General Questions about Massage Therapy and Schooling
Click on any of the following questions:
I want to become a massage therapist. What are the requirements?
Do I need to go to college to become a licensed massage therapist?
How is the demand for massage therapists?
What is clinical massage? Do you teach it?
What's with alphabet soup? What is ABMP? NCBTMB? FSMTB? AFMTE? IBHE?
Some schools offer programs with 500 hours, some with 600, and some with 700. Which one should I pick?
Can I become nationally licensed? Are there any national credentials that will allow me to practice in other states?
What is a nationally accredited school? Do I need to go to one to become a massage therapist?
What do the initials L.M.T. mean?
I want to become a massage therapist. What are the requirements?
Do I need to go to college to become a licensed massage therapist?
How is the demand for massage therapists?
What is clinical massage? Do you teach it?
What's with alphabet soup? What is ABMP? NCBTMB? FSMTB? AFMTE? IBHE?
Some schools offer programs with 500 hours, some with 600, and some with 700. Which one should I pick?
Can I become nationally licensed? Are there any national credentials that will allow me to practice in other states?
What is a nationally accredited school? Do I need to go to one to become a massage therapist?
What do the initials L.M.T. mean?
Question: I want to become a massage therapist. What are the requirements?
Answer:
To qualify for licensing in Illinois, an applicant must:
(**) Schools must meet certain educational and other criteria in order to qualify
For additional information for massage therapy licensing in Illinois, please click the "Laws and Rules" link on the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website.
Licensing requirements vary from state to state and in absence of state licensing requirements, municipalities may have their own licensing requirements. For a list of state requirements please visit the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals public education website.
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Answer:
To qualify for licensing in Illinois, an applicant must:
- Be at least 18 years of age and of good moral character(*).
- Have successfully completed 600 hours of training at a state-approved school (**).
- Have passed the National Certification Exam or the Massage Bodywork Licensing Exam (Note: the National Certification Exam is no longer available for the purposes of licensing; this requirement is only applicable to those applicants who took the exam prior to October 21, 2014)
(**) Schools must meet certain educational and other criteria in order to qualify
For additional information for massage therapy licensing in Illinois, please click the "Laws and Rules" link on the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation website.
Licensing requirements vary from state to state and in absence of state licensing requirements, municipalities may have their own licensing requirements. For a list of state requirements please visit the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals public education website.
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Question: Do I need to go to college to become licensed massage therapist?
Answer:
Typically, a state-approved school which specializes in massage therapy training and has a Diploma program with at least 600 hours is sufficient. Some states may require for the school to be accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the US Department of Education (such as COMTA).
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Question: How is the demand for massage therapists?
Answer:
Demand for massage therapists is at an all-time high and is continuing to grow. There are many reasons for this growth, such as the aging population of the United States, the public's changing view on health and wellness, the state of the health care and health insurance system, to name a few. Massage Therapy, along with allied health professions, has been identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of the top-growing professions in the United States in the next decade.
Once limited to upscale salons and spas, massage therapy is now ubiquitous. Massage therapists can be found working at spas, salons, hospitals, clinics, alternative health care settings, cruise ships, dental and medical spas, airports, as well as at corporations that offer massage therapy services to their employees. Some massage therapists work as employees, while most work as private practitioners and independent contractors.
Although the number of massage therapists in our industry has increased in the past few years, demand for quality massage therapists is continuing to exceed supply.
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Answer:
Demand for massage therapists is at an all-time high and is continuing to grow. There are many reasons for this growth, such as the aging population of the United States, the public's changing view on health and wellness, the state of the health care and health insurance system, to name a few. Massage Therapy, along with allied health professions, has been identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of the top-growing professions in the United States in the next decade.
Once limited to upscale salons and spas, massage therapy is now ubiquitous. Massage therapists can be found working at spas, salons, hospitals, clinics, alternative health care settings, cruise ships, dental and medical spas, airports, as well as at corporations that offer massage therapy services to their employees. Some massage therapists work as employees, while most work as private practitioners and independent contractors.
Although the number of massage therapists in our industry has increased in the past few years, demand for quality massage therapists is continuing to exceed supply.
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Question: What is clinical massage? Do you teach it?
Answer:
Over the years, several terms have popped-up in the massage therapy industry, intended to create differentiation and to carve out a niche in the marketplace. Some terms have stayed, and some are obsolete. 'Medical Massage', 'Clinical Massage', and 'Outcome-based Massage' are another way of describing "condition-specific massage", in other words application of massage therapy for medical conditions and using massage as part of a treatment plan determined by a licensed healthcare practitioner. The term distinguishes massage that is intended to treat specific conditions from relaxation massage.
As a school that takes massage therapy very seriously and has an extremely challenging science program in which a student will learn everything there is about the human body, we naturally *do* teach condition-specific massage. Yet, as the name of our school implies, that is not all that we teach. We take pride in offering a truly comprehensive program that includes several modalities, and which takes a holistic approach toward the individual.
