Bridging Regulations

Reciprocity—the recognition by a state or province of another area’s massage credential—has been hard to come by in the massage field. A therapist who moves from one area to another will often have to earn a new credential as required by her new locale’s regulatory body.

A new educational program in Ontario, Canada, aims to make practicing massage in the province easier for international students already trained in massage therapy.

The Bridging Program for Internationally Educated Massage Therapists is a joint venture between the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario, the provincial regulatory body for massage therapy, and Centennial College. It launched in September as a pilot research project.

The part-time, nine-month program assesses internationally trained students’ skills and gives them massage-specific language training and supplementary education needed to meet provincial requirements.

“The single largest barrier to internationally trained therapists working here is the socio-cultural aspect of the work,” said Centennial College professor Trish Dryden, in a university press release. “The notion of client-centered care is very different in various parts of the world.” Dryden is the college’s coordinator of massage-therapy research and development.

Prior to this program, internationally trained massage therapists were often referred to a Canadian training program, which takes two to three years to complete.

For more information, email carhte@centennialcollege.ca or call (416) 289-5000, ext. 8265.