Dr Melissa Davidson
Clinical Educator
PhD, MPhil, Dip.Physiotherapy, B.Science, Dip.Manipulation, Post Graduate Certificates in Physiotherapy (Pelvic Floor and Acupuncture)
Certificate in Health Science,
Certificate in Health Science,
Prekure Certified Health Coach
My mission is to remove the taboo around pelvic health. In my clinical practice I can only help one patient at a time. As a clinical educator, I can share my knowledge and experience with you so you can help all people with pelvic health issues in your community.
I am currently the only Specialist Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health registered with the New Zealand Physiotherapy Board. This is my specialty. This is my passion. I graduated in 1990, and since then I have worked hard to extend my knowledge and skills in pelvic health with Post Graduate Certifications, a research Masters, and a PhD.
At Dr Melissa Davidson - Pelvic Health Training, we offer evidence-informed, clinically relevant courses to give you hands on skills you can apply immediately in your own practice.
We specialize in providing courses that encourage multidisciplinary training opportunities: physiotherapists, medical doctors, nurses, osteopaths, extended care paramedics, clinical nurse specialists, consultant specialists, midwives, nurse practitioners, exercise physiologists, and personal trainers. If you are keen to learn about pelvic health, we are keen to train you!
Help us spread the word about pelvic health and #removethetaboo.
Melissa
Training Pathway Options
Courses for Pelvic Health Professionals
Welcome Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Nurses, GP's, midwives, and consultant specialists.
(Personal Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, and Kinesiologists see our Courses for Musculoskeletal Professionals.)
Our courses for Pelvic Health Professionals are:
- Curated by Dr Melissa Davidson, New Zealands's only Specialist Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health
- Up to date with content revised every year.
- Evidence informed with extensive references
- Include content for all patient genders
- Open to registered health professionals of all genders
- Backed up with options for Professional Support to help you apply your learning
CORE COURSES
Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals Certificate
Combine INTEGRATION and INTERNALS Courses to complete the Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals Certificate.
Purchase each course separately, or buy a Combo package and save on your course fees.
INTEGRATION Course: Integrating Pelvic Health into Your Practice
1 day course available On-Demand at anytime for you to learn at your own pace.
"The Integration course was great to get a taste of pelvic health. I wasn't too sure if it was the route I wanted to go down, but after this it has solidified my choice. I feel excited to go and put this knowledge into practice on Monday and can see how important this subject is for all physios to learn, even if they are not going down the pelvic heath pathway."
- Gaby, Physiotherapist
"The integration course was an excellent introduction/foundation to the anatomy, physiology and dysfunction of the pelvic floor. I am a nurse and found Melissa was excellent in teaching to a variety of professionals (Physio, osteo, nursing etc). The course was very engaging and the food amazing! I will be booking my next course."
- Charlotte, Nurse
"Integration, what a great day to learn the basics of integrating pelvic health into daily practice. The course was comprehensive but not overwhelming. I have walked away with a new passion which I can't wait to further pursue with Melissa's future courses. If you are on the fence I highly recommend integration."
- Haley, Osteopath
INTERNALS Course: Introduction to Pelvic Health Internal Exams
1 day Theory On-Demand & 1 day Practical In-Person
"Great course. As a male was quite apprehensive at first, but was made to feel very comfortable and it wasn't an issue in the slightest."
- Seb, Osteopath
"Thanks Melissa for creating fantastic courses. Have done the integration earlier in the year which was a great intro to pelvic health, and gave me information I could discuss with patients and skills to externally palpate the pelvic floor. And after just finishing the internals course, which I was rather nervous about initially, however Melissa creates such a safe, comfortable learning space and really hammers-home the importance of informed consent and lots of examples of how to continuously do that before and throughout assessment to ensure the patient has a great experience. She also teaches to all different learning types - auditory, visual, and we even got to head outside to help visualize the internal exam better."
- Emma, Physiotherapist
Part B: Pelvic Health Proficiency Certificate
Build on the skills you have already by attending the PELVIC PAIN and ADVANCED Courses to achieve the Part B: Pelvic Health Proficiency Certificate.
Purchase each course separately or buy a Combo package and save on your course fees.
PELVIC PAIN Course
1 day course available On-Demand at anytime for you to learn at your own pace.
"I found this course very useful to identify nociplastic pain in complex pelvic pain patients and feel equipped with a new treatment approach that is wholistic and can also be used for people with chronic pain in other areas."
- Kirsty, Physiotherapist
"The Pelvic Pain course was excellent and new assessment and treatment skills obtained can be immediately put into practice with my patients."