Contrary to what some admissions people may have told you, there is no such title as 'licensed clinical massage therapist', nor does it mean that a self-appointed clinical program will provide you with a different scope of practice than any other massage therapy program.
Incidentally, the American Massage Therapy Association in a press release dated March 27, 2006, announced that it has no plans to define "medical massage", as "all massage is therapeutic" and "empirical evidence hasn't been provided to support or refute the concept of medical massage as a distinct area of specialization within massage therapy practice."
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Answer:
Over the years, several terms have popped-up in the massage therapy industry, intended to create differentiation and to carve out a niche in the marketplace. Some terms have stayed, and some are obsolete. 'Medical Massage', 'Clinical Massage', and 'Outcome-based Massage' are another way of describing "condition-specific massage", in other words application of massage therapy for medical conditions and using massage as part of a treatment plan determined by a licensed healthcare practitioner. The term distinguishes massage that is intended to treat specific conditions from relaxation massage.
As a school that takes massage therapy very seriously and has an extremely challenging science program in which a student will learn everything there is about the human body, we naturally *do* teach condition-specific massage. Yet, as the name of our school implies, that is not all that we teach. We take pride in offering a truly comprehensive program that includes several modalities, and which takes a holistic approach toward the individual.
Contrary to what some admissions people may have told you, there is no such title as 'licensed clinical massage therapist', nor does it mean that a self-appointed clinical program will provide you with a different scope of practice than any other massage therapy program.
Incidentally, the American Massage Therapy Association in a press release dated March 27, 2006, announced that it has no plans to define "medical massage", as "all massage is therapeutic" and "empirical evidence hasn't been provided to support or refute the concept of medical massage as a distinct area of specialization within massage therapy practice."
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Question: What's with the alphabet soup? What is ABMP? NCBTMB? FSMTB? AFMTE? IBHE? COMTA?
Answer:
ABMP is the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals organization. Founded in the 1980s, ABMP has evolved to be the largest organization of bodywork professionals in the United States, offering professional liability insurance and a code of ethics to over 75,000 massage therapists and other modalities. In recent years, due to its size, ABMP has evolved to a major stakeholder in the development of educational requirements for massage therapy. The New School for Massage is an institutional member of ABMP.
AFMTE is the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education. It is an independent, not-for-profit organization consisting of massage therapy schools, teachers, and continuing education providers and was established to strengthen and improve massage therapy education. The New School for Massage is a Founding Member of AFMTE.
NCBTMB is the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. It is a non-for-profit organization that defines standards for competency for massage therapists and administers the Board Certification Exam.
FSMTB is the Federation of State Massage Licensing Boards. This is a non-profit organization that consists of most state massage licensing boards. FSMTB has created a licensing exam (MBLEx) which can be taken as an alternative to the National Certification Exam as prerequisite for licensure. The number of states accepting FSMTB's exam has been growing since FSMTB's inception, and some states are accepting this exam exclusively. The New School for Massage has been a supporter of FSMTB and MBLEx since their inception and was the first Chicago-area school that included preparation for the MBLEx as part of the Diploma program's educational objectives.
Graduates of the Diploma program will be prepared to Massage Bodywork Licensing Exam offered by FSMTB and the Board Certification Exam available by NCBTMB.
IBHE is the Illinois Board of Higher Education. It is the governing authority for private vocational schools in the state of Illinois.
COMTA is the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation. COMTA accredits both educational institutions and programs offering instruction in massage therapy and bodywork or esthetics and skin care. COMTA was formed with the mission of establishing and maintaining the quality and integrity of massage therapy. With COMTA accreditation, one can can be sure that the standards the school is meeting reflect the national needs of the profession. Since 2002, COMTA has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a specialized accrediting agency.
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Answer:
ABMP is the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals organization. Founded in the 1980s, ABMP has evolved to be the largest organization of bodywork professionals in the United States, offering professional liability insurance and a code of ethics to over 75,000 massage therapists and other modalities. In recent years, due to its size, ABMP has evolved to a major stakeholder in the development of educational requirements for massage therapy. The New School for Massage is an institutional member of ABMP.
AFMTE is the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education. It is an independent, not-for-profit organization consisting of massage therapy schools, teachers, and continuing education providers and was established to strengthen and improve massage therapy education. The New School for Massage is a Founding Member of AFMTE.
NCBTMB is the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. It is a non-for-profit organization that defines standards for competency for massage therapists and administers the Board Certification Exam.
FSMTB is the Federation of State Massage Licensing Boards. This is a non-profit organization that consists of most state massage licensing boards. FSMTB has created a licensing exam (MBLEx) which can be taken as an alternative to the National Certification Exam as prerequisite for licensure. The number of states accepting FSMTB's exam has been growing since FSMTB's inception, and some states are accepting this exam exclusively. The New School for Massage has been a supporter of FSMTB and MBLEx since their inception and was the first Chicago-area school that included preparation for the MBLEx as part of the Diploma program's educational objectives.
