Assessment Led Bodywork Training
A BTPA-accredited diploma for qualified therapists who want to find what’s really driving their clients’ problems, and treat it first.
Stop chasing symptoms. Start identifying what’s really driving the problem.
Assessment Led Bodywork Training (ALBT, previously Assessment Led Bowen Training) is a 10-day, hands-on diploma taught by Phil Steward, a therapist with over 30 years of clinical experience. You learn a structured system for assessing the body, identifying the primary driver behind your client’s symptoms, and confirming when it has been corrected. Graduates qualify as Bowen therapists. It is designed for Bowen therapists, massage and sports therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths and other qualified therapists (Level 3 and above) who want clearer, more consistent results.
10 days · 3 modules · maximum 10 per group · £1,750 · accredited by the BTPA
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“See dates and book the Diploma”
Course Introduction
Why good therapists still get inconsistent results
Often it isn’t a lack of skill. It’s a lack of clarity about what to treat first. If you already have good hands-on skills and have trained in several techniques, you may still notice that:
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results don’t always hold
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clients come back with the same problem
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some cases feel unclear or hard to resolve
It’s not what you treat. It’s what you treat first.
The body is constantly adapting and compensating, so the area of pain is often not where the problem starts. Without a clear way to assess, it’s easy to focus on symptoms, miss the underlying issue and get short-term results. The technique may be fine. The priority is what’s off.
What is a “primary driver”?
The primary driver is the underlying dysfunction that the rest of the body is compensating for, and it is often not where the client feels pain. When you can find it and treat it first, treatment becomes more precise, more consistent and easier to confirm.
See how the assessment system works → [Assessment demonstration]
The Assessment-Led System
What you learn on the ALBT Diploma
The Diploma gives you a clinical framework for working out what to treat, in what order, and how to tell when it has worked. It is accredited by the BTPA and is taught hands-on in small groups.
You will learn:
What graduates report:
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A structured assessment system: how to find the primary driver, including when it is not causing pain
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Practical correction skills: precise, targeted tissue work guided by what the assessment shows
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Clear confirmation tests: real-time checks that change as the body responds, so you know when a correction has worked
More precise, targeted treatment
Zoë Cook, Bowen therapist: “By assessing the body throughout, it is easier to pinpoint where the issue is coming from.”
Shorter treatment times
Tommaso Giannini, Bowen therapist: time to symmetry reduced to about 30 minutes (translated from the Italian review)
Confidence you’ve actually helped
Rebecca O’Kane, chiropractor: “new tools and ways to check that my work has been effective for the client”
Results from the start
Chantal Groom: “amazing results with clients, straight from the first module”
The system sits alongside the modalities you already use. Graduates include Bowen therapists, chiropractors, osteopaths, sports therapists and massage therapists.
Osteopath (30+ years experience)
“Having worked as an Osteopath for over 30 years, I’ve found the missing link to my work.
The assessment and techniques allow me to be far more specific and effective, integrating seamlessly with what I already do.
It’s blown me away.”
Rebecca Poppelwell 2021
Bowen Therapist
“From the moment I started using the work in my clinic, it has been life changing for both me and my patients. Treatment times are quicker but the work is so much more effective.”
Zoë Cook
(qualified 20+ years),February 2026, three years after starting..
Sports Therapist
“As a sports therapist I completed the assessment led Bowen training and even after completing my degree this is the most useful and in-depth form of training.”
Rico
Reviews
These results are consistent across therapists from different backgrounds, levels of experience, and modalities.
Full reviews can be read on the reviews page or the google widget at the bottom of your screen.
Massage Therapist
“I had been looking for something that massage wasn’t able to help with, the missing ingredient that could help more of my clients with their long term issues.”
Rachel With - Massage Therapist
Chiropractor
“I have come away from the course with so much knowledge, new tools and ways to check that my work has been effective for the client.”
Rebecca O’Kane
Small Groups and Hands On Teaching
“I highly recommend this course for any physical therapist (not just Bowen therapists, there were chiropractors and sports and massage therapist on my course) looking to deepen their skills and get better results for their clients.”
