| Continuing Education Classes for Massage Therapists |
THERA-SSAGE is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education under the
National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (# 328461).
These classes may also satisfy requirements for Continuing Education for nurses
and other health professionals. Check with your individual board.
The National Board no longer uses the term "Category A Provider". The correct
terminology is "Approved Provider of Continuing Education under the NCBTMB".
The Board no longer recognizes the term "CEU" but has replaced that with "Contact
Hour".
If you are maintaining your license for the state of North Carolina, you must
obtain 24 contact hours of continuing education for every two year period. If your
initial license was issued for more than one year, but less than two, you are only
obligated to have 12 hours. North Carolina requires that you have three hours of
professional ethics every renewal period. Other rules include that you may not get
credit for more than three hours of business classes, and that you may have a
maximum of 12 hours obtained by distance learning. For a complete explanation
of the regulations, visit the North Carolina Board of Massage & Bodywork Therapy
website.
The National Certification Board requires 48 hours of continuing
education every four years in order for you to maintain that credential, including six
hours in professional ethics, at least two of which must be in Standard V of the
Standards of Practice. AMTA also requires professional members to obtain
continuing education.
Other boards have different requirements. Check with the board in your particular
state or country to make sure you will get the credit you are expecting. Effective
November 1, for the 2009 licensure renewal, the 25 hour requirement will drop to 24.
Call 828-288-3727 for more information or to register for classes. Our education
facility, The Education Station, is located next door to our wellness center at 431 S.
Main St., Rutherfordton, NC. Unless noted otherwise, all classes will be held there.
Please pay attention that classes that are sponsored by AMTA are usually held
elsewhere and we do not personally accept registration for AMTA classes. You
must contact the Unit Coordinator mentioned in the class listing.
Here at our facility, table classes are limited to 14 students. Lecture only and chair
massage classes are limited to 36 attendees. We like to have a personal experience
and avoid overcrowding classes.
Deposit and Refund Policy: Unless otherwise noted, a deposit of 50.00 is required
to hold your place in class. Cancellations made two weeks in advance will receive a
full refund. Cancellations of less than two weeks, but more than 48 hours in
advance of the class, will receive credit towards a future class. Cancellations of
less than 48 hours will not receive a refund or any future credit. It is suggested that
you register as far in advance as possible, as some classes sell out very early. We
will be glad to put you on a notification list for a full class in the event of a
cancellation.
In our years of providing Continuing Education, we have tried our best to avoid
canceling any classes. We will normally carry on with a class even if we only get a
very small group. If we are hosting an instructor from out of the area and the
required number of students fails to sign up, we will notify you at least one week
ahead of time that the class has been canceled and give you a refund. In the event
that we are forced to cancel a class for any reason, we will refund your money in
full. In the event that inclement weather forces the cancellation of any class during
the winter months, we will make every attempt to reschedule the class. If you are
unable to attend the rescheduled class, your money will be refunded. In the event
inclement weather forces you to cancel your attendance at the last minute (less than
48 hours notice), you will receive credit towards a future class. We have people
attending from several states and we just can't be responsible for the weather
everywhere.
2010 Class Schedule: Better than Ever!
Feb 27 (Sat) Laura Allen's Double Whammy! 3 hours of Standard V Ethics and 3
hours of the best marketing tips, no-cost and no-cost ways to promote your
business. Ethics meets 9am-12 noon; Marketing class will be 1:30-4:30. These
classes are 50.00 each or take both classes for $80.
March 12 (Fri) Techniques for Shoulder Pain w/Vicki Bates. Learn valuable
techniques for working w/ thoracic outlet syndrome, rotator cuff injuries, and other
pathologies. 8 CE Contact Hours, $150....take the Low Back Pain class the following
day and get both for $275.
March 13 (Sat) Techniques for Low Back Pain w/Vicki Bates. Great sequences for
getting your clients out of pain. 8 CE Contact Hours, $150....take the Techniques for
Shoulder Pain class the previous day and get both for $275.
March 27 (Sat) The Ensoma Method of Health through Movement and Self Care of
Musculoskeletal Pain and Dysfunction w/ Marty Kestin. A comprehensive model to
address musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction based on the myofascial and trigger
point work of Janet Travell, MD and the Egoscue® Method (www.egoscue.com).
Learn the cause, treatment and prevention of most common trigger points and
correct faulty posture, body mechanics, and muscle dysfunctions with simple
exercises and postures. 8 CE Contact Hours. $140. Class meets 9am-6pm. Please
bring a yoga mat and blocks to class if you have them.