- Fran, Physiotherapist
"As a gynaecologist, I have never fully appreciated the work and expertise of the pelvic health physiotherapist. My eyes have been opened at this course, what a privilege it has been to watch experts at work, with compassion, empathy and finesse. I have learned so much, and encouraged by the hope that there are others who can help my patients on their chronic pain journey."
- Alice, Gynaecologist
"These courses have been incredibly helpful, and I'm already bringing so many of the skills and insights into my clinical practice. It's been inspiring to see the real differences this knowledge makes to people's well-being. I'm genuinely enjoying the learning process and feel more confident and effective in the support I can offer my patients. Highly recommend!"
- Rosie, Physiotherapist
ADVANCED Course: Advanced Level Pelvic Health
1 day Theory On-Demand & 1 day Practical In-Person
"Great course, with incredible food, and lovely friendly participants and relaxed but very informative."
- Richard, Osteopath
"As always, Melissa is a knowledgeable and engaging presenter and with Simon providing top technical and all-round support , this makes for a sensational team in their field ! Great group also. Thank you both so much!"
- Peggy, Nurse
"GREAT course! GREAT information! It compliments the initial internals course perfectly. It's not too much or too little progression from the first internals course and you walk out feeling more advanced than before! Kinloch is beautiful and would be happy to come to another course here again!"
- Liana, Physiotherapist
"Great course helped me to improve my Pelvic Internal skills. Highly recommended!"
- Giulia, Osteopath
Keystones of Pelvic Health Credential
Complete our four core courses: INTEGRATION, INTERNALS, PELVIC PAIN, and ADVANCED to achieve the
'Keystones of Pelvic Health Credential'.
The Keystones Credential is made up of two parts:
- Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals Certificate (Integration & Internals Courses), and
- Part B: Pelvic Health Proficiency Certificate (Advanced & Pelvic Pain Courses)
PESSARIES COURSES
PESSARIES Intro Course: Introduction to Pessary Fitting
1 Day Theory On-Demand & 1 day Practical In-Person
"Melissa and Simon always deliver on these courses. So organised, so well thought out, so thorough and informative. The theoretical and practical aspects of the course are so well balanced that it enables a true learning experience and allows one to fully grasp the content and retain all learning by putting it all into a "real experience". Having Fran's Pelvic health and Pessary and Alice's Gynaecological knowledge and experience really sets this course above and beyond. Not to mention the IT, cleaning and food extaordinaire, Simon! and how can we forget THE FOOD...always deliciously spectacular. I got so so so much out of this course and would absolutely recommend it to all who would love to learn more and become competent in the world of Pessaries." - Tessa, Physiotherapist
"Highly informative and practical course - within a relaxed environment which enhances the overall learning experience. As a GP with an interest in women's health I found the skills learned essential." - Christina, GP
"The pessary course not only gives you everything you need to be safely and competently fitting and managing pessaries, but also thorough evidence based up to date knowledge on POP." - Sara, Physiotherapist
"Fantastic evidence based course with robust protocols and excellent clinical application."
- Glenn, Osteopath
"I have been on a number of Melissa's courses now and they just keep getting better! This "Pessaries" course was absolutely amazing. I walked away feeling so satisfied, motivated and eager to continue my work in this field."
- Rebecca, Physiotherapist
"Fantastic course with plenty of practical sessions and take home information to use immediately within your practice" - Eileen, Physiotherapist
"As a PHPT confident in treating POP conservatively, I found this course wonderful in learning how to safely fit and monitor pessaries both practically and administratively." - Kat, Physiotherapist
PESSARIES Advanced Course: Advanced Pessary Fitting
1 Day In-Person
"I recently completed the Advanced Pessary Course with Dr. Melissa Davidson, and it was absolutely fantastic. The course was incredibly informative and significantly enhanced my knowledge of pessary management, especially for those tricky patient cases. I also really valued the opportunity to collaborate and learn alongside other health professionals. As always, Melissa delivers courses that are engaging, practical, and of the highest quality. Highly recommended!" - Rebecca, Physiotherapist
"Having attended several of Melissa's courses, I can attest to her maintaining a high standard of presentation, content and her impressive sense of humor to enhance participants engagement and learning" - Helen, Nurse
"A fantastic learning environment with a lovely group with varied scopes. Highly recommend!" - Alex, Gynaecologist
"Melissa's courses are fabulous - I have worked my way through all of them over a few years & they've given me the tools & knowledge to be able to confidently practice in pelvic health physio, as well as pessary fitting! Thank you for your support & for sharing all your wisdom with us Melissa" - Courtney, Physiotherapist
"Fantastic course to practice fitting the wider range of pessaries, beyond rings, cubes and gellhorns. Valuable discussions on clinical reasoning with the case studies. Excellent being able to practice on the new models too!" - Emma, Physiotherapist
"Highly recommend any clinician working with pessaries attend". - Emma, Nurse Practitioner
"Fantastic course to practice fitting the wider range of pessaries, beyond rings, cubes and gellhorns. Valuable discussions on clinical reasoning with the case studies. Excellent being able to practice on the new models too!" - Emma, Physiotherapist
SPECULUM Workshop
We are aware that many physiotherapists are fitting pessaries, but have not had the opportunity to learn how to do speculum examinations in the course of their pessary training elsewhere.
