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Massage Therapy School: Tips for Effective Communication with Clients

2015-10-14T10:00:07-07:00October 14th, 2015|

Effective communication with the client is essential in massage therapy, as students in massage therapy schools will learn. While it’s true that applying the right strokes is chief in massage therapy, effective communication will allow you to find out more about your clients’ specific needs, and tailor your sessions or treatment plans to help them achieve their health goals. Whether you’re conducting an initial or follow-up interview, adequate time must be allotted so you can gather enough information that might affect the therapy’s efficacy.

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Swedish Massage Classes: Providing Added Care to a Senior Loved One

2015-10-07T10:00:32-07:00October 7th, 2015|

Every loving child wants to see his or her senior parent or loved one live comfortably. Unfortunately, pain is inevitable as aging and arthritis take their toll. Whether you’re providing care for a senior parent at home or through an assisted living facility, giving him or her massage every once in a while can greatly soothe pain. If your senior doesn’t have his/her own therapist, why not take a couple of massage classes and perform it yourself. Learning massage therapy will not only benefit your parent; it can also be a lifelong skill you can upgrade for licensure.

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How to Become a Professional Massage Therapist: A Look at the Journey

2015-09-30T10:00:32-07:00September 30th, 2015|

If you’re looking for a new career, you may want to consider massage therapy. A few years ago, the U.S. News and World Report included massage therapy in its features on the best jobs in the health care industry. Among other reasons, the feature cited the fast growth of spas and massage centers all over the country, which has resulted in the increasing demand for massage therapists.

That said, not too many interested individuals know how to become a massage therapist. If you’re one of these people, here are some information you need to know.

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The Different Skills That a Full-Fledged Massage Therapist Must Have

2015-09-23T10:00:38-07:00September 23rd, 2015|

The nature of the work of a typical massage therapist requires one to possess a slew of essential skills. Therapists manipulate a client’s musculature to help induce relaxation or improve mobility, and they do this by using a wide variety of techniques. Such techniques also aren’t a one-size-fits-all—each method should depend on the client’s reason for the visit, as well as the latter’s physical condition, age, and such.

That said, what skills does a full-fledged masseuse/masseur need to perform his/her job well? Here’s a quick rundown of the specific competencies.

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Massage Therapy for Attention Deficit Disorder: Research Review

2015-07-30T20:41:55-07:00July 30th, 2015|

A literature review of complimentary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments for children found that ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most commonly studied conditions, and that massage is one of the most commonly used CAM modalities (Snyder & Brown, 2012). According to the Mayo Clinic, ADHD “includes a combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior.” The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that there are 4.9 million children with ADHD in American schools. According to Dr. V.A. Harpin’s review of ADHD impacts over the […]

Tips for Creating an Elevator Pitch for your Massage Therapy Work

2015-07-23T20:41:16-07:00July 23rd, 2015|

Having basic marketing skills is essential to expanding any massage therapy practice. Succinctly delivering an “elevator pitch” is a key practice for gaining new clients. An elevator pitch is a compelling introduction that is short enough to deliver while ascending or descending floors in an elevator. The idea here is to create a polished, interesting statement that draws in listeners. Then, you can hand each listener a card and mention your new client special before the elevator doors open to the destination floor. Of course, there are many occasions outside of elevators where this pitch will come in handy—networking events, dinner […]

Massage in Grade Schools: Could it Help Fight Bullying?

2015-07-09T20:40:04-07:00July 9th, 2015|

In our massage training school, we teach adults how to treat and heal patients of all ages. Like students in all west coast massage schools, East West College students typically begin their massage training after high school. However, the success of in-school programs across the globe suggests that primary students can enjoy many benefits from learning about and practicing massage. Schools around the world are using student-to-student massage programs to reduce bullying, improve peer relationships, and increase focus. Read on to learn how international organizations are bringing massage to schools.

Primary Massage Training: School Programs from Around the World

Massage in Schools

The Massage […]

Massage Therapy Modalities: Structural Bodywork

2015-06-11T20:27:07-07:00June 11th, 2015|

In our series on massage modalities, we’ve covered Thai massage, trigger point therapy, and Tui Na. Today we’re looking at a different form of massage: Structural Bodywork. At its crux, structural bodywork explores and offsets imbalances within the body.

The mother of structural bodywork is Ida Rolf. Ida Rolf was a biochemist, yoga teacher, manual therapist, and sensorimotor educator who had a holistic vision of health. Her focus as a healer was to improve overall biochemical functioning, rather than treating certain systems. Rolf’s creation, Structural Integration, improves health by improving the human body’s structure in relation to gravity.
Within this […]

Client Populations: Working with Elderly Patients


2015-05-14T20:20:57-07:00May 14th, 2015|

Massage careers can take practitioners all over the world, to all manner of settings. However, when envisioning a post-massage certification career path, the common image is that of a healthy middle-aged person receiving a basic Swedish massage. Reality is much larger in scope. In this series we will be discussing how to work with different client populations- in all ages and stages of life. We kick things off with a discussion of geriatric massage, including its challenges, effective techniques, and benefits.

Challenges Massaging Elderly Clients

Elderly clients can often be intimidating to massage, due to their unique health conditions and physical needs. Older […]

How to Center Yourself Before Giving a Massage

2015-05-07T20:18:51-07:00May 7th, 2015|

Think back to when you were first dreaming of a career in massage. Perhaps you were contemplating getting a massage certificate, or eagerly flipping through pamphlets from massage schools in NYC or Oregon, dreaming of your future. One question that you may have asked yourself during this process—and a question massage therapists may ask throughout their career—is what constitutes the ideal massage?  Is it the perfect shiatsu technique, or being up-to-date on the latest trends? The ideal massage is not merely about a certain technique; it is rather grounded in how you show up in the space when giving a massage.

The […]

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