Enhancing the teaching and learning of osteopathic principles - verbally and nonverbally

By incorporating the principles of salutogenetic philosophy, salutogenetic communication is utilizing the newest findings in the fields of neuroscience and neurolinguistics, improving and facilitating the developments of health oriented processes.

From the beginning osteopathy implicitly contains salutogenetic principles with A.T. Still's postulate of "Finding Health“. Therefore salutogenetic communication could be very helpful and meaningful for osteopathic teachers and students to become familiar with the principles of salutogenesis and its practical application.

The main aspects of salutogenetic communication in the educational and therapeutic environment are:

- how to identify and focus on helpful resources
- how to increase the potential for self-regulatory processes and healthy developments
- how to find out about the student’s own potential and available resources
- how to improve motivational aspects
- how to support the teaching and learning environment
- how to apply it to the professional and therapeutic work

Teaching and learning salutogenetic communication - verbally and nonverbally - enhances both the verbal interactions and the manual interventions ideally combining educational and therapeutic aims in osteopathy.

Salutogentic communication has shown to be very motivating, gratifying and preventing stress and burn out in other educational facilities where it has been implemented. It helps to focus on positive ways of thinking without denying conflicts or problems, it is solution oriented and helpful in developing a self-responsible behaviour pattern.

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Andreas J. Risch, MSc, D.O. is practicing osteopathy in his private practice in Eichstaett, Germany since 2005 after completing his training in Munich at the COE. He graduated his Master education program in 2011 at the DUK in Krems and the WSO in Vienna, Austria. Since 2012 he is a guest lecturer at the catholic university in Eichstätt in the faculty for social work and since 2013 he is a lecturer at the Fresenius osteopathic academic education program (BSc) in Munich.
In addition he also serves as a co-editor of the Osteopathic Medicine Journal published by Elsevier in Germany.