I’ve been practicing manual medicine for about 22 years. The concept has been successfully lumped under the umbrella of massage therapy. I began teaching the work after four years of practice in massage schools across United States. Eight years after beginning my practice, I began teaching privately for continuing education credits. I was trained at the Rolf Institute in Boulder Colorado. And after five years I began adding other disciplines to the mix. I eventually settled on cranial sacral therapy as well as an addition to my Rolfing practice.

I have learned a few things in 22 years. One of which, is that in this economy, it pays to know how to get people out of pain. Unfortunately, many of the powers to be force people into taking continuing education credits without any real focus or meaning. Many of the students that use continuing education to continue to be legal, only do so for that reason. The quality of their touch and their ability to get people out of pain is very limited. There is a poverty consciousness in our genre, and as a result of this mind set, there of few people that are extremely successful in mechanical therapies. Continuing education in massage therapy should be about raising the efficacy of the work, raising the practitioner’s ability to help people with their painful conditions. There are a number of very valuable approaches when one is searching for continuing education credits. But one thing is for sure, it takes more than just a few hours to become competent at any skill. Continuing education should in fact, be thorough enough, that the student actually has a new skill level when they have completed their continuing education course.

Dr. Rolf’s structural integration or Rolfing as it is called in the discipline, is a very effective form of manual therapy. Rolfing has a 10 series approach which is comprised of 10 to 15 hours of work mainly focusing on the fascial envelopes. At the Institute, the training is often nine months to a eighteen months, depending upon the students economic situation. Once a student has been out in the field so speak, and has learned to work in depth, (which may take five years), it may be time to add another continuing education discipline. I chose cranial sacral therapy. There are number ways to study in this new economy. But when one considers the cost of airplanes, hotels, food and the actual course itself, many in our discipline are challenged to continue their education and secure CEU’s that their state often requires for licensure. As a result, I believe with technology as advanced as it is in so many arenas, the ability for a massage therapist to continue with their education using digital arts has become extremely effective. A good DVD series allows the student to study with the teacher over and over again, securing in their hands the knowledge that is being transferred. If the student begins to love the work and see results because they have practiced what has been presented in a continuing education DVD series, they can always go and spend the money to study in person with that teacher. There are a number of great DVD series that are now on the web for continuing education credits. I believe that the DVD series can go into greater depth in many ways, because of the vivid imagery. A student may actually learn more in the beginning from the DVD series than in a class, if they are willing to take the time and practice with another student.

The cost of the DVD series in comparison with traveling to a seminar, are miniscule. The most important thing for a massage student to realize when they are searching for continuing education, is the quality that is presented in the DVD series. Is there a enough material being presented that a student can actually learn the work if they have the desire and the work ethic. Continuing education for massage therapists, should in fact elevate the therapists skill level noticeably. Noticeably often means in their pocketbook. I have found that a good continuing education program will in fact allow the massage therapist or practitioner of manual therapies to raise their rates. For one simple reason, their ability to help their clients to get out of pain is markedly increased.

There are too many courses that are being taught that will not actually raise the level of competency for massage therapist. When a massage therapist seeks to learn more information, and therefore satisfies their continuing education requirements, it should be more than just satisfying those requirements. It should actually allow them to charge more for their services because they have in fact created a higher level of competency. I have taught in three large massage schools across the United States both as an advanced technique instructor and as an anatomy instructor. I know that the majority of people who graduate from massage schools are not successful in their field because they are not taught techniques that are effective for getting their clients out of pain. Pain management should be a focus when a massage student is seeking continuing education credits. They should consider the value of that course in producing noticeable results in their practice.

The beauty of an instructional DVD series is that the student will learn over and over again the materials that have been presented and allow that student to practice their technique until they have been assimilated. Once the student feels they have mastered the material presented in the DVD series, then very often, that student will seek out that teacher for the tactile experience of having the teacher work on them or they work on the teacher in an apprenticeship like program which I offer. I highly recommend that students who want to “raise the bar” on their skill levels, should definitely consider a good DVD series that are offered throughout the web, for their continuing education credits.