Massage Therapy Classes

One of my gripes about the massage profession and the process of professional massage licensing is the fact that the National Certification Board of Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) requires that massage students take classes in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and understand how the meridians work in the body.  Just a few years ago there was only one test and that required knowing the meridians.

While I am all for TCM and go to acupuncturists myself for many various ailments - can you really learn enough about the meridians in a weekend workshop to be able to know what to do to work with them? Is it really necessary for massage therapists to know about meridians to have a successful massage practice?

To me TCM is a lifestyle and lifelong learning process. It takes a few years to be proficient in something like this. I personally do not anyone working on my meridians after taking a weekend workshop.

While the NCBTMB also has another exam where they don’t require having to know meridians they call the other exam - the National Certification in Therapeutic Massage. You don’t have to know about meridians but you do have to know about posture and alignment.  That to me is what a bodyworker knows since most of my extensive training (about 6 years of my 20 years in the massage profession) were spent learning structural integration.  I became a bodyworker after that. The test that requires knowing the meridians is called the National Certification in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. So apparently just because you know the meridians you can call your self a bodyworker.

The whole thing is very confusing because the profession has no clear definition of what the terms massage or bodywork even mean.

Now here is the thing - If you want to study meridians and TCM please so so and study it with all of your heart.  But don’t make me learn it or have anything to do with it.  I have no interest in it or have the time (1 year or more) to put into learning something like that.  It is not needed to practice massage successfully.

Yes it can help you if you are interested in it but making it a requirement is beyond ridiculous.   If you are a TCM practitioner I am not saying your work is not valid or important so please don’t take this personally.

The whole problem lies in the not knowing what is really needed to be a successful massage therapist.  From what I understand the NCBTMB does do surveys on what classes people have taken and they ask if people have studied meridians.  Of course they have studied it because they made it be a requirement!  Is it necessary?  NO.

Basic massage skills do not require knowing the meridians or anything about them or any branch of traditional Chinese medicine.

Posted in Licensing and Legislation, Massage Schools/Students | 2 Comments »

Massage Therapy Training

One of the controversies in the massage profession is over the number of hours of education that is required to be a successful massage therapist. I am sure I have written about this before but can’t find where so here I go again.

Most states have some kind of licensing requirements in place or if you are in CA each city has various requirements making it a nightmare to work as a massage therapist in that state. I think the states that do require licensing have a minimum of 500 hours of massage school training. Some go to 1000 hours of training. How much is really needed to be able to give a great massage and also be successful as a massage therapist are really two different issues. To be a successful massage therapist you could be giving people the worst massage of their life but if you are educating them or just being present with them, they may become regular clients no matter how good or bad your massage is. A good massage is also very subjective. What is good for some is a nightmare for others.

To run a successful massage business all you need to do is be a good business person. Massage schools really teach you very little about that.

Is 500 hours of massage training really necessary? I personally don’t think it is required to start giving massage. Can 500 hours of training and more enhance your skills as a massage therapist? Yes definitely. I think what happens when people hear me saying that you only need 100 hours of massage training is that they feel threatened that I am saying that their many hours of education isn’t worth anything or isn’t helping them to be a more successful massage therapist.

I for one started out in massage in 1987 after 250 of massage school. Many of my friends have even less than that and are still in business too. Many of the newer massage therapists can’t seem to make it even after all of that training. I have talked with many who are afraid to do massage for fear of doing something wrong or fear of getting physically injured doing massage.

Keith Grant in his white paper on “Issues in Massage Governance”(pdf) also talks about this controversy stating that 100 hours of massage school is enough to start in the massage profession and that people also learn better in smaller chunks of training. People often get into overload mode after more than 100 hours of training. The other thing is that the number of hours of training needed has never really been researched. After I became a massage therapist with 250 hours of training the next year it was increased to 500 hours with no reasons why or no formal inquiry into how much was needed. The number was just arbitrarily picked out of a hat ( or should I say massage school.) Keith also points out that the increase in the number of hours of training is related to the fact that massage schools could get more grant and loan funding for their students if there were a higher number of hours of training.

I think people who have more hours of training feel threatened or feel concerned about how much they have struggled to start a business even with the 500+ hours of training. I wonder if it it more training and training overload that is actually causing them to have such issues.

So how much education is needed to be successful in the massage profession? Today after reading about the success of “Massage Envy” I would say none. Go get a degree in business and open up a massage franchise and hire all those poor students who have just paid all of their money to go to school just to get a job paying $12 an hour.

But seriously, the number needed is really more about what you need personally to be successful. Do you need more training and time to integrate the material and practice? How much time do you have to put into it? How much time do you have before you need to be working? What are your learning styles?

If you are not a massage therapist yet and are thinking about becoming one you can find out more in my Ebook “The Massage Therapy Career Guide - The truth about becoming a massage therapist available at www.massagetherapycareers.com

If you are already a massage therapist - how many hours of education do you have? How successful is your business currently? What more do you need to know or wish you had known?

