A good education is almost always a bit of an adventure, and by embracing the continuing education classes you take as a professional massage therapist or bodyworker, you can be better prepared to make the most of the journey. The common elements of adventure that you may find within your continuing education class can include exploration, discovery and change.
The first part of your foray into the continuing education adventure may be mostly a form or exploring—searching around to see what is out there in the big and diverse world of massage therapy and bodywork. As you search the current continuing education course offerings, you are exploring the various facets of the field.
Once you have begun to explore what is out there in terms of continuing education classes, the element of discovery may begin to come into play. As you read descriptions of the various continuing education classes, you may discover that you are drawn to certain courses. Pay attention to how you feel as you read about the different continuing education classes. These feelings, whether subtle or strong, can be part of the process of discovering a continuing education course that could benefit you and your practice.
The next way in which discovery plays a role in your continuing education experience is simply through the process of learning, once you have enrolled in the class. No matter what the topic of your continuing education course may be, you should be discovering new information, which can then be integrated into your practice and career as a professional massage therapist or bodyworker.
The third aspect of adventure that may be part of your continuing education experience is change. By opening yourself up to new ideas through your continuing education classes, and by discovering new information, it only makes sense that you and your practice would be changed—for the better—by the continuing education adventure.
Let’s take a look at an example of how the continuing education adventure might play out in the life of a massage therapist, whom we will call Susan. Susan has been practicing Swedish and deep-tissue massage for five years, and she will need to renew her massage license in the near future, which means completing a certain number of continuing education credits.
As she begins to explore upcoming continuing education classes, she notices she feels a little surge of energy whenever she comes across a beginner’s continuing education course on shiatsu. Following this gut feeling, Susan enrolls in the continuing education class and begins to discover all sorts of interesting information about shiatsu. She also discovers this is a modality she enjoys, and that it would likely benefit many of her current clients.
In the end, Susan and her practice are changed by the continuing education adventure, and the change extends to her clients as well, who get to experience a new form of bodywork. Shiatsu is added on to the menu at Susan’s practice, and she begins to draw in more clients. With the success of this continuing education adventure, Susan also knows she will be signing up to learn more about this exciting modality.