April 17 (Sat) Another Double Whammy from Laura Allen. 3 CE hours of Insurance
Billing for MTs and 3 CE hours of Intake Protocols & Soap Charting for Medical
Massage. BE AWARE THAT N.C. ONLY ALLOWS 3 HOURS OF BUSINESS, and both
of these are considered business classes. However, if you want to successfully bill
for insurance in your practice, you need both of these classes together. The SOAP
notes many people learned in massage school and what is acceptable to the
insurance company is usually two very different things. Take your professionalism
to the next level. These classes are 50.00 each, or take both classes for $90.
April 25 (Sun) Laura Allen will be teaching How to Pass the Exam (MBLEx or NCB
Exams) at the Spring AMTA-NC Conference in Hickory NC. Details to be announced,
but you don't have to be an AMTA member in order to attend--all are welcome. You
have to register for this class on the AMTA website. Visit that site at
www.amtanc.org
WHEN YOU ARE CHOOSING CONTINUING EDUCATION, BE SURE YOU KNOW THE
REQUIREMENTS IN YOUR STATE. NC LAW IS FOUND AT WWW.BMBT.ORG
April 23-24 (Fri & Sat) Thai on the Table w/ Gloria Coppola. This modality is often
referred to as "assisted yoga." Learn great stretches to use for self-care as well as
with your clients. Thai massage is usually performed on the floor on a mat, but this
has been adapted to the table for those therapists and clients who just can't get
comfortable down on the floor! 16 CE Contact Hours, $250.
May 1 (Sat) Techniques for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome w/Gloria Coppola. Everyone
who works a repetitive motion job, everyone who uses a computer, even the
mother who carries the baby in one arm, are all subject to this painful condition that
is often accompanied by tingling and numbness. Learn great techniques for
assisting clients with one of the most common conditions confronting us today. 8
CE Contact Hours, $125.
May 1 Laura Allen will be in Worcester MA teaching "Using Research to Market Your
Practice" at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the MA Chapter of AMTA. Check out
their great festivities at www.amtama.org
May 7-8 Spa Techniques without a Wetroom w/Laura Allen. Includes paraffin, hot
stone techniques, salt scrubs, Raindrop technique, and body wraps. I hate to call
this a class because it's more like a weekend at the spa! As long as you have access
to water, you can do any of these techniques. Save your hands and break up the
monotony by incorporating some great spa treatments into your menu of services!
16 CE Contact Hours, $225.
May 15 (Sat) Techniques for TMJ w/Vicki Bates. TMJ massage is one of the biggest
income producers for my clinic. We get dentist referrals galore and so can you. 6 CE
Contact Hours, $140.
May 21-23 (Fri, Sat, and Sun) Join Laura in Dublin, Ireland for three days of wonderful
Advanced Massage Techniques. Review the anatomy and physiology related to 8
different conditions, including sciatica, neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, strains
and sprains, and more. I've made many trips to Ireland, and it keeps drawing me
back like a magnetic force. It is one of the most beautiful places imaginable, and in
May, it's in full bloom. So take a tax-deductible trip! You must register for this class
directly with the Obus School of Healing Therapies. Although I will not make your
travel arrangements, I can give you great advice about how to get there, where to
stay, what to see, etc. You'll find out what Cead Mile Failte is all about--a hundred
thousand welcomes--and you've never met more welcoming people in your life.
You can see a lot of my pictures of Ireland on my Facebook page.
May 28-29 (Fri & Sat) Labor Doula Training w/CAPPA Certified Instructor Susan
Smart. Learn to assist the birth mother through this most sacred of times in her life.
16.5 contact hours is the first step in becoming CAPPA certified; however, you don't
have to be certified in order to start seeing clients. $350.
June 5-6 (Sat-Sun) The Rossiter Method w/Kathy Howard, Certified Rossiter
Instructor. Kathy did a session on my husband Champ at AMTA meeting, and he
threatened to get a tattoo that says "I've been Rossitered." He says it got rid of pain
he had for over 30 years. Rossiter is performed with the client on the floor, using the
therapist's feet. Save your hands while learning a whole new modality to get people
out of chronic pain. 16 CE Contact Hours, $359.
June 17-21 (Thurs-Mon) Join Laura Allen in Berea, KY for the 2010 World Massage
Festival! This is one of the most rocking events on the planet! I'll be there teaching
Marketing, as well as Ethics, and there is all kinds of great stuff going on....the North
Carolinal Posse is going to be there in full force! Besides myself, there will be
classes available from Felicia Brown, Gloria Coppola, Anita Shannon, Claire Marie
Miller, and many more. Plus the inductees into the Hall of Fame, bluegrass on the
town square, and really cheap accommodations and meals at the college. Do not
wait if you want to stay in the dorms and eat in the cafeteria at a phenomenally
reasonable price---those slots are going really fast! Ryan Hoyme, the Massage Nerd,
will be there, too! I can't wait! Thursday night, bring your acoustic instruments for
bluegrass pickin' on the square! Register online at www.worldmassagefestival.com
June 26-27 (Sat & Sun) Introduction to Polarity Therapy w/Moksha Sharon Kolman.
