A Career in Massage Therapy - What You Need to Know

For anyone considering a career in the field of massage therapy I hope that this overview will help you out.

To start off let's go over what massage therapy really is. Massage therapy is a very flexible field and offers a variety of quickly expanding career opportunities. Massage therapy is a field that is expected to grow faster than other fields in the next ten years. Twenty-three hundred new massage therapists will earn nearly 32,000 per year specializing in one or even several different types of massage each year. They work the body using their hands and special techniques to help treat nerve disorders, heal athletic injuries, and just help people relax.

On now to education, you are probably wondering how long it would take to become a massage therapist. There are over 1,300 school and colleges that offer programs of study in massage therapy ranging from 600-hour certificates to bachelor degree programs. Most states that have laws regulating massage therapy and most require practicing massage therapists to complete a formal education program and pass the national certification or state exam. In order to remain certified , a therapist must perform at least 200-hours of therapeutic massage during the four-year period, and complete a minimum of 48 credit hours of continuing education.

Do you think that your personality is a good match for massage therapy? You will need to be able to get your clients to communicate with you about where they need help, where they have pain, and what should be the outcome of each session. So therapists should be good listeners, have good communication skills and be empathetic toward their clients. You should also be organized and and able to budget your time since you will be your own supervisor. You will also do better if you have some entrepreneurial skills if you do plan on being a self employed massage therapist.