Ortho-Bionomy® - the Gentle Bodywork Revolution

A woman demonstrates technique on a person lying on a massage table while students stand nearby watching

Do you dream of a new career helping people recover from acute and chronic pain with gentle therapeutic bodywork?

Is your massage therapy practice hurting your own body? Does helping your clients feel better all day leave you aching and exhausted?

Study Ortho-Bionomy - a leading somatic therapy - and help your clients get lasting relief from pain, tension and stress without getting aching arms, hands, shoulders and back ever again. You can start as a beginner or an experienced bodyworker - add Ortho-Bionomy techniques to your existing practice or complete the training program to become an Ortho-Bionomy Practitioner.

Get started by subscribing to my Ortho-Bionomy Mentor newsletter and receive your free copy of the Ortho-Bionomy Australia training ebook. Then join one of my Fundamentals classes and begin your new career - see my class listings below.

Upcoming Classes

  • Online Q&A Support Sessions

    1st Monday of each month 5-6pm Melbourne AEST

    An online class for Ortho-Bionomy students and practitioners.

    Support for any issues about your study and practise of Ortho-Bionomy - ask about client issues, your own health issues & self-care, clarify techniques, ask questions about the training programs and assessments or any other issues.

    Counts as 1 unit of study for Consultations, Study Groups and CPE points for OBA, OBNZ, SOBI

    Details

  • Advanced Phase 4

    30-31 August 2025 9am-5.30pm

    Venue: Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre, Melbourne

    Advanced Instructor Bruce Stark assisted by Instructor Janine McCarthy

    In this class you will expand and further develop your skills in Phase 4 to include additional techniques for pelvic stabilisation, the joints of the extremities, Carpal Tunnel/RSI conditions, injuries and dysfunction in the knee, ankle and foot, working with joint replacements and vertebral fusions and Phase 4 cranial techniques.

    Details

  • Phase 6

    25-26 October 2025 9am-5.30pm

    Venue: Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre, Melbourne

    Advanced Instructor Bruce Stark with Associate Advanced Instructor Karen Sonter

    Learn how to access and track sensation and energetic perception in yourself and your clients and learn how to make contact without necessarily engaging physically.

    Learn how to interact with energetic shifts that can affect changes in physical patterns.

    Details

  • Free Online Intro to Ortho-Bionomy

    27 October 2025 5-6pm Melbourne timezone AEDT

    Are you thinking of studying Ortho-Bionomy?

    Join this online session to hear about what Ortho-Bionomy is, what makes it a unique and revolutionary somatic bodywork therapy and how you can turn it into a sustainable career. Where did it come from? How does it work? How does it help people recover from pain while taking care of the practitioner’s body? Meet Janine and learn about how to get started in the training program, with no obligation to sign up to anything.

    Register

  • Self-Care for Clients & Practitioners

    29-30 November 2025 9am-5.30pm

    Venue: Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre, Melbourne

    Self-Care is one of the super-powers of Ortho-Bionomy. Our self-care techniques are simple to learn, quick to use, easy to incorporate into our daily activities and powerfully effective - so we and our clients are more likely to use and benefit from them. In this class you’ll learn the specific techniques anyone can use to release tension and pain and increase ease of movement in every joint and body region. Learn how to use them yourself and teach them to your clients to maximise progress between sessions.

    Details

  • Fundamentals of Ortho-Bionomy - Phase 4

    7-8 February 2026 9am-5.30pm

    Venue: Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre, Melbourne

    This class is the foundation for the whole Ortho-Bionomy practitioner training program. Start your sustainable career as an Ortho-Bionomy Practitioner or add this gentle and surprisingly effective method to your existing manual therapy practice.

    Open soon

  • 2026 Residential Retreat

    7pm 10th - 12pm 16th May

    Location: Hervey Bay, QLD

    Residential retreats are an in-depth immersion in Ortho-Bionomy techniques and principles. Experience time for learning and personal growth as well as relaxation and play to facilitate the integration of technique and philosophy.

    Advanced Instructor Luann Overmyer will be supported by Associate Advanced Instructor Karen Sonter and Instructor Janine McCarthy to present this Residential program, providing a deep-dive learning experience that is both fascinating and fun.

    Pre-requisites: Phase 4, Phase 5 and Phase 6 or with the Instructor's permission.