Sally - Bowen Therapist
“There was 6 of us training and Phil won’t go above 10.”
Linda Hammond - Bowen Therapist
What is Assessment Led Bodywork ?
The Method Behind the Training
Assessment Led Bodywork is a method where every treatment is guided by assessment findings and tissue palpation, not by a fixed sequence of moves. Phil Steward developed it over 30+ years of clinical practice with a wide range of complex musculoskeletal presentations. It is taught as a BTPA-accredited Bowen diploma.
How it works:
Why the pain isn’t always where the problem is
Pain often appears in areas that are compensating for dysfunction elsewhere in the body. This isn’t simple referral. It comes from mechanical and neurological adaptation. Treating the painful area can bring short-term relief while the driver remains. Finding and correcting the driver means you no longer have to chase pain around the body.
How the assessment works
The assessment uses apparent leg length as a window into the body. The client lies prone and you dorsiflex their feet, which puts tension through the dura mater. One leg appears shorter, and the shorter side shows which side the dysfunction is on. A short series of screening tests then narrows down where:
Cervical turn test: the client turns their head one way, then the other. If the leg length changes, this points to dysfunction in the neck.
Derifield screening: if the cervical test shows no change, flex the knees to 90 degrees. A change in the short leg is a positive screen and indicates an issue in the sacrum.
Gluteal squeeze: the client squeezes their buttocks. A shift in leg length helps indicate where a problem lies in the coccyx.
Why the pelvis shows what’s happening elsewhere
Lines of connective tissue run through the body (the lines described by Thomas Myers in Anatomy Trains) and they all attach around the pelvis. A restriction in one area passes along those lines and shows up as a change in pelvic position. That is why leg length can point to where a problem starts, even when it is somewhere other than where the client feels pain.
Treating and confirming the correction
Treatment is guided by the assessment findings and tissue palpation. Neuromuscular release and precise tissue adjustments change tension patterns and support structural correction, following principles pioneered by Tom Bowen. After each correction you repeat the test. When the dysfunction has been corrected, the leg length difference resolves into symmetry, so you can see whether the work has done what you intended and when to move on.
Where the ideas come from
The method draws on Bowen principles and on assessment ideas from Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT) and cranial work. SOT is a system developed by Dr Bertrand DeJarnette that looks at the relationship between the sacrum and the skull. ALBT is not a course in SOT or cranial work. It uses some of their assessment principles within a Bowen framework, and it has been refined in busy clinical practice. It is heavily influenced by the teaching of Graham Pennington, Alastair McLoughlin and John Wilks.
The ALBT Diploma
A structured, hands-on training designed for qualified therapists who want to develop real clinical clarity and achieve more consistent, lasting results.
Course Structure
The ALBT Diploma is delivered across 3 modules over 10 days in total.
Module 1:
4 days — foundations of assessment and treatment
Module 2:
3 days — developing precision, integration, and clinical reasoning
Module 3:
3 days — refinement, complexity, and final assessment
Assessment
A short written assessment, a final practical and 30 case studies.
Price and payment
£1,750. A £500 deposit secures your place and the £1,250 balance is due 30 days before the training starts. The deposit is non-refundable but can be transferred to another group with 10 weeks’ notice.
What makes this training different
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Small group sizes (maximum 10 participants)
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Highly practical, hands-on learning
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Ongoing feedback throughout the training
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Focus on real clinical application—not theory alone
Entry Requirements
This training is designed for qualified therapists (Level 3 and above), including:
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Massage therapists
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Sports therapists
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Bowen therapists
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Chiropractors
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Osteopaths
If you are already working with the body and want to improve your results, this training is designed for you.
No previous Bowen training is needed. Graduates qualify as Bowen therapists and can join the BTPA public register
Training Locations & Availability
Phil has taught ALBT groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Solihull, Bristol, Hull, Manchester, Rugby, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia. Current dates are listed below. For other locations or to host a group, get in touch.
Ready to develop real clinical clarity in your work?”
