For professionals in industries across the board, continuing education can be a crucial component of furthering one’s career, as well as a necessity in order to maintain one’s legal right to practice his or her chosen profession. Massage therapists and bodyworkers are no exception, and consistently completing continuing education classes is a huge part of the professional practice of touch therapy.
While it may be true that some professional massage therapists and bodyworkers work in regions where continuing education is not necessarily required in order to maintain one’s license to practice, the scales tip toward the other side of the spectrum. In many places, it is indeed a requirement to earn a certain number of continuing education credits to renew a massage therapy or bodywork license or certification.
In fact, some regions even go so far as to specify exactly what topics must be covered in the continuing education classes a massage therapist or bodyworker must take, or dictate the approved providers for those continuing education classes. Still other areas offer more flexibility in choosing one’s continuing education courses but do mandate how many continuing education credits must be earned before a license or certification can be renewed.
Fortunately, these requirements should not be seen as an unwanted duty or chore, for taking continuing education classes can be hugely beneficial for professional massage therapists and bodyworkers. In fact, enrolling in the right continuing education classes at the right times throughout your career can be one of the best ways to consistently improve your skills as a massage therapist or bodyworker, thereby improving your practice as a whole.
The ways in which continuing education courses can benefit a professional practitioner are many and varied. For starters, a great continuing education experience can boost your enthusiasm for the work you do, especially when you have been doing that work for years. It is not uncommon to get a bit bored or burned out in one’s profession now and then, and taking an interesting continuing education class can be just what some touch therapists need to break out of these occasional ruts.
Another big perk that can come from continuing education is the ability to strengthen one’s practice. When you are aware of any weak spots in your career, you can then take action to seek a continuing education class that could strengthen your skills in that area. For instance, if you find you are having trouble helping your clients who suffer from headaches and chronic neck pain, then you might search for a continuing education course that directly addresses these specific topics. Such a continuing education class should be able to give you more tools you can use on clients with these conditions.
Lastly, taking continuing education classes on a regular basis is a great way to stay connected with your colleagues and peers. All too often, massage therapists and bodyworkers spend their time alone with clients in quiet session rooms, so it can be wonderful to receive the support and input of other practitioners in your continuing education courses.