    Details

Students say…

  • “It is just what I was looking for to segue from my current practice and I will be able to start using the techniques straight away.” - Rebecca

  • “Janine, thank you for your well organised prepared and expertly delivered course. You are clearly very knowledgeable and I really appreciated your teaching, listening and group interaction skills. You are so well grounded in your philosophical view you can expertly address questions from the group from your perspective while still considering alternative perspectives. I love that open mindedness!” - Gail

  • “Thank you Janine for teaching in our town - the group fed off your passion and enthusiasm and you have left us in a good place and hungry for more. Please come back!” - Kathleen

  • “I'm especially keen to integrate more of the pelvic work into my practice, along with all the rest because it is amazing work!!” - Justene

  • “I have been using Ortho-Bionomy in my clinic since the Monday following the class, my clients enjoy the gentle touch and all have had positive results on both the physical and emotional level.” - Jackie

  • “It was a wonderfully nurturing experience. The techniques are very helpful for clients dealing with chronic pain and restricted movement. Excellent and very enjoyable.” - Louise

  • “The class was spacious and catered to a range of knowledge and skill levels. It was practice-oriented, integrating theory with experiential learning – which I really need! It was also a safe place to learn. Thanks Janine!” - Sheri

  • “Ortho-Bionomy will help me be sustainable in my massage practice. Janine has a depth of knowledge and a great willingness to share information. There was always time for questions and understanding before moving on.” - Selena

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Portrait of a smiling woman in a garden

Janine McCarthy
Advanced Practitioner & Instructor of Ortho-Bionomy

Hi, I’m Janine McCarthy

I’m a registered Instructor with Ortho-Bionomy Australia, Ortho-Bionomy New Zealand & Society of Ortho-Bionomy International. I have over 20 years in practice and 9 years teaching Ortho-Bionomy. I offer classes, study groups and 1 to 1 training consultations in-person and online. I am also available to be your Advisor to support you through OBA’s training programs.

I have in-depth knowledge of Ortho-Bionomy training from my 8 years of service on OBA’s Board of Directors, the Instructor Review Committee (IRC) of the Society of Ortho-Bionomy International (SOBI) in the USA and my current role heading OBA’s IRC.

The Ortho-Bionomy principles, concepts and techniques are simple to apply and my classes are relaxed, accessible and fun for all learning styles. 

I’d love to see you in one of my classes soon! And if you’re in the Practitioner Training Program and don’t yet have an Advisor, contact me to discuss your options.

Training FAQs

Why study Ortho-Bionomy?

Ortho-Bionomy follows simple principles and uses clear techniques that are easy to learn and become more effective with practise.

It is gentle and non-forceful for the client while being easy on the practitioner’s body too so you can feel great at the end of each day and enjoy a more sustainable career.

I have no experience in bodywork, can I study Ortho-Bionomy as a beginner?

Yes - Ortho-Bionomy can be studied as a stand-alone practice by beginners - no previous bodywork training is required

Where do I start? How long will it take to complete the Practitioner Training course?

Begin with one of the foundational classes: Fundamentals (Phase 4) or Exploration of Movement Patterns.

After this you can take the other classes in any order and at your own pace.

Training is offered around Australia online & in-person and you can take classes with any of OBA’s registered instructors.

The Practitioner Training Program is 512 units/hours of study including classes, tutorials, supervised clinic sessions and written work.

Can I incorporate Ortho-Bionomy into my massage practice (or somatic therapy, physiotherapy & more)

Yes, Ortho-Bionomy combines well with any other therapeutic massage or bodywork practice.

You can easily add it to your existing practice after taking one of the foundational 2-day classes: Fundamentals (Phase 4) or Exploration of Movement Patterns.

How will Ortho-Bionomy benefit my clients?

Ortho-Bionomy is a leading trauma-informed somatic therapy that relieves tension, pain & stress by gently activating the body’s natural self-corrective reflexes. It supports your clients to feel safer by avoiding forceful adjustments and painful deep pressure techniques.

It also empowers your clients to achieve lasting recovery – not just temporary relief.

Students working on other students on massage tables in a classroom

“Change can only come about when the self-corrective instincts of the body are summoned in such a way that the body does not resist change.”

Dr Arthur Lincoln Pauls