Attend an in-person course for
SCI rehab & movement professionals and
stand out
in your clinic.
See below for upcoming courses & registration portals.
Get EARLY ACTION 15% off discount
Get EARLY ACTION 15% off discount
UPCOMING COURSES
We offer this course 3-4 times per year in the spring & fall only.
LOCATION TBA
OCTOBER 2025
Hosted at a pilates studio for pilates equipment focus
Looking to bring ZN Education closer to you?
3-DAY COURSE
NOVEMBER 2025
Auckland, NZ
You and your clients don’t have time to waste when it comes to figuring out what does - and doesn’t - work for SCI rehab.
The process of body
re-integration after spinal cord injury can be distilled into a simple, easy-to-follow progression.
This course will make that process clear for you -
and your clients.
Turn on the sound to listen in!
Course Description
It can be overwhelming to work with individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) and other forms of paralysis/parasthesia due to the wide impact of the injury on the shoulders, arms/hands, core, hips and lower extremities. Where do we begin?
By first creating awareness, connection, and strength in the areas that the individual has the most access to (the shoulders), we can leverage this access point to create stability in the trunk and beyond. Following properties of fascial tensegrity, individuals with SCI can access “paralyzed areas” to become more competent in foundational movement patterns, such as rolling over, transitions to sitting, and general spine, hip and lower extremity control in and out of their wheelchair.
In this course, participants will apply concepts directly with Client Demo Models and experience first-hand what it means to work through the fascia to increase stability, control and integration below their level of injury. Participants will learn a new movement analysis system and exercises appropriate for cervical-level and thoracic-level SCI clients, while empowering movement curiosity and confidence for sustainable training programs.
This course is highly interactive!
Due to the extensive hands-on learning components of this course, we maintain a strict student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1 to provide a high-touch learning experience. A Course/Lab Assistant is added to the course for 16+ participants.
Learning Objectives
In this 3-day Course, you will learn:
Our Framework for Recovery and how to re-connect clients to their paralyzed areas in an organized progression.
A movement analysis system that quickly highlights disconnects.
How to apply fascial science and connective tissue chains in programs to build trunk stability, hip stability, and efficient gait patterns.
Floor-based exercises & progressions to use in clinical setting and to assign as home exercises.
Pilates principles and Bartenieff Fundamentals which ask for full body integration in every exercise.
Coaching cues (inputs) for quick changes in performance (outputs).
How to optimize equipment to offer kinesthetic feedback for faster motor learning.
Essential movement principles through personal movement experiences.
Exercises & programming considerations specific to cervical and thoracic SCI.
and practice with real SCI client demos!
Note: Courses hosted at Pilates studios will cover the use of Pilates equipment, while courses hosted at ABT facilities will explore these same exercises using standard ABT equipment (bands, balls, etc). Refer to individual course listings to discover hosting locations/environments and pick a course that suits your learning goals & work environment best.
What course grads are saying about the course:
Curriculum breakdown
See the Course Syllabus linked below for a detailed breakdown of the course + everything you need for ConEd approval.
See the Course Syllabus linked below for a detailed breakdown of the course + everything you need for ConEd approval.
DAY 1:
9-5pm
Day 1 introduces the four applied systems used in the Zebrafish Neuro approach. Participants experience each of these through discussion & personal movement experiences:
The three components of the motor development progression (MDP)
The six fascial lines and how to access them through position and movement.
Pilates-inspired cueing for deeper integration, and pilates-inspired exercises using bands and sliders to feel the quick learning effect of kinesthetic feedback.
Movement generation concepts and rolling drills inspired by Bartenieff Fundamentals.
DAY 2:
9-5pm
On Day 2, participants apply concepts from Day 1 with Client Demo Models during hands-on lab:
Movement analysis for strength & dynamics of the shoulder complex.
Programming considerations and exercise selection to meet the needs & challenges of upper-extremity and trunk-impaired neuro clients.
How to leverage fascial lines to develop trunk stability.
Use of equipment to support movement in those with limited function.
Floor-based exercises (“drills & transitions”) appropriate for cervical SCI clients.
