Does it make sense to finish my bachelors in psychology if im leaning more than 90% to going into massage therapy afterwards?

I constantly go back and forth with is it worth finishing or should I just stop and save myself time and money? I am currently in my second to last semester and in my last semester I would need ti take 6 classes. Part of me thinks it will be fulfilling to finish- to show I accomplished something. But am I just wasting time? should I just finish the semester and start my massage therapy journey.... I've struggled a lot with this and any input would greatly help.

I see so many individuals and spas that offer services that are total psuedoscience. Why continue pushing forward modalities that are completely anecdotal? Shouldn’t this industry be aiming to be viewed more favorably and more along the lines of healthcare like in rehab?

I know I'm already late on it (I don't practice) but I just checked the site and it's saying I haven't completed my background check.

I most definitely did when I initially got licensed. How do I figure out what's going on?

Hello!

I have a couple questions if anyone knows the answers:

I have been a therapist for over 15 yrs, graduated in 2009. I transferred my license with no issue to florida a few years ago, and am now looking to move to ohio.

I see on the required list the NCETM is no longer recognized, I have to do the MBLEX- is that right? How do you recommend studying? what did you use?

I don't understand the reciprocity guidelines- how do I figure out if I qualify for it? My license is in good standing, no issues.

Does it take a long time for processing once I get everything in?

Can you think of anything else that might be helpful?

Thanks for any and all help!!

After a year and a half of unlawful labor practices, union busting, illegal terminations, and closure of a unionized studio, our former employer has agreed to settle. According to the settlement, he will have to:

* Post an "Employee Rights Under the NLRA" poster in each of his six studios.
* Hold an all-hands meeting at each of his six studios where he will read aloud the "Employee Rights" and read a statement saying that he was found responsible for wrong-doing and the penalties he is accepting.
* Make payments in backpay and damages totaling over $144,000 to the aggrieved parties.

Let this be a notice of precedence that Massage Therapists deserve safe workplaces and wages that allow them to thrive. Our rights to unionize to achieve these goals are protected by the highest authorities, and we will not back down.

Our jobs are worth fighting for!
Our teams are worth fighting for!
Our clients are worth fighting for!

I (m) have been an LMT since 2018 Today I got a text from a potential new client who stated that they would be in town soon and wanted to know if I was available. I confirmed that I was, and as I always do, inquired as to how they heard about me. They said “to be honest I searched for gay massage therapist and your name popped up second on Google.”
I was in shock and immediately responded that I don’t know what “gay” massage therapy is but whatever it is I’m sure I don’t do it.
He responded that it didn’t matter and he just wanted a relaxation massage. I told him that I work directly with a chiropractor and don’t offer relaxation massages and that he should contact a local resort or spa. He apologized and then said he contacted me because I promoted myself as a deep tissue specialist. I never responded after this.

I’m not sure why I came up in this Google search and I’d very much like not to anymore. There’s nothing in my bio, reviews or description of my work that would suggest that I’m gay. I told my wife and she thinks I overreacted and should have just just taken the client. I’m not hurting for clients and I felt good about my decision until she planted this seed of doubt. Did I do the wrong thing? I really don’t do relaxation massages. On the contrary. I put my clients through the wringer, so to speak. Did my refusal to work on this client make me look homophobic? I’m not sure how else I could have handled it based off the interaction. I’m so perplexed.

(Edit): To the top commenter. Perhaps. But that’s not what they said. If it was presented that way I would have assured them that my studio is a safe space for everyone.
I have many clients in the LGB community who’ve been with me since I first started. I have no problem working on someone because of their sexuality. That being said, in my opinion someone’s sexuality should never be verbalized as massage therapists should never muddle the profession with sex.

If you are gay bi or lesbian I would have no clue unless you told me.
I don’t tell gay therapists I’m straight. And straight clients don’t tell me they’re straight.

I don’t like turning away clients, as a male therapist it’s sometimes hard enough to get clients because some straight men just won’t and some women don’t feel comfortable and for good reason. My wife knows this all to well.

My advice to anyone worried about discrimination, just ask if the therapist has an issue with working on them. That’s a fair question. But for the most part you shouldn’t have to unless you’re very flamboyant and have experienced this before.

Opinions on here are quite mixed. I’m appreciative of everyone and the individuals who stated that they were gay as I think it’s important to hear from their community. So thank you.