(Posting on blogs are a good way to get back links to your website which is what will help you in getting your site found by Google and other search engines.)

Posted in Massage Schools/Students, Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

Massage Therapy Jobs

When I first started doing massage back in 1987, no one really thought of trying to go out and find a job in massage. There just weren’t that many. Becoming a massage therapist meant that you started your own massage business right out of massage school.

The current salary statistics that I mentioned in an earlier post on the future of massage  don’t make the massage profession look very appealing. One of the problems is that we don’t really have accurate statistics about massage jobs because there are so many massage therapists who do start their own practice.Today there are more and more places hiring massage therapists - Franchises like Massage Envy, Day spas, destination spas, hospitals, chiropractors, clinics, hospices, nursing homes, dentists, chair massage places.  With more places hiring massage therapists, the more competitive the job markets.

I am also seeing a trend through my website www.massagetherapycareers.com of more high school students looking at massage therapy careers.  The current average age of massage therapists is 45 according to ABMP and AMTA.  With more younger people joining the work force they are taking the entry level jobs that pay $12-$15 an hour.

So what is the key to finding a massage job that pays $30-$45 an hour which is a fairly decent wage level?

People seem to be blindly searching for massage jobs out of fear and desperation rather than taking their time to figure out what it is that they want for themselves.

One of the things I recommend to massage therapists that are just starting out is to go to a variety of places and get a few massages there.  Find out what it is like to work there by being a client there first.

What kind of place do you want to work at?  A spa, chiropractors office or other clinical setting?What are the current employees like?

What is the atmosphere like?

Is this a place that you would like to work for?

After you know more about a place you can then set up informational interviews with the managers of the places that you would most like to work for.  Ask them questions about the business so you can get more information about whether or not you want to work there or not.

Most people go about it the other way approaching places looking for a job and waiting to see if they get hired there without really knowing what they are getting into.

The other thing that massage therapists seem to forget is that even though they are going to work for someone else, they are the reason why people come back for more massages and refer all of their friends and keep the business going.  You still have to have good customer service and marketing skills to educate clients as to why they should come more often.  You also have to be able to tune into clients and find out what they really need.  Spas are more difficult to work at in some ways because you only get one hour to make a connection with a person as many are only coming in for that one a year massage treat.  All massage businesses depend on repeat clients and referrals and is mainly a result of how good the massage is, the connection between the massage therapist and client and the client getting their needs met.

I am in the process of writing a new ebook on finding a job in massage therapy.  What challenges did you or are you having finding a job in massage?  What things are you finding from working for a massage employer that you didn’t expect or do not like?   What are you finding out about the massage job market and employers that you would want others to know so that they can look out for these things in an interview or informational process?

Posted in Massage Schools/Students, Massage Therapy Jobs, The Wealthy Massage Therapist | No Comments »

Massage Training Controversy

One of the big issues in the massage profession has to do with the number of hours of education that one needs to become a professional, licensed massage therapist. While many states have adopted 500 hours of training as the basic amount of hours of massage school, there doesn’t seem to be any proof of what is really needed.

There seems to be two schools and probably many in between but the two basic versions are:

• 100 hours of basic massage training focusing on giving massage
• 500+ hours of extensive training in anatomy, physiology, orthopedic massage or some advanced systems of massage

When I went to massage school back in 1987, the basic requirements in WA State were 250 hours of massage school which did include anatomy, physiology, pathology and treatment massage for working with various basic conditions such as sprains/strains, headaches and common conditions. I was in the last group that was let in under those requirements of 250 hours. The number of hours of training that was required was going up to 500 hour of massage school where it stands now. I was very glad to be in the last class at 250 hours because I didn’t want to spend the extra time and money. The reasons for the increase in the number of hours of training was just an arbitrary thing that the state board seemed to come up with at the time. The massage schools were actually requesting it for no other reason than that they could make more money by getting students to stay longer. Keith Grant in his white paper on “Issues in Massage Governance” which he wrote in 2002 described this situation exactly. I have spoken about it here and really recommend that anyone who is interested in the future of the massage profession read it. It is quite lengthy and I have summarized this before on the blog.

Basically what he says is the same thing - that 100 hours of massage school is enough training to do massage and become a massage therapist.

People who think differently seem to have such an extreme reaction to this statement but don’t seem to have any proof or references to back themselves up other than statements like:

• People can’t do medical massage with only 100 hours of training
• People can’t give a good massage with only 100 hours of training
• People need much more anatomy and physiology than could be fit into a 100 hour training class

There is a whole other controversy over the issue of medical massage. Does medical massage require extra training or is it just the ability to be able to bill an insurance company for massage services which only requires knowing what paperwork is needed and how to show improvement in a massage session. Anyone who can do basic massage and can create a change in a muscle can show improvement in a condition.

