enhance rehabilitation outcomes and promote natural movement patterns.
  • Provide a fun, motivating, and life-changing experience for your patients.
  • Improve patient care.

Ready to dive deeper and elevate your expertise? Explore Swim Angelfish’s online aquatic therapy training courses today and discover how you can transform patient care.

Ailene Tisser, MA, PT, Founder

Ailene Tisser, a pediatric Physical Therapist with over 30 years of experience and co-founder of Swim Angelfish® and the Swim Whisperers® method, specializes in aquatic therapy and adaptive swim for children with special needs. Trained in NDT, DIR/Floortime, and certified as an Autism Specialist and Primitive Reflex Specialist she fosters water safety, confidence, and independence in her young clients. Ailene is also passionate about educating aquatic professionals, setting a standard of excellence for adaptive aquatics training and professional development.

Cindy Freedman, MOTR, Founder

Cindy, MS, OTR/L is an occupational and recreational therapist with over 30 years of experience specializing in pediatrics and aquatics. Driven by a passion for helping children with special needs reach their full potential, Cindy co-founded Swim Angelfish, an organization dedicated to providing adaptive swim and aquatic therapy services as well as professional training. Her expertise in sensory integration, reflex repatterning, and aquatics, coupled with her love for water and experience as a national champion diver, has enabled her to make a profound impact on the lives of countless children. Cindy is certified as an Autism Specialist by IBCCES, and shows an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of children with special needs.