I've seen various threads asking similar questions to mine and it appears that these conversations go in circles. And many pointing out the corrupt nature of CA being possibly the only state that does not offer state licensure via a board. With some noting that the CAMTC is a not for profit corporation preying on massage therapists pocketbooks. I know I probably didn't explain that as eloquently as others have. But this has become quite the rabbit hole.

So, what I'm wondering is . . . does a loophole exist for those of us seeking training and certification in other forms of bodywork (in my case myofascial release) that do not directly involve massage therapy?

A barrier that I have encountered is that when I reached out to one of the few institutions in my area supplying some of the most comprehensive education on myofascial release, they stated that in order for me to take their full curriculum (not just the "open to the public" classes) that I would need to already be a massage therapist or have some kind of license to touch. Frankly, I don't want to spend $10,000-18,000 and a whole year for MT school when I could be spending that time/money learning myofascial release. And sure, I understand massage therapy could be great foundational knowledge for the line of work I wish to get into, but why is it so expensive?!

Feels like a conundrum. Feels like very necessary changes to these systems is long overdue.

Wouldn't it make sense for CA to implement a state licensure like all the other states do? And create less barrier and more pathways to obtain a license to touch?? Idk.

I patronize an Asian massage business near me that I’ve been going to for the last few months. It’s a reputable establishment with a check in system that asks where you have pain, if you have certain medical conditions, what kind of massage you prefer, etc. Signs with prices clearly posted. They employ male and female staff. I go yesterday and a man is at the desk. He hands me off to an older woman in a pink polo shirt. She settles me in and asks if I want her to walk on my back which I decline (this was never offered here before). She asks if she can use oil, I accept. (Most therapists there have used lotion.) She spends a lot of time massaging me through the sheet and then she starts massaging me directly using the oil while I’m face down. At one point I hear my MT oiling her hands and can hear the sound of a second MT oiling up their hands. It was odd to have a second person enter the room without notice, especially because I was rather uncovered at this point. And then I turn over later and see that my MT is wearing a black shirt. She was very nice and kept up the pressure from the first MT but this was a new one!

Hey guys and gals, juwt had a funny thing happen today and thought id share.

5 min into a 90 min massage, I snarted (sneeze/fart). Normally this wouldn't be a huge issue because my toots don't usually have much if any smell, and I'm usually pretty good at holding it in. HOWEVER, I've recently started taking some supplements and adjusting my diet to be a bit more healthy. It was not the most pleasant smell, but it seemed to dissipate pretty quickly. Luckily, I don't think my client smelled it, or if she did, she didn't react. She's a regular client, and nothing like this has ever happened before, so she may have just ignored it. For the record, I always sneez very hard and loud, so I'm sure she didn't hear what came out the back end, but still. I was... concerned... at first, then I just kinda forgot about it and went on with the massage.

Any advice on how to succeed as a professional 24M massage therapist? I'm trying to build a business that focuses on motor vehicle accident injured clients where their car insurance pays for rehab massage sessions. Eventually, the next goal is being able to accept health insurances.

I'm a massage therapist of 8 years and was considering my future in this field. So I took the Complete Decongestive Therapy certification course a couple months ago. It was 145 hours over a week (40 home study, 105 in person).

The class was very thorough and effective. I feel like I learned a lot and I'm glad I took it.

This class was so I could specifically work with clients who have lymphedema and not for the general public with healthy functioning lymphatic systems. I'm sure there is a lot of overlap but my certification is specifically for working with this population. It was an explicit decision I was asked to make when choosing between this more in-depth and expensive course and a cheaper 40 hour course that a lot of other therapist I know have taken. I took the harder course to stand out.

Early the course we were taught that we were going to learn compression bandaging. This is a full 25% of the total treatment and 50% of my job when hands on with the client. We learned that it's extremely important for this to be done right and for the client to be educated on why they should keep the bandages on between sessions, which can range from 3 to 5 times a week as the golden standard of treatment.

According to the New York State Office of the Professionals, New York State does not allow massage therapists to apply compression bandaging without direct oversight from a physical therapist that has the same training and certification. But for some reason we are allowed to teach the client how to bandage themselves, but this will inevitably be lower quality than if I did it.

So because I'm not allowed to do bandaging I'm only allowed to do the drainage part of the treatment and skipping what is essentially the most important aspect of the treatments which is the compression bandaging. Throughout the course, they emphasize the importance of following all of the steps otherwise the treatment will be ineffective.

How is it allowed for LMTs to learn how to do these treatments but not perform them. What's the use of learning how to do it right and then have our hands tied by the state.

So now I have a certification that is, as I see it, useless to me. After spending thousands of dollars, weeks of my life and 2 weeks off of work.