I guess I must have my own personal definition of medical massage because I have been doing it since 1989 when I started my practice with 250 hours of massage school. From the very beginning I was able to bill insurance companies and be paid and was also very successful in working with clients. That doesn’t mean I didn’t get more training through the 20 years of being a massage therapist.

I am not saying that having more training is not good and that all of those years and thousands of dollars that are spent are not worthwhile. I am not saying that more education can improve your chances of being successful.

What I am saying that anyone can be taught to do a basic massage in 100 hours of training. How successful they will be depends on them, just as it does with someone with 1000 hours of training. There are so many massage therapists that do have training and still are not successful. ABMP reports that about 50,000 massage therapists leave the field each year and though they don’t say why, I would guess that most are due to being unable to make a living whether that involves getting injured or sick or what.

The thing is that we really don’t know what is required as far as education in creating a massage therapist who can be effective and successful. As a profession we have not created any studies that show that 100 hours or that 1000 hours is the best.

I don’t really know what the answer is to the issue but am really open to hearing about solutions such as studies that could help create more successful massage therapists. Keith Grant’s solution is apprenticeship programs which seem to be put on the wayside to make room for the big massage school conglomerates such as Cortiva, Corinthian Colleges and the like. And with the increase in massage franchises that only pay massage therapists $15 an hour, I just have to wonder what exactly is going on.

Posted in Massage Research, Massage Schools/Students, Massage Therapy Jobs | 4 Comments »

The Gift of Pain

How often do we look at pain and try to get rid of it. Most of our lives we spend trying to get away from pain.

In our work as massage therapists we are faced with so many people in pain - back pain, neck pain, injuries, car accidents, foot pain, hip pain, pain from inflamed muscles and joints, pain from arthritis, headaches…we don’t usually think of the gift of pain.

Insurance companies make the client focus on the pain by making them report it constantly to us and other health care providers.

We try to deal with the pain by fixing it for the client when maybe fixing it isn’t really the best answer. Do we try to fix the pain because we can’t bear the pain that it brings up in us to see someone in pain? Do we keep the client focused on getting rid of the pain by chasing it around the body? If we ‘fix’ the pain do we miss the message?

What if pain were just the messenger. Like the old saying - “Don’t shoot the messenger”.

Pain is different from suffering. You can have pain and live with pain but it is the suffering from the pain - wanting or expecting things to be different causes the suffering. We keep focusing on the pain and getting rid of it causing suffering. We can get easily hooked into fixing pain and trying to ease other pains instead of looking at what is coming up for us in relation to seeing others in pain.

How can we accompany clients in turning toward their pain?
Learning to address our own pain first before being able to go there with others is needed to be able to be present with others in pain.

I actually think this is one of the main reasons for massage therapists having such a hard time building a massage practice. They want to leave when the work becomes to difficult or demanding and can’t bear the pain of others. They end up always trying to fix clients which leaves people feeling like massage is not valuable to them. We look for new techniques or research that will make us better fixers when we already have all of the tools needed to witness others healing process. Our hands are what help the client connect or reconnect with their bodies which are the messengers. Our hands help people interpret what the pain is to them. Our hands support the client in seeing themselves clearer. The best massage therapists see themselves as guides and fellow travelers- not experts on another’s situation.

When we are reacting emotionally to a client in pain with giving advice, trying to rationalize and explain, we are usually trying to provide solutions that are really for us and not the client -not physically for us necessarily - but what makes us feel the best- like we did everything we could do to help this person in pain. It is often confusing to decipher whose needs are whose.

This role of fixing is really the shadow side of helping. The thing is that when we help others it reveals the parts of ourselves that really need healing (or help.) We hide behind masks as our role of a massage therapist - the healer, the pain fixer, the one who the client can’t live without, the one who can give the client relief when no one else or no medication could - the all knowing “Oz”. A mask actually produces the exact opposite that it is intended to create. As we tend to our own pain and dis-ease, we can begin to be present for others and witness their pain. Much of presence is about listening. We listen with our hands, our heart and our ears.
The more we can become aware of our own pain and attend to our own suffering, we become more available at deeper levels and we are less likely to project suffering on others.

Part of the problem is that we are taught to ‘fix’ pain in massage school. We keep seeking more knowledge and training and diplomas and it makes it harder to keep things in perspective. With our new knowledge we often develop a vested interest in being right. It takes us farther away from our precious essence or true self. We create more separateness with our institutions and will find ourself in ‘prison’.
We seek to get our own needs for acceptance and acknowledgment from our clients when they are not really in a position to give it or we lose patience or get bored and move farther away from our own pain and end up burned out or leaving the massage profession for something more exciting.

It is pain that allows one to change and grow. I can’t say I ever really grew or expanded from feeling joy or happiness. So why do we work so hard to get rid of pain? What if pain could be eliminated by facing it and going through it? How can we be more present for those who come to us in pain? How can we learn about our own pain from working with clients in pain?

Posted in Ethics, Massage Schools/Students, The Code of the Caretaker | 1 Comment »