Continuing education courses for professional massage therapists and bodyworkers can span the spectrum from such topics as new forms of touch therapy and more advanced levels of existing techniques to classes on marketing and accounting. In between the two ends of the continuing education spectrum are all kinds of other courses designed for the variety of massage therapists and bodyworkers who work in this hands-on profession.
It can be important to understand the sheer number and diversity of the continuing education courses available for massage therapists and bodyworkers. With a firm grasp on all the options that are out there when it comes to continuing education, practitioners should be less likely to settle for a continuing education experience that does not meet their needs.
In addition, having knowledge of the vast array of continuing education courses for touch therapists could encourage practitioners to look to these classes when they feel the need to change, strengthen or otherwise improve their careers. In most cases, there is a continuing education class out there that is well-suited to meet the specific needs of you and your practice.
Let’s begin our assessment of today’s continuing education options by taking a look at the more technique- or touch-oriented end of the continuing education spectrum. In general, these are the continuing education classes that will give you the knowledge and hands-on learning necessary to begin practicing a new modality or increase the skill level of a modality you already use in the session room.
For example, if you consider yourself a deep-tissue massage therapist and you enroll in a continuing education class on craniosacral therapy, then you would be learning about a whole new modality. However, if you choose to take a continuing education course on more advanced deep-tissue techniques, then you would be looking to use continuing education as a method of increasing your current skill level.
Of course, there is a long list of specific topics that these hands-on continuing education classes might cover. Nearly every touch technique or modality that’s currently practiced can be taught and learned through continuing education. In fact, there may be quite a few types of touch therapy you did not even know about that are being taught in continuing education settings around the globe.
The more hands-on end of the continuing education spectrum also contains those courses that allow practitioners to delve deeper into a specific niche, from bodywork techniques for avid golfers to massage for hospice patients. Again, the list of continuing education offerings is long, so if there is a niche you might want to explore, there may well be a continuing education class geared toward that particular specialty.
As you can see, the options are rich when it comes to continuing education for professional massage therapists and bodyworkers, and we’ve only explored the hands-on category of classes. Other continuing education offerings include courses on body mechanics, public relations for your practice, best accounting practices, ethics and so much more.