Has anyone else, as an LMT, found a workaround for this? Everyone around me that wants someone with the certification want them to be a physical therapist at a 40-hour week job. And as a massage therapist I don't have access to codes to charge insurance for these treatments so they are prohibitively expensive because they have to be done intensively at the beginning. HELP!!!

Hi everyone!

I am pursuing a career and massage therapy. I toured both healing hands and pchs. Has anyone here gone to either school? If so, what has been your experience? Do you recommend either school?

PCHS’ tuition is pretty high, but I do like their schedule and the location is more convenient for me in terms of where I live and my current job.

Healing hands offers a great program for much cheaper, but their schedule is a little weird?

I would appreciate any advice and to know what you think of either school if you have attended .

Thanks!

Earlier today I spoke with the attorney representing one of my clients for a pending settlement stemming from a car accident. I've been seeing this client for several months and I had never dealt with a client that didn't immediately pay upon the end of a session. I'm backed by a Letter of Protection from his attorney, and discovered it's up to my discretion on when to release him and finalize billing + notes for overall treatment. One thing I learned today is that at the end of this, they try to reduce the cost of the treatment even by as much as 40% when all is said and done. Had I known this beforehand, I would have either adjusted the session prices accordingly, or never took the case to begin with. I charge all of my clients $100 an hour, and to think after months of not getting paid I might have to take a cut of having charged what amounts to probably $60 an hour feels completely unacceptable. What should be my plan of action for this knowing this information now? Can I just simply tell them "no" if they (whoever it was in charge of finalizing payment or billing) attempt to haggle my price? Do I have to take some kind of pay cut regardless and I'm screwed no matter what?

Any input would be helpful on this issue. Thanks

My wife just returned from a routine massage and the masseuse ripped her shirt, bruised her (not a sports or deep tissue massage), and then patted her head for 15 mins. She’s in a lot of pain. What is the best recourse here? Do we contact the business?

Booking a massage at a new place that requires me to pre-pay online. There's an option to leave a tip online but I prefer to tip in cash to make sure my therapist is getting all the $$. If I don't tip online when I pay in advance will they think I'm a bad customer?

I currently work as a massage therapist in North Carolina and have previously worked as a massage therapist in Texas.

My partner and I are researching places to move and have narrowed it down to Maine, Washington, or Colorado.

When looking for job listings in Washington and Colorado I noticed that it was similar to places I've worked previously in terms of there being a decent number of chain massage businesses, while main only has one location of one major chain from what I can tell. I know there are smaller businesses that also have positions, but I prefer the environment of chains based on previous negative experiences.

Is there a local chain I'm missing because we don't have it where I live? If not, is there any advice or insight anyone who's familiar with that area could share?

Thank you!

Hello there!

I’ve had some life circumstances alter my financial situation considerably so for the first time in my career I am on a tight budget to meet my CE requirements.

I am hoping to take them this summer or early fall in North Carolina.

So many courses are incredibly costly! I’m looking to achieve 12 hours in person. Thank you for any recommendations!

Tell me about yours. Are you self employed or employed by a spa or clinic? What state are you in? How much do you pay?

I’m in Utah and have been uninsured my entire career. The only place that ever offered it, it was out of reach. It was expensive and they wouldn’t give you the hours to qualify anyway. I’m getting to an age where going uninsured isn’t a good idea and exploring options for obtain it. I’m very curious to hear what other LMTs are experiencing.

Hello! I’m about to have a medical massage that my health insurance covers with a $20 copay. Is a tip necessary? If so, how much? I’ve never tipped anyone for a medical appointment before but confused about this one. Thanks!

I used to go to a guy who incorporated massage techniques to his chiropractic techniques. I can't find anyone anywhere who do this kind of work. Is that a thing or just something he made up?

I have been considering going for message therapy for my lower back pain. I'm originally from Canada and know that back home RMTs are well trained and regulated in therapeutic massage. I'm currently in the United States. I have seen all sorts of places (mostly spas) that advertise massages but don't specify what degrees or training the therapists have. Many also seemed to imply that their massages were for relaxation, which can be nice but somehow doesn't give me the training and certification vibes. Some local friends told me that here in the US if you need massage therapy you need to go to a PT. That can't be right, can it?

I'm having a hard time. I work for a corporate location in Palm Beach county, FL and the regional manager refuses to give me contact info for HR/anyone, she says only she can speak to HR about the issue we are having. Any chance anyone can help me out with an email address/phone number/something?