Join the 2027 Aftercare Academy WaitlistÂ
54.5 hours approved learning • 12 hours online + 42.5 hours in person • Live surgery observation • Small-group teaching
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.
Does any of this sound familiar?Â
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 Â
This workshop has been designed to bring together the theory, judgement, and practical skills needed for safer postoperative care.Â
Before you attend
Pre-course online theory to strengthen your understanding of anatomy, wound healing, surgical procedures, and safety.
During the workshop
Five days of supervised, hands-on learning focused on treatment reasoning, adaptation, and professional decision-making.
Surgical observation
Live theatre experience that helps you connect what you see in the operating room to what you do with your patients in your treatment room.
What's includedÂ
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 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 -Â Petra ErvingÂ
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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 Part of the Clinic Team
“Before attending the workshop, I avoided post-op clients because I did not feel fully sure what was safe. After the training, I felt much clearer in my assessments, more confident in adapting treatment, and better able to support surgical patients properly. That confidence helped me step into a more valued role within clinic care.”
Stephanie, Advanced Postoperative Therapies Workshop graduate 2024
Step Inside the Operating Theatre
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This is a rare opportunity to observe live cosmetic surgery within a safe, professional, and respectful setting.
Depending on the operating list, you may observe procedures such as abdominoplasty, facelift, breast surgery, brachioplasty, or body contouring surgery, with commentary from both the surgeon and Petra throughout.
This experience helps connect surgical reality with postoperative treatment decisions, so your hands-on work is informed by a deeper understanding of what the tissues have undergone.
For many therapists, this 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