Getting to Know Your Massage Therapist
Most people who opt for a career in massage therapy do so because they want a career that allows them to offer a meaningful service to people that has a hands-on approach to it. Massage therapy offers an opportunity for people to enter into a profession that allows them to express caring and concern for others that is both personally and professionally satisfying.
How one becomes a massage therapist
There are certain steps that al massage therapist must take in order to be able to practice massage therapy:
1. They must receive a certificate or diploma from a certified Massage Therapy curriculum. In choosing their schooling, they need to be mindful of which massage therapy programs are recognized by the licensing board in their state.
2. They must take a Massage Therapy Approved National Examination.
3. With successful completion of this exam, they must them apply for a State license.
4. Then they must periodically meet the continuing educational requirements of the state in which they practice.
There are over 300 massage therapy institutions in the United States that are accredited. Most require at least a high school diploma, and college education is also useful. They teach:
• General knowledge of the various systems of the body
• In-depth knowledge of the anatomical and physiological structures of the body
• Pathology regarding the causes and effects of diseases
• Overview of therapeutic massage
• Applications and techniques uses in therapeutic massage
• Business techniques and ethical practices.
Massage therapists who are sole practitioners make up 67 percent of all practicing massage therapists in the United States. Many work from their home, while others work in a client’s home, business or corporate setting. 23 percent work in a health care setting, and 29 percent in an exercise or spa facility. In addition to giving massages, their time is spent on scheduling, marketing, billing, and housekeeping tasks.