Polarity is an energy work modality that is profoundly relaxing. Moksha provides a
firm foundation in the healing and technical aspects of Polarity Therapy, which
recognizes the energetic basis of life, viewing wellness as the free flow and
balanced state of the body-mind-spirit energies. Illness is seen as a blockage in the
flow of energy. 14 CE Contact Hours, $280.
July 10 How to Pass the Exams (NCB or MBLEx) Get ready to pass that sucker! This
class comes with my guarantee: follow my strategies for studying and test-taking
and if you don't pass, you may repeat for free as many times as it takes. 9am-5pm,
NO CE Credit! $100 for the class, $35 for the optional but highly recommended book!
I am the author of the Plain & Simple Guide to Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork
Examinations (2nd ed, LWW 2009) and I have helped hundreds of students pass
these exams, including those who have already tried and failed multiple times.
July 16 (Fri) Introduction to Taut Band Therapy with Stewart Walker can stand on its
own, or may be used as the prerequisite (required) for this weekend's class in Pain
Reduction for Osteoarthritis. 8 CE Contact hours, $115. Class meets from 9am-6pm
Learn useful techniques for assisting with injury recovery and rehabilitation. By
releasing tension within the tight muscle fibers of taut bands, pain from trigger
points and sore attachment points can be reduced with much greater effectiveness.
Starting with an essential review of Travell's work, participants will develop skills to
identify, assess, and manipulate taut bands to reduce musculo-skeletal pain. Studies
include muscle function, fiber direction, attachment sites, proprioceptors, and the
reflexes that directly affect muscular tension.
July 17-18 (Sat & Sun) Pain Reduction for Osteoarthritis with Stewart Walker. You
MUST attend Friday's class in Introduction to Taut Band Therapy in order to attend
this one (sorry, no exceptions). $210, 16 CE Contact Hours. Help your clients get out
of pain caused by aching joints, and increase flexibility. Tools include functional
analysis, palpation, range of motion, and strength resistance testing. Lengthening
the tight muscle fibers within taut bands is the key to effective pain reduction.
Techniques in this workshop will emphasize this approach.
July 24 (Sat) Body Re-set by Bowen Technique w/Dr. Mitchell Mosher. Bowen
Therapy is all about the parasympathethic nervous system--automatic functions that
we don't have to think about. Stress and adrenal overload can wreak havoc.
Bowen is a technique that can be performed with the client fully clothed, is very
calming and leads to a deep state of relaxation. Great for anyone, but especially
those who are just plain stressed out! 8 CE Contact Hours, $125.
July 31 (Sat ) Tuning up the Core w/Jay Mee. 8 CE Contact Hours $150. This class is
a practical approach to abdominal muscle and visceral organ massage. Students will
learn locations of visceral organs and massage techniques used to produce
medically beneficial results. Good for PMS, chronic constipation, increased
digestion, increase metabolism, Indigestion, cramps, calming the client, and
increasing the overall productivity of the visceral organs.
Aug 1 (Sun) Muscle Energy Technique w/ Jay Mee. 8 CE Contact Hours
MET is the use of passive and assistive stretching to align the hips and reduce strain
on the lower back and pelvis area. It is used to prevent future muscle injury in
athletes, and to strengthen already weak muscles and increases range of motion.
These techniques can be used to treat back, neck and shoulder pain, scoliosis,
sciatica, unsymmetrical legs, hips or arms (for example when one is longer or
higher than the other), or to treat chronic muscle pain, stiffness or injury.
Either class is $150 on its own or you may attend both for $275.
Aug 5-9 (Thurs-Tues) Lomi-Lomi Intensive with Master Teacher Gloria Coppola.
Lomi-Lomi Intensive Workshop w/Gloria Coppola. Learn the ancient healing art that
is known as the Sacred Dance. Gloria lived and practiced in Hawaii for many years
and studied Lomi-Lomi under the native masters. She has been teaching it for many
years, and is one of the most popular and engaging instructors at THERA-SSAGE. 42
Contact Hours, $695, which includes a catered lunch every day. Gloria feels that the
energy and bonding of the group during meals is an important part of this class, so
please plan to stay and eat in.
August 13 (Fri) Techniques for Shoulder Pain w/Vicki Bates. Learn to unlock frozen
shoulders, assist w/rotator cuff injuries, computer strain, etc. 8 CE Contact Hours,
$150. If you attend tomorrow's class in Techniques for Low Back Pain, you can come
to both classes for $250.
August 14 (Sat) Techniques for Low Back Pain w/Vicki Bates. Vicki was one of my
instructors at massage school, back in the day....let's not say how long ago that was!
