These days, continuing education for massage therapists and bodyworkers seems to come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, it is possible to complete a continuing education course without ever leaving the comfort of your home and office—by enrolling in a continuing education class that takes place online.
The more traditional continuing education class continues to be an option for massage therapists and bodyworkers as well. These courses typically take place in classrooms throughout the local community, where massage therapists and bodyworkers can commute from their own homes.
A third avenue for obtaining continuing education credits is the destination continuing education class. These tend to be more like seminars or workshops, in that they typically occur over a shorter period of time, with longer teaching and learning hours each day.
Another aspect of the destination continuing education class is that it combines the element of going on vacation with learning new things about massage therapy and bodywork. For example, you may enroll in a continuing education course on craniosacral therapy, which takes place on a cruise ship or a beachfront hotel in Costa Rica.
Obviously, the options abound when it comes to getting the continuing education you want and need as a professional massage therapist and bodyworker. Deciding which method you want to use for your next continuing education class will likely come down to a look at your schedule, your budget and what you would like to learn.
It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that online continuing education classes tend to cost the least amount of money, and these courses can have less of an impact on one’s schedule as well. One possible drawback of taking online continuing education classes may be if you are hoping to learn a new modality, in which case you may prefer a class that happens in person, either locally or at a destination seminar.
There are also several benefits to taking a traditional continuing education class, at a site that is fairly easy for you to commute to from your own home and office. For starters, these on-site classes can give you the hands-on learning you might desire, particularly if you have decided to learn new techniques.
Another plus to these local continuing education classes is the chance to meet and know other massage therapists and bodyworkers in your region. This kind of peer networking can be invaluable when it comes to giving and receiving support, sharing what works and simply making new friends.
Of course, similar networking often takes place during destination continuing education classes. Even though the massage therapists and bodyworkers you meet may not live in your local region, you can still keep in touch with them via e-mail, telephone and social networking sites.
A clear benefit to these destination continuing education classes is that they tend to take place in beautiful places, offering massage therapists and bodyworkers a bit of a vacation from their daily lives and practices.
–Brandi Schlossberg