Is college necessary?

[Destrucity]

Hello everyone.. I'm new here. I've been thinking of becoming a massage therapist(instead of a nurse) and recently I've bought a few instructional books on some techniques(deep tissue and thai). I know a few people to practice on .  My question is.. do I really need to attend college to become a massage therapist? I've taken anatomy/physiology courses before with high grades so I'm not completely clueless. My budget is low and the classes are somewhat expensive! I live in California and there doesn't seem to be any license/certification laws on massage therapy or am I wrong? I would love to go to school for it but I cannot afford it. Any advice?

 

[Google Help]

Is college necessary?

There is certianly a lot of debate on this subject, however, let me just throw out a few things to think on:1. Many schools offer financial aid. At least many of the schools accredited by the Department of Education.2. Will you always live in Ca.? What if you move to a regulated state?3. Good body mechanics and self-care are imperitive to a healthy you (and a healthy career). Can you learn that on your own, or would it benefit you to have a teacher for that?4. There are a number of contraindications for massage, as well as pathologies that require special attention.Just a few things to consider. I imagine if you read around the forum, you will find other advice and comments regarding education that might answer some of your questions, as well.Best of luck

 

[Magnus]

Is college necessary?

hi Newbie, Welcome to the board!

Here's a link to a page about the requirements to be a MT in CA.

http://www.abundanthealth.com/art-ms.html

Hope that helps you some.

 

[Fireflies]

I would definitely recommend receiving a massage therapy education.  It's great that you already have anatomy/physiology experience, but MT training will go a little further into how those relate specifically to massage.  Kinesiology is also very important to massage.  As has been previously indicated, contraindications are very important to know and understand.  You will also learn all the nuances of body mechanics and technique.  You will learn assessment skills and palpation skills.  There are usually business courses, as well as ethics, draping, and much more that are learned in MT school.  If you just want to massage a spouse and some family members now and again, then some videos might do the trick.  However, if you truly want to be a professional, then structured training is the way to go.  The paying public deserves a professional.  I think you will be more successful if you are professionally trained.  Many of my clients will ask during the course of their session how long I went to school, etc.  I can't imagine that I'd get many repeat clients if I told them that I learned from some videos.  California is not regulated.........right now.  What if that changes?  Or, as has been brought up before, what if you move to a state that is regulated?  In the long run, not spending the $$ now, could be much more costly in the future.There are lots of ways to get financial help for school.  Look into and see how it goes.  I believe it will pay off in the long run.