The Cranio Facial Therapy Academy (CRAFTA®) curriculum has been developed through interdisciplinary consensus between specialists in dentistry, medicine, and physical therapy, integrating contemporary scientific knowledge with advanced clinical expertise in craniofacial and cervical disorders.
All courses are reviewed and updated every six months to ensure alignment with current scientific evidence and international educational standards, including the European Bologna recommendations.
The program combines theoretical education, hands-on practical training, clinical reasoning, case-based learning, and live patient demonstrations (subject to national regulations).
The primary goal of the CRAFTA® program is to educate highly skilled clinicians capable of assessing and managing patients with headaches and craniofacial and cervical pain and dysfunctions.
Teaching is grounded in modern clinical reasoning and, wherever possible, supported by both external scientific evidence and internally generated clinical outcome data.
The curriculum is strongly informed by the scientific publications of Dr. Harry J. M. von Piekartz, including:
- Craniofacial Dysfunction and Pain: Manual Therapy — Assessment and Management (2000)
- Kraniofaziale Dysfunktion und Schmerzen: Untersuchung — Beurteilung — Management (2001)
- Dolor y disfunción craneofacial: Terapia manual, valoración y manejo (Spanish edition)
- Craniofacial Pain: Neuromusculoskeletal Assessment, Treatment and Management (2007)
- Kiefer-, Gesichts- und Zervikalregion: Neuromuskuloskelettale Untersuchung, Therapie und Management (2015)
Levels of Expertise
CRAFTA® recognizes three levels of professional expertise.
CRAFTA® Foundation Practitioner (CFP)
- Course participants have successfully completed the Foundation course, including a written exam.
- They have the competence to assess, treat, and manage general neuromusculoskeletal disorders of the head, face, and neck region using evidence-based clinical reasoning.
CRAFTA® Advanced Practitioner (CAP)
- Participants who successfully complete the Advanced Program (Advanced Course Part 1 and Part 2) as well as the Cervical-Ocular-Vestibular Course (COV), including the online examination, obtain the status of CRAFTA® Advanced Practitioner (CAP).
- They are competent to analyze and manage complex patients with head, neck, and orofacial disorders and to make treatment decisions based on advanced clinical reasoning.
CRAFTA® Certificate Master Practitioner (CMP)
- Course participants have successfully completed the entire CRAFTA® educational program, including the practical examination, and are qualified as a craniofacial–cervical specialist with the professional title “CRAFTA® Specialized Therapist.”
- They are competent in assessing and managing complex clinical cases in the craniofacial and cervical domains and can communicate at an expert level within interdisciplinary healthcare teams. The therapist’s clinic may be featured on a dedicated CRAFTA® website page for certified specialists, and they will receive regular updates from CRAFTA® on new and innovative developments in the field.
Completion of the Foundation Courses is required before participation in the Advanced Courses, including
- the COV (Cervical Ocular Vestibular) course
- the clinical training modules
- Clinical CRAFTA® Assessment (CCA)
- the Advanced Clinical 3-Day (ACD3) course.
Learn more about the CRAFTA Statement about Headaches in Children in this brief webinar presented by Daniela von Piekartz.