To fill this gap, we offer a short workshop just focused on speculum training, covering assessment of vaginal muscosa, visual checking of the cervix, and refresher training of the POP-Q measures.
PLEASE NOTE: If you have done, or are planning to do our PESSARIES Intro course, you will already have covered everything that the Speculum Workshop covers. You do not need to do the Speculum Workshop as well. If you are planning on doing the PESSARIES Advanced course and are not already doing speculum examinations, then you should consider doing the Speculum Workshop as we only briefly cover speculum examinations on the PESSARIES Advanced Course.
BUSINESS Course
In this half-day course you will learn how to set yourself up as a pelvic health professional and how to run your business successfully and profitability.
We'll teach you how to take your set of unique skills and grow your business to maximise your income while staying true to your values of helping others in the field of pelvic health. We will also discuss developing your career in the field of pelvic health.
Courses for Musculoskeletal Health Professionals
Welcome Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Personal Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, Kinesiologists, and other Musculoskeletal Health Professionals.
Our courses for Musculoskeletal Health Professionals are:
- Curated by Dr Melissa Davidson, New Zealands's only Specialist Physiotherapist in Pelvic Health
- Up to date with content revised every year.
- Evidence informed with extensive references
- Include content for all genders
- Open to professionals interested in pelvic health of all genders.
- Backed up with options for Professional Support to help you apply your learning
INTEGRATION Course:
Integrating Pelvic Health into Your Practice
This course is appropriate for musculoskeletal professionals (Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Personal Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, Kinesiologists, etc.) who want to advance their skills but may not want to start a career in pelvic health.
For registered health professionals who do decide to continue on the Pelvic Health pathway, your next step would be to complete INTERNALS Course to achieve the Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals Certificate.
"I really enjoyed the Integration course, I found it very helpful as a musculoskeletal physiotherapist to get a general understanding and baseline knowledge on pelvic health conditions and treatment. I would recommend this course to every physio even if not wanting to go down the pelvic health route so that we can help guide our patients to getting treatment and get talking about a commonly taboo subject."
- Ella, Physiotherapist
"I thoroughly enjoyed this course - great to have the online option meaning that no travel was required, making otherwise an unaccessible course due to location very accessible. I felt engaged the entire day (which if you have done full day training courses is sometimes very hard to do and maintain). Really appreciated the language used - the humour, the balance of technical terminology and conversational language."
- Jaimee, Personal Trainer and Yoga Teacher
PELVIC PAIN Course
This course is appropriate for health professionals (Physiotherapists, Osteopaths, Personal Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, Kinesiologists, etc.) who want to advance their skills in the comprehensive care of patients with pelvic pain.
For registered health professionals who decide to continue on the Pelvic Health pathway, your next step (if you haven't done these courses already), would be to complete the Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals Certificate (INTEGRATION Course + INTERNALS Course) before completing the ADVANCED Course to achieve the Part B: Pelvic Health Proficiency Certificate (PELVIC PAIN Course + ADVANCED Course).
"As a gynaecologist, I have never fully appreciated the work and expertise of the pelvic health physiotherapist. My eyes have been opened at this course, what a privilege it has been to watch experts at work, with compassion, empathy and finesse. I have learned so much, and encouraged by the hope that there are others who can help my patients on their chronic pain journey."
- Alice, Gynaecologist
"An excellent course with a well structured framework that allows you to deep dive into understanding and working with pelvic pain in your clinic."
- Glenn, Osteopath
"I highly recommend this course to anyone treating pelvic health patients, it can be applied to so many people including those who are not pelvic based, such a useful course!"
- Jenny, Physiotherapist
Courses Outside New Zealand
Australia
See course pages for locations and dates for 2026.
Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals - Hong Kong
Join Melissa in Kowloon, Hong Kong for this 3 day In-Person course combining INTEGRATION and INTERNALS to achieve the Part A: Pelvic Health Fundamentals Certificate.
This course will be taught in English.
Two dates in 2026 in Hong Kong: 1-3 May 2026, & 17-19 October 2026
Contact our training partners HK Physiotherapy Academy to register your interest.
