Massage Therapy Education

Although its great that Massage Therapy is being implemented more and more within colleges, universities and vocational schools. I am deeply concerned about the quality of students emerging from these courses. When I began my massage education in 1996 I did much research about the field and was drawn to it for its healing properties, compassion towards people and natural effects. These days I question the methods some education institutions are using to convince students that Massage Therapy is the profession for them. We all have unique gifts as we come into this world and a practitioner of Massage Therapy certainly has to have a foundation of passion for this type of work before committing to it. Massage Therapists can work in so many settings and each day more doors are opening to us to bring holistic healing into the lives of people which otherwise would have never had the opportunity to receive a massage. But again, the way the Massage Therapy programs are "sold" to students for the most part are not based upon seeing if this profession is a good fit for the student. Most of the time it is a matter of extracting money from the student without taking the time to assist the students in truly reflecting whether this was the career they wanted to go in. The result? Students that graduate from the program and become disenchanted with the field when they learn what it truly entails. Of course, this does not apply towards all students and I am sure there are academic advisers that do portray on honest picture of what it is to be a Massage Therapist. However, these occurrences are sadly few and far between. What I recommend to aspiring Massage Therapists is to research the field, interview several Massage Therapists working within different environments (e.g.medical offices, spas..) to gather a suitable amount of evidence that this is the career for you. If so, then welcome! Massage is an amazing gift to give and most therapists are kind and compassionate people with a sincere inclination to educate their clients/patients on a healthier lifestyle.