She is very effective at getting people out of pain and will show you her best tricks.
$150 for 8 CE Contact Hours, or attend both the Shoulder and the LBP class for $275.
August 20-22 (Fri-Sun) The wonderful Vickie Torrey returns to us with her class on
Oncology Massage, Working With Cancer Patients. Vickie was certified at
Sloan-Kettering in New York and has worked with cancer patients for many years.
Learn the best integrative techniques to help this population in every stage of their
illness. 21 CE Contact Hours, $395.
August 28 (Sat) Pharmacology and Herbology for the Massage Practitioner w/Gloria
Coppola. No, we aren't going to be prescribing! We're going to focus on drug/herb
interactions, contraindications, and the necessity for modifying massage when the
disease isn't the problem, but the drug is! Pharmacology is ignored in most
massage schools and that's a shame. This is a class everyone should take. 8 CE
Contact Hours, $100.
Sept 11-12 (Sat & Sun) Working with Fibromyalgia with Sheila Berger. Sheila
incorporates Russian massage, Active Isolated Stretching, and myofascial release
techniques into a blend that will bring relief to your fibro clients--is there anyone
among us who doesn't see a lot of those? 16 CE Contact Hours, $275.
Sept 17-19 (Fri-Sun) Orthopedic Massage with Howard Weingarten. I am so stoked
that Howard is coming this year. Soft-tissue pain complaints of the torso are one of
the most pervasive reasons for people to seek health care. This fast paced and
exciting class covers evaluation and treatment of the back, neck, & pelvis, including
conditions such as thoracic outlet syndrome, spinal nerve compression pathologies,
piriformis syndrome, sacroiliac joint dysfunction, low back pain, whiplash, and
others. A combination of multi-media presentation, detailed anatomical information
and hands-on learning will make this a continuing education experience you'll find
memorable and useful." modality. $350, 21 CE Contact Hours.
Sept 24-26 (Fri-Sun) Traditional Chinese Medicine with Christine Courtney. Those
who have attended Christine's class in Indian Head Massage know what an
awesome teacher she is, and we're very excited to be hosting this class. You'll be
exploring the foundations, techniques, and applications of Chinese Medicine. Laura
Allen will also be teaching the required 3 hours of Standard V Ethics along with this
class for a total of 25 CE Contact Hours. $375. You do not have to be a massage
therapist in order to attend this class.
REMEMBER THAT NORTH CAROLINA DOES NOT ALLOW YOU TO CARRY HOURS
OVER. THE NATIONAL CERTIFICATION BOARD DOES ALLOW CARRY OVER HOURS.
October 8-10 (Fri-Sun) Indian Head Massage with Christine Courtney. This class sells
out up to six months early every single year. The Indian Head Massage class is one
of the most profound experiences you'll ever have. This is a chair massage that is
directed at the chakras. You will not believe that a chair massage can put you into a
coma, but this one does. Then you feel wonderfully energized when you stand up. It
is truly amazing. IHM is performed in a regular chair, not a massage chair, so you
can do it anywhere, anytime.
There are also many components that can easily be adapted to the table. Truly a
great class. Laura Allen will also be teaching the required 3 hours of Standard V
Ethics along with this class for a total of 25 CE Contact Hours. $375.
October 16 (Sat) Intro to Lymphatic Drainage w/Vicki Bates. Learn a basic LD routine
that can stand on its own or be incorporated into your massage. 8 CE Contact Hours,
$150.
October 17 (Sun) Butterfly Massage w/Natalie Veres. This unique and gentle
modality is exactly what it says--the touch of a butterfly. Profoundly soothing,
infants love it. Great for elderly or ill people who can't tolerate a deep massage,
blissful relaxation is the end result. 8 CE Contact Hours, $125.
CALL FOR INSTRUCTORS:
If you have a class that you think will be of interest to students, whether or not you
are already an approved provider, contact Laura Allen at 828-288-3727. We are
currently working on our schedule for 2011 and would be glad to have some new
and interesting offerings for our students. Our schedule for the following year has to
be completed by October 1 so don't wait until all our dates are gone to get in touch.
We're looking for classes that are on the cutting edge, so to speak, and new
and interesting offerings. Please read our entire roster of classes before
contacting us. We are not interested in more of what we already have. We
also expect the instructors who solicit us to teach here to either already be
Approved Providers under the NCBTMB, or alternatively, to be prepared to
submit your proposed lesson plan, learning objectives, and class schedule to
us before we will consider putting you on our schedule.
We also offer community education. If you are local and have a class you think
people would enjoy attending---whether that's a personal growth class, foreign
language, knitting, basketweaving, or anything of interest to the public, give us a
call. We enjoy offering great learning opportunities to our clients.
REGISTER NOW ONLINE !
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