Hong Kong
Part B: Pelvic Health Proficiency - Hong Kong
Join Melissa in Kowloon, Hong Kong for this 3 day In-Person course combining PELVIC PAIN and ADVANCED to achieve the Part B: Pelvic Health Proficiency Certificate.
This course will be taught in English.
One date in 2027 in Hong Kong: 1- 3 May 2027
Contact our training partners HK Physiotherapy Academy to register your interest.
Other Countries
If you are keen to host a course in a country we don't have listed, please get in touch directly with us via email at support@drmelissadavidson.
We can travel anywhere that pelvic health education is needed.
Professional Support
"Engaging with mentors, supervisors, and peers has helped me achieve success in my career and in my business. Let me share my three decades plus years of knowledge and experience to help guide you professionally"
Professional support to accelerate your career. We have three options for you to choose from:
- Pelvic Health DIRECT. Online forum to ask Melissa your Pelvic Health questions. Join for FREE.
- Pelvic Health CONNECT. Private members group with private forum, monthly live group mentoring and training with Melissa, and access to resources for your Pelvic Health business. Paid membership.
- Pelvic Health PRO. One-on-one mentoring, training, or supervision with Melissa. Priced per hour. Discounts for Pelvic Health CONNECT members.
Pelvic Health Directory
Be found on the web where Kiwi referrers and patients are looking for Pelvic Health Professionals who can help with appropriate assessment and treatment for their pelvic health concerns.
Course FAQs
Q. I'm not a physiotherapist. Can I do these courses?
A. These courses were initially focused on providing training to physiotherapists. However they have been expanded to enable other registered health professionals with an interest in the field of pelvic health such as Osteopaths, GP's, Nurses, Gynaecologists, Midwives, Personal Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, Kinesiologists, and more.
Q. I'm a male. Can I learn about pelvic health?
A. Yes. Our courses are open to females, males, and gender diverse individuals. Pelvic health can be a rewarding career path for all genders.
Q. I'm not living in Aotearoa New Zealand. Can I attend your in-person courses?
A. Yes. Physiotherapists can attend our courses in New Zealand without having to be registered by the Physiotherapy Board of NZ. While in NZ you are restricted from calling yourself a 'physiotherapist', but you can say you are a 'physiotherapist registered in ......(insert your country here).
Other health professionals (Osteopaths, Nurses, Gynaecologists, Personal Trainers, Exercise Physiologists, Kinesiologists, etc.), please check with the relevant professional board in NZ. Any questions regarding this, please contact Melissa prior to enrolling.
Q. Where is Kinloch and how do I get there?
A. Kinloch is in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand about 20 minutes from Taupō and a 3 hour drive from Auckland.
Air New Zealand has direct flights to Taupō from Auckland. It is about a 30 minute drive from Taupō Airport to Kinloch.
There are many B&Bs in Kinloch and a range of accommodation options and eateries in Taupō. Kinloch has beautiful cycle/walking tracks, lake swimming, and a beauitful small country town 'vibe'
🐾 Please note: 🐾 Any courses held in Kinloch will have two black labrador dogs present (Ripley and Strider) - its their home 😊. If this is going to be a issue for you, I suggest doing the course in a different location.
Q. Where can I find the dates for all your courses?
A. Keep scrolling down to see our latest Course Calendar.
Cancellation Policy
For on-demand courses (e.g., Integration, Pelvic Pain, Business)
No refund will be given once you have purchased the course and have access to the resources.
For blended on-demand and in-person courses (e.g., Internals, Advanced Pelvic Health, Pessaries – Intro, Pessaries – Advanced)
No refund will be given once you have access to the on-demand part of the course. If you are unable to attend the in-person component of the course that you have registered for, we will allow you to attend the in-person component of the same course within 12 months at an alternative location (if available).
For in-person only courses (e.g., Speculum Workshop)
If you cancel more than 8 weeks before the course, you will receive a full refund less a $50 admin fee. If you cancel up to 4 weeks before the course, you will receive a 50% refund less a $50 admin fee. No refund will be given if you cancel with less than 4 weeks' notice. There are no exceptions to this.
All in-person components of courses
If Melissa is unable to teach an in-person component of a course due to illness, the in-person part of the course will be moved to another date. Your registration will be changed to the new course date. If you are unable to attend the in-person component of the course on this new date, we will offer you a 50% refund of the course fees. Please take this into account if you are flying in for the course or booking accommodation. Make sure you have flexible arrangements in case the course is rescheduled (unlikely but possible).
We recommend you don't to fly into the in-person courses on the day they start - weather, flight change, etc could mean you miss the start (or all) of the course. Come the day prior and have a relaxing day getting to the course location so you are fresh and relaxed for the course.
Course Calendar 2026
(c) Dr Melissa Davidson, 2025