In This Episode You Will Learn:
- Why human touch is powerful and healing.
- The first thing to evaluate when looking for a massage school.
- Why finding a mentor should be a priority.
Practicing With Intention
Benny Vaughn, founder of the Benny Vaughn Athletic Therapy Center, speaks about the power of healing touch and how to evaluate the caliber of a program’s instructors.
Benny is extremely intentional about every area of his practice. He has cultivated a space for a diverse, integrative care team to serve their community. He carefully designed it with all of the knowledge he has compiled over the course of his career, resulting in a beautiful, innovative experience for employees and clients alike.
Touch Drives Human Connection
Benny highlights that touch connects us to our humanness. As masters of delivering respectful touch, massage therapists have a crucial role to play as we emerge from the pandemic:
[12:47] “If [you] are going to be the very best at delivering touch, you should have the best training because… massage therapy is both an art form and it is a scientific form.”
Becoming a Well-Trained Massage Therapist
Benny believes massage therapy is a calling that carries responsibility. It is for anyone who wants to make a legitimate impact on people’s lives.
In order to become the best massage therapist you can be, Benny emphasizes the value of choosing a school that will train you well. Good training will change the way you think.
[15:50] “When you go through massage therapy training and your thinking begins to change and you begin to see and think the good in every therapeutic encounter you have, that’s an indication you’ve had good training.”
Benny adds that good training includes being exposed to a wide range of techniques. A quality program will then teach you the fundamentals based on the type of massage you want to pursue.
Look for Longstanding Faculty
When evaluating massage schools, Benny recommends that the first thing you look at is the curriculum online. Next, read about the faculty. These are the people who will impart knowledge, techniques, and directly influence the way you think.
Benny recommends asking:
- How long have the faculty been teaching?
- What have they done within and outside of the massage profession?
When teachers have been at a massage school for a long time, that’s a good sign. Teachers stay at schools when they have success with their students and feel fulfilled.
[22:17] “The student benefits… when the teacher is having a good experience with that training program.”
Other questions that Benny suggests students to find answers to include:
- Does the school perform teacher evaluations?
- Is the learning environment comfortable?
- Does instruction include a variety of learning styles?
- Is the school accredited? If not, why?
- Have there been complaints filed against the school?
Choosing a good massage school has a ripple effect. Your choice will determine who you become as a massage therapist, and your practice will make a difference in your clients’ lives.
[37:16] “You will become a vehicle of giving hope to people through touch.”
Learn More:Benny’s website