Pathways Training Academy

Pathways Training Academy 

Pathways Training Academy is a professional training academy founded by Amanda Murphy, offering accredited and continuing professional development training in massage, holistic therapies, wellbeing and complementary approaches.

The Academy was created from a desire to provide high-quality, accessible training that develops not only technical ability, but confident, compassionate and ethical practitioners.

Our ethos is rooted in the belief that effective therapy is about more than learning a treatment routine. Practitioners need a strong understanding of anatomy and physiology, appropriate professional boundaries, contraindications and client safety, as well as an appreciation of the individual person receiving the treatment.

Our training combines theory, practical hands-on learning and assessment, with comprehensive course manuals and ongoing tutor support. Courses are delivered through a mixture of face-to-face, blended and distance-learning formats depending on the nature of the qualification.

Training includes professional massage, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Brazilian Lymphatic Drainage and Sculpting, head, face and neck therapies, holistic therapies and other complementary and wellbeing approaches, with further specialist and CPD training continuing to develop.

At the heart of the Academy is the Pathways Method®, our approach to teaching and practice. It brings together sound theoretical knowledge, practical therapeutic skills and a trauma-informed, person-centred ethos. We encourage practitioners to consider not simply what technique they are using, but why, when it is appropriate, how it may be adapted and how to create a safe and respectful experience for every client.

## About the Founder

Pathways Training Academy was founded by Amanda Murphy, an experienced holistic practitioner, educator and business owner based in Staffordshire.

Amanda also founded Inner Peace Pathways, a holistic therapy and wellbeing business providing massage, bodywork, holistic therapies, yoga and complementary approaches. Her experience of working directly with clients provides an important foundation for the Academy, ensuring that training is informed by real-world practice as well as theoretical knowledge.

Before establishing her own businesses, Amanda spent more than 20 years working within the public and charity sectors, including senior leadership and service development roles. This professional background has shaped her approach to education, particularly her focus on safeguarding, professional standards, inclusion, communication and person-centred practice.

Amanda has undertaken extensive training across massage and bodywork, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, somatic approaches, trauma-informed practice and a range of holistic and complementary therapies. She continues to develop her own professional knowledge and skills alongside teaching and working with clients.

Her own lived experience has also strongly influenced the ethos behind both Inner Peace Pathways and Pathways Training Academy. This has created a particular commitment to trauma-informed practice and to recognising that every client and student brings their own experiences, needs and circumstances.

For Amanda, education is about more than achieving a certificate. It is about developing practitioners who have the knowledge, practical competence, confidence and compassion to work safely and professionally with the people they support.

Pathways Training Academy brings together education, professional experience and lived experience to create training that supports practitioners on their own pathway of learning and professional development.