The topics presented here have a long history in the massage therapy profession and each section also has pages explaining each topic/concept. These documents and articles are a part of the history of how we have gotten to where were are currently.
Massage Therapy Competencies:
Entry Level Analysis Project (ELAP) – www.elapmassage.org
Hospital Based Competencies
ACIH Hospital Based Massage Therapy (HBMT) Competencies for Optimal Practice in Integrated Environments
HBMT specific competencies developed by the ACIH HBMT task force with input from approximately 40 individuals associated with HBMT programs. These competencies include some of the ACIH Competencies most relevant to HBMT and additional competencies that specifically address practical issues relevant to HBMT practice. For more information about the development of these competencies, visit Hospital Based Massage Therapy (HBMT) Competencies Discussion (September 2016) , Hospital Based Massage Therapy (HBMT) (September 2016) , and Hospital Based Massage Therapy . To download the ACIH HBMT Competencies, click here.
Body of Knowlege:
Body of Knowledge (PDF and history on Society of Massage Archives ) – Welcome to the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge Project. This effort has been guided under the direction of the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) Stewards. The MTBOK Stewards consist of representatives from the American Massage Therapy Association, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, Massage Therapy Foundation, and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork.
Developing, Maintaining, and Using a Body of Knowledge for the Massage Therapy Profession INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE AND BODYWORK , VOLUME 4 , NUMBER 3 , SEPTEMBER 2011 JoEllen M. Sefton , PhD, ATC, CMT 1 , Michael Shea , PhD, LMT 2 , Chip Hines , LMT, PMP 3
Entry Level Analysis Project (ELAP) www.elapmassage.org The Entry-Level Analysis Project (ELAP) is a research project initiated by the Coalition of National Massage Therapy Organizations in March 2012. The project goals were to define knowledge and skill components of entry-level education and recommend the minimum number of hours schools should teach to prepare graduates for safe and competent practice in the massage profession. Completed in December of 2013, the project published two documents, which describes ELAP work group findings and recommendations. Read the Coalition Statement in response to the project and review The Core: Entry-Level Analysis Project Report (Final Report) and The Core: Entry-Level Massage Education Blueprint (the Blueprint) available to download on the website. Alternately, you can watch informational webinars about the project.
The Body of Knowledge. What the MTBOK Is and Why You Should Care By Karrie Osborn. ABMP. July/August 2010 Issue
Model Practice Acts
FSMTB – First Edition 2014
Elements of a Massage Therapy Practice Act from AMTA
Standards of Practice from NCBTMB 2017
White Papers
On Becoming a Profession: The Challenges and Choices that will Determine Our Future
This 2008 white paper provides a comprehensive overview of the massage therapy field, and identifies