Graduates of the Diploma program will be prepared to Massage Bodywork Licensing Exam offered by FSMTB and the Board Certification Exam available by NCBTMB.
IBHE is the Illinois Board of Higher Education. It is the governing authority for private vocational schools in the state of Illinois.
COMTA is the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation. COMTA accredits both educational institutions and programs offering instruction in massage therapy and bodywork or esthetics and skin care. COMTA was formed with the mission of establishing and maintaining the quality and integrity of massage therapy. With COMTA accreditation, one can can be sure that the standards the school is meeting reflect the national needs of the profession. Since 2002, COMTA has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a specialized accrediting agency.
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Question: Some schools offer programs with 500 hours, some with 600, and some with 700. Which one should I pick?
Answer:
Some forces in the industry are pushing for curricula with a higher number of hours, while others ponder why a therapist needs to have studied 1,000 hours to perform chair massages.
The length of training at various schools is never an indication of the school's quality and may depend on other factors. For example, schools that offer federal financial aid must have a minimum of 600 hours to offer federal loans or 720 clock hours to offer federal grants.
Some schools may want you to believe that longer programs mean that you will be a better massage therapist. There is no evidence to suggest that. To the contrary, when several massage schools and programs around the country were shut down by the Federal Government in 2014, they were all schools with 750 hours of training or longer. It is incorrect to assume that more hours means better training.
Considering that a Diploma program is your first step to becoming licensed, you must determine the requirements in the state in which you will eventually practice. Most states require between 500 and 600 hours, with few exceptions, and some states have no licensing requirements at all. Illinois requires 600 hours. Also, AMTA and ABMP require 500 hours for membership, and the National Certification Board and FSMTB also require 500 hours to allow you to take their exams.
While the decision to select a Diploma program should not be based on the number of hours alone, you should look at programs that will give you at least the number of hours which will qualify you for licensing. You can always add hours to your training at a later time in continuing education, but taking a shorter rather than a longer program will allow you to enter the market (and start recovering your investment) sooner without any significant difference in acquired knowledge or skill level.
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Answer:
Some forces in the industry are pushing for curricula with a higher number of hours, while others ponder why a therapist needs to have studied 1,000 hours to perform chair massages.
The length of training at various schools is never an indication of the school's quality and may depend on other factors. For example, schools that offer federal financial aid must have a minimum of 600 hours to offer federal loans or 720 clock hours to offer federal grants.
Some schools may want you to believe that longer programs mean that you will be a better massage therapist. There is no evidence to suggest that. To the contrary, when several massage schools and programs around the country were shut down by the Federal Government in 2014, they were all schools with 750 hours of training or longer. It is incorrect to assume that more hours means better training.
Considering that a Diploma program is your first step to becoming licensed, you must determine the requirements in the state in which you will eventually practice. Most states require between 500 and 600 hours, with few exceptions, and some states have no licensing requirements at all. Illinois requires 600 hours. Also, AMTA and ABMP require 500 hours for membership, and the National Certification Board and FSMTB also require 500 hours to allow you to take their exams.
While the decision to select a Diploma program should not be based on the number of hours alone, you should look at programs that will give you at least the number of hours which will qualify you for licensing. You can always add hours to your training at a later time in continuing education, but taking a shorter rather than a longer program will allow you to enter the market (and start recovering your investment) sooner without any significant difference in acquired knowledge or skill level.
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Question: Can I become nationally licensed? Are there any national credentials that will allow me to practice in other states?
Answer:
There is no such thing as a national license. There are no national credentials that will allow one to practice in other states. Each state has its own requirements and process for becoming a massage therapist. For a list of state requirements please visit the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals public education website.
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Answer:
There is no such thing as a national license. There are no national credentials that will allow one to practice in other states. Each state has its own requirements and process for becoming a massage therapist. For a list of state requirements please visit the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals public education website.
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Question: What is a "nationally accredited school"? Do I need to go to one to become a massage therapist?
Answer:
There are no "nationally accredited" massage schools, although some schools may choose to be "accredited by an agency that is recognized by the US Dept of Education as a national accrediting agency". We are accredited by one such agency, COMTA - Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation.
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Question: What do the initials L.M.T. mean?
Answer:
LMT stands for "Licensed Massage Therapist". It is the only valid massage therapist title in Illinois, and it expresses that someone is authorized by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations to perform massage therapy. Some states may used the term "Certified" instead of "Licensed".
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Answer:
LMT stands for "Licensed Massage Therapist". It is the only valid massage therapist title in Illinois, and it expresses that someone is authorized by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations to perform massage therapy. Some states may used the term "Certified" instead of "Licensed".
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