Collaborative session planning & home exercise design for our demos.
DAY 3:
8-4pm
On Day 3, participants continue to apply concepts with advanced Client Demo Models during hands-on lab:
Movement analysis for spine & hip control.
Programming considerations and exercise selection specific to thoracic SCI clients.
Coaching strategies to improve movement quality through ingrained compensation patterns.
Creative use of equipment to direct lower body integration.
Intermediate & advanced floor-based exercises and how to quickly modify them for individual clients.
Collaborative session planning & home exercise design for our demos.
ONE hour of continuing education is credited to
PRE-COURSE WORK:
We will quickly review the core concepts of our ‘Framework for Recovery’ with the assumption that you have already been exposed to the concepts through the pre-course material through either:
Reading: From the Ground Up, Chapters 6-10
Listening: FTGU Book Club Blog & Podcasts, Episodes 6-10
This 3-day Course offers
22 CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS
This course is APPROVED for BY:
National Pilates Certification Program (NPCP)
Oklahoma American Physical Therapy Association
For other fitness accreditation boards (ACSM, NASM, ACE, ESSA): Submit the course syllabus + your Certificate of Completion directly to your board to petition for credits.
Updated Feb 21, 2025
Fast-track your learning and bring your SCI client’s programs to a whole new level.
Hear what past course attendees are saying about this course:
FAQ’s
Still have questions?
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Our 3-day course offers 22CECs through NPCP and APTA in some states.*
*This course is approved through Oklahoma APTA and will be applying state-by-state as we host in more locations.
We are happy to assist in a petition for CECs with your accreditation board (ACSM, NASM, ACE, etc.) by providing the necessary course & presenter documents.
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Due to the building curriculum from day to day, this course is designed to be completed in the full 3-days (no single-day attendance options).
You must attend all three days to receive a certificate of completion for continuing education credits.
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Due to the hands-on, interactive nature of these courses, attending in-person is imperative. There is no online/remote learning option.
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We encourage you to transfer your registration to a colleague if you cannot make it.
If you are unable to transfer your registration, cancellations will result in a refund minus a 20% administration fee. We are unable to credit your registration to a future course.
Thank you in advance for understanding.
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Yes, please! We will need “model” bodies to work with, and what better way to learn than on your own clients. Contact Stephanie for help organizing this partnership.
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If you work, or are interested in working with neuro and SCI patients, this course is for you. It will bring a new perspective which will enhance or overhaul your current neuro rehab protocols. Please see above note on continuing education credits.
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Yes, we can arrange private in-person courses for teams of 10+. Inquire with Stephanie about booking a private training.
We can’t wait to learn with you.
About the Course Creator & Presenter
Stephanie Comella has engaged in over 30,000 hours working directly with individuals with spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders since 2011. She blends her formal education in movement science, Pilates and other mindful movement modalities with neurological science to provide an intuitive, hands-on style of teaching focused on body re-connection.
Stephanie graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2011 with a B.S. in Exercise Biology. She studied sports medicine and exercise-based rehabilitation as an intern with the university's Division I athletes. After graduation in 2011, Stephanie worked for a spinal cord injury & neurological disorder activity-based therapy facility in Pleasanton, CA for four years.
She was first introduced to Pilates in 2014, where she attended a workshop presented by Alejandra Monsalve of Body Wellness Hawaii, which forever changed her thinking about spinal cord injury rehabilitation. Stephanie quickly transitioned to this new model and started a pilates-based SCI recovery program at Absolute Center in Lafayette, CA in 2015.
She opened her own practice in 2020, working one-on-one with individuals with SCI and other neurological conditions both virtually and at her private studio located in Bend, Oregon.
Stephanie is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher (NCPT) and continues to educate herself through courses focused on neurological rehabilitation and healing.
Your course may also have a Course/Lab Assistant!
Due to the extensive hands-on learning components of this course, we maintain a strict student-to-faculty ratio of 16:1 to provide a high-touch learning experience. A Course/Lab Assistant is added to the course for 16+ participants.
