54.5 hours approved learning • 12 hours online + 42.5 hours in person • Live surgery observation • Small-group teaching
2026 Workshop Dates
Choose the location that suits you best.
21 September - 25 September: Venue TBA, Murrieta, California, USA
5 October - 9 October: Massage Therapy Education, Fox River Grove, Illinois, USA
19 October - 23 October: Venue TBA, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
See the workshop environment for yourself.
A short look inside the teaching room, the practical sessions, and the standard of learning expected throughout the week.
This training is designed to connect theory, observation, and hands-on reasoning so you can return to clinic with stronger judgement, not just more techniques.
Choose Your Pricing OptionDoes any of this sound familiar?
Want stronger clinical credibility?
You want to build greater trust with patients and surgeons by strengthening your knowledge, judgement, and professional confidence.
Unsure about timing and healing?
You want a clearer understanding of tissue healing, appropriate timing, and when treatment needs to be adjusted or delayed.
Concerned about treatment safety?
You want to support postoperative clients well, but you know this work carries added responsibility and needs a more informed approach.
This workshop was created to close that gap through structured teaching, supervised practice, and real surgical context.
A clinically grounded training pathway
This workshop has been designed to bring together the theory, judgement, and practical skills needed for safer postoperative care.
Before you attend
Pre-course online theory to strengthen your understanding of anatomy, wound healing, surgical procedures, and safety.
Surgical observation
In some locations, we offer live surgical observation that helps you connect what you see in the operating room to what you do with your patients in your treatment room.
During the workshop
Five days of supervised, hands-on learning focused on treatment reasoning, adaptation, and professional decision-making.
What's included
Before the workshop
12 hours of online theory covering:
- lymphatic anatomy and physiology
- fluid dynamics and wound healing
- cosmetic surgery procedures explained
- contraindications, red flags, and safety considerations
During the 5-day workshop
42.5 hours of in-person teaching, including:
- live surgery observation or a recording of one of our previous live surgeries, depending on the location, with guided commentary
- postoperative MLD protocols for face and body
- compression assessment and garment guidance
- foam cutting and lymphatic taping
- scar and adhesion care
- complication awareness and clinical reasoning
After the workshop
You’ll also receive:
- certificate of completion
- approved learning hours
- graduate support community access
- opportunity to join the Aftercare Academy register of qualified therapists
By the end of the workshop, you will be better able to:
- Assess postoperative clients with greater confidence and sounder clinical judgement
- Adapt treatment approaches according to procedure, presentation and healing stages
- Recognise when recovery is progressing normally and when onward referral may be needed
- Communicate more effectively with both surgeons and patients
- Integrate safer, more structured postoperative services into your practice
Meet Your Instructor - Petra Erving
With over 20 years of hands-on experience, Petra Erving has worked across clinical, private, and specialist postoperative settings, developing a depth of understanding that bridges therapy, recovery, and surgical care.
Having worked alongside leading plastic and reconstructive specialists, Petra created The Aftercare Academy to strengthen standards in postoperative care and help therapists build the knowledge, judgement, and confidence this patient group deserves.
This training is not simply about learning a sequence. It is about understanding what is appropriate, when it is appropriate, and how to adapt responsibly.
Therapists working with postoperative patients need more than enthusiasm. They need sound reasoning, practical skill, and the confidence to know when to treat, when to adapt, and when to refer.
From Uncertainty to Being Filled with Confidence
“This training course was a ‘game changer’ for me, a turning point. Initially, I was concerned that it seemed very pricey compared to the pre- and post-op training that I had done with another school. However, that course had left me feeling unconvinced and underprepared for the post op patients I had seen. Now I feel secure in my skills and my abilities to offer these clients a full, professional service that I can be proud of.”
Lucy, Advanced Postoperative Therapies Workshop graduate 2026
Step Inside the Operating Theatre
Where possible, we offer the rare opportunity to observe live cosmetic surgery in a safe, professional, and respectful setting.
Depending on the location and the surgeon's operating list, you may observe procedures such as abdominoplasty, facelift, breast surgery, brachioplasty, or body contouring surgery, with commentary from the surgeon and from Petra throughout.
Where we do not have surgical access at a particular location, you will watch recorded footage from one of our previous surgery collaborations instead. The recording includes the surgeon explaining each stage of the procedure and the thinking behind it, along with questions from the therapists observing and the surgeon's answers as the surgery progresses.
This part of the week connects what happens in theatre with the clinical decision-making that follows it, so your hands-on work is informed by a clearer understanding of what the tissues have been through.
For many therapists, it becomes one of the most valuable parts of the entire week.
An outline of the week
Day 1 — Foundations & Core Skills
Day 2 — Surgical Context & Complications
Day 3 — Advanced Head & Neck
Day 4 — Body Contouring Focus
Day 5 — Integration & Assessment
Who is this workshop for?
This workshop is a good fit if you:
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have completed at least 40 hours of recognised MLD training, or hold a recognised lymphoedema qualification
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want to work more safely and confidently with postoperative plastic surgery clients
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are ready to understand tissue healing, surgical variation, complications, and professional boundaries in greater depth
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want to become a stronger referral option for surgeons and clinics
This workshop is not suitable if you:
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have only completed Brazilian lymphatic or body contouring style training
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have less than 40 hours of recognised hands-on MLD education
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are looking for a quick qualification without deeper clinical learning
Entry requirement: recognised MLD training with a minimum of 40 hours hands-on learning, or equivalent
Choose your level of support
Choose the level of support that best matches your learning goals and the kind of practice you want to build.
All options include the full 5-day workshop, pre-course online theory, training materials, and certificate of completion. Higher tiers add extended support and practice-building resources.
Pricing Options
Watch Our Alumni Testimonials
Logistics & Practical Info
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Locations and Dates:
- USA:
- Murrieta, California 21 - 25 September 2026,
- Fox River Grove, Illinois 5 - 9 October 2026,
- Boca Raton, Florida 19 - 23 October 2026
- USA:
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Accommodation: Nearby hotels/guesthouses available (Do NOT book non-refundable accommodation until each workshop has been confirmed)
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Meals: Lunch and snacks included
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Dress code: Professional but comfortable (scrubs recommended)