Tuina Course: Chinese medicinal massage
This course provides students with comprehensive training in commonly used techniques for treating a variety of clinical conditions. It covers two key areas: adult Tuina and pediatric Tuina. The course spans three years, with the following prerequisites:
- Year One: Completion of the Foundations of Chinese Medicine.
- Year Two: Completion of the Acupuncture 1st year course.
- Year Three: Focus on Tuina massage techniques and treatments.
This structure ensures that students build a solid foundation before advancing to hands-on Tuina massage practice.
Become a certified Tuina therapist
After completing the Foundations of Chinese Medicine, this Tuina course is for two years. If you have completed the first year of Acupuncture, or the entire Acupuncture course, you can immediately begin in the second year.
In addition to teacher contact hours, students are required to practise the Tuina techniques with fellow students during the interactive practice. During clinical apprenticeship, students get the opportunity to learn from experienced Tuina therapists as well. Students are required to write a thesis to finish their final year
“Using Tuina massage and manipulation techniques to treat your patients even more effectively”
Meet your teachers
Below is a brief introduction of the teachers. On the page Teachers and internship supervisors you will find an extensive introduction of all teachers.
Bas Aarts
Baoshun Shi
Practical information about the Tuina course
Lesson program
Subjects of the 1st year of Tuina course
- History of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
- Introduction to meridian systems
- Theories of the “Specific Acupuncture Points”
- Essential knowledge of meridians and acupuncture points including fourteen meridian pathways; location, functions and clinical indications of commonly used acupuncture points
- Acupuncture needling techniques
- Moxibustion and Cupping
- Ear-, Scalp-, Electro Acupuncture
- Basic acupuncture point combinations
Subjects of the 2nd year of Tuina course
- Introduction to history, principles and theories of Tuina therapy
- Tuina manipulation techniques
- Paediatric Tuina: specific points used for children
-
Paediatric Tuina: specific manipulations techniques usedfor children
- Tuina treatments for adults with various diseases
- Tuina treatments for children with various diseases
- ‘Walk steadily over the bridge’: from class to clinic
Class scheldule
Time 10.00 – 17.00 hr.For Tuina courses in the academic year 2025-2026 see Chinese language website.
Practice and Internship
After completing the Foundations of Chinese Medicine, during every weekend of the first and second year of Tuina, there is a lot of practical training. Getting to know the course of the meridians, locating points and learning to apply needling techniques, moxa and cupping, are mostly trained in the first year. In the second year, the emphasis is mainly on case analyses and live diagnosing and treating patients. All this is done in class as well as in smaller groups under the supervision of the teachers.
In addition to the classes, the students follow a fixed number of hours of internship in acupuncture and/or Tuina clinics. This is possible both internally at Shenzhou and externally. The total number of hours of clinical internship is 300 hours.
Study requirements
- Teacher contact study
- E-learning
- Interactive practice
- Portfolio
- Self study
- Clinical apprenticeship
- Literature study group
- Examination
Accreditation
All our English and Dutch TCM-programmes have been fully accredited by the independent accreditation organisation SNRO with 200 EC according to the newest higher professional education standards (HBO).
Together with our SNRO accredited Western Medicine courses this leads to a total of 240 EC. This enables our graduates to operate at a similar level as HBO bachelor graduates in the Dutch health care system as well as being able to give VAT-free health treatments.
Study material and study books
Students have to purchase a number of books and for Western Medicine, a mandatory reader. Extended syllabi will be distributed during the course via the student-site.
Below, only the mandatory study books are listed. After registration you will also receive a list of books which are optional.
Please do not purchase books from this list before your registration. After your registration our study coordinators will inform you about the most recent list of mandatory books with additional information such as edition and ISBN numbers!
- Tui Na: A Manual of Chinese Massage Therapy, Sarah Pritchard
- Tuina Therapy – treatments of adults & children, Weizhong Sun & Arne Kapner
- Chinese Tui Na Massage: The Essential Guide to Treating Injuries, Improving Health & Balancing Qi, Xiangcai Xu