Identify what’s really driving your client’s problems—and treat with precision and confidence.
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Frequently asked questions about the ALBT Diploma
Who is the ALBT Diploma for?
Qualified therapists at Level 3 and above, including Bowen therapists, massage therapists, sports therapists, chiropractors and osteopaths. If you work hands-on with the body and want a clearer way to assess and treat, it is designed for you.
Do I need Bowen training to join?
No. No previous Bowen training is needed. Graduates qualify as Bowen therapists and can join the BTPA public register.
What qualification do I get?
You qualify as a Bowen therapist. The Diploma is accredited by the Bowen Therapy Professional Association (BTPA), and graduates can join its public register.
How is ALBT different from other Bowen training?
Treatment is guided by assessment findings and tissue palpation, not by a fixed sequence of moves. You assess throughout, treat what the findings show, and check the result after each correction.
I’m already a Bowen therapist. Is the Diploma worth doing?
Many graduates had 15 to 20+ years of Bowen experience beforehand. Louise Kernohan describes “a whole new dimension of palpation”, and Zoë Cook, qualified for over 20 years, says it “completely transformed the way that I work”. The Diploma carries 80 CPD hours.
How long is the Diploma and how is it structured?
Ten days across three modules: Module 1 is 4 days, and Modules 2 and 3 are 3 days each, at 8 hours a day. That is 80 contact hours.
How many CPD hours does it carry?
80 hours.
How is the Diploma assessed?
A short written assessment, a final practical and 30 case studies.
How much does it cost and how do I pay?
£1,750. A £500 deposit secures your place and the £1,250 balance is due 30 days before the training starts.
What if I need to move to a different group?
The deposit is non-refundable, but it can be transferred to another group if you give 10 weeks’ notice.
How big are the groups?
No more than 10, so you get plenty of individual feedback and practical tuition.
Is there support between modules?
A WhatsApp group is set up in the first session so you can ask Phil questions between modules.
Where and when does it run?
Current dates and venues are listed in the Next Courses section above. Phil has taught ALBT groups in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Solihull, Bristol, Hull, Rugby, Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, and can discuss hosting a group in your area.
How do I book?
Use the “Enrol Now” button, or arrange a phone call with Phil using the contact form.
Sarah shares her thoughts 12 months after training.
Sarah gives a quick review of how the ALBT training has positively effected her results and her business.
Contact Us
07788502023
5/6 Cedar House
Braunton
Devon
UK
About Phil Steward
Assessment Led Bodywork Training was inspired by the need to create a high quality Bodywork practitioner training programme.
Phil Steward is a Bowen practitioner and educator based in Braunton, North Devon, and the founder of Assessment Led Bodywork Training. He began practising professionally at 21 and has more than 30 years of clinical experience working with musculoskeletal pain, movement restrictions and recurring problems. He ran a busy full-time practice in Oxford before moving to Devon, where he and his wife opened Hands On Clinic in 2010. He still treats clients there every week, and what he teaches comes directly from that clinical work.
Training and qualifications
Phil began as a massage and sports massage therapist, training at the Oxford School of Massage, the Northern Institute of Sports Massage and the Midland School. He also studied Ayurvedic massage in India and holds an Advanced Diploma in Manipulative Therapy. His original Bowen qualification was A.O.R.B.T.A. (Association of Registered Bowen Therapists of Australia.) and he has also trained in the Dorn Method.
Qualifications: ITEC, OSM Dip, Nim Dip, Ayur Dip, Adv Dip MT, A.O.R.B.T.A., Dorn Dip.
Bowen teachers
Phil has studied with Graham Pennington, Ron Phelan, Alastair McLoughlin and John Wilks. His Bowen training included an intensive programme in Croatia with Graham Pennington and Dr Rommney Smeeton, one of Tom Bowen’s original apprentices.
Teaching
Phil teaches the ALBT Diploma and CPD workshops to small groups of no more than 10, in venues across the UK and in Europe. He has run groups in, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Solihull, Bristol, Hull, Rugby, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia. He keeps in touch with graduates between modules and afterwards