Growing Pains

Massage is my second career, one that I only adopted ten years ago. Some of my fellow bloggers here were doing massage when I was still in high school. They’ve witnessed a lot of changes. As we move toward the New Year, I am reflecting on what has happened in the past decade, and I feel pretty certain that it’s been both the most productive and the most tumultuous time our profession has seen so far.

Rick Rosen, Executive Director of the recently formed Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, in an article he authored in the current issue of Massage Today, writes that there have been signs of excellent progress, along with some troubling trends. I’ll go a little further, and say it’s sometimes hard to see exactly where that dividing line between progress and trouble is located.

Just to give a little recap of the last few years: The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards was formed; the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork came close to having a total meltdown. The NCB is obviously making an honest effort to restore customer service, but their latest project, an advanced certification exam, is coming under a lot of fire. The AMTA disbanded the Council of Schools; the Alliance was formed. ABMP surpassed AMTA in membership numbers, and more states than ever before have formed boards and started regulating the practice of massage. Read More...