Many massage therapists and bodyworkers may think of continuing education classes mostly in terms of learning new techniques or modalities, or advancing their knowledge about a current hands-on skill. This perception of continuing education courses for professional massage therapists and bodyworkers is accurate, but it is also limited. Today’s continuing education for touch therapists involves much more than learning new tactile skills, although this remains a key category of continuing education classes.
For professional massage therapists and bodyworkers, some of the most useful continuing education classes, besides the ones that focus on hands-on techniques, are those that focus on the skills of business. After all, it is widely recognized that most massage therapists and bodyworkers do not enter the field of touch therapy because they have a love for business, but because they have a love for helping and healing others.
However, the fact is that running a professional massage therapy or bodywork practice is running a business. Therefore, those continuing education classes that aim to advance the business skills of touch therapists can be quite valuable. Even those practitioners who have a basic grasp of the business side of this industry can stand to benefit from continuing education courses on such topics as marketing, accounting or managerial skills.
Such continuing education classes may be especially important for those massage therapists and bodyworkers who feel overwhelmed or intimidated by these business aspects of running a practice. For example, the massage therapist who feels a sense of dread or anxiety every time she has to deal with accounting procedures may be wise to enroll in a continuing education class on basic accounting and financial organization, geared especially toward professional massage therapists and bodyworkers.
Making the call to sign up for a continuing education class on business practices can be a good choice for nearly any massage therapist or bodyworker who is feels quite worried about his or her bottom line. Instead of choosing to explore a brand-new modality or take your current modality to the next level of advancement via continuing education, these practitioners can gain greater confidence in your business skills and your ability to steer your practice in the direction of continued success.
For instance, the bodyworker who feels like he does not bring in enough clients each month may do well to enroll in a continuing education class focused specifically on methods of drawing in new business. Most likely, this will be a continuing education course on the topic of marketing one’s practice.
For those touch therapists who work in positions of management over other employees, another great option for continuing education courses is learning more about being a successful leader in this industry. These continuing education classes should teach key managerial skills, and they may also be helpful for practitioners who would like to open larger massage clinics or see greater success in their current operations.
As you progress in your career as a professional massage therapist or bodyworker, be sure to nurture your touch techniques and your business skills with continuing education, rather than ignoring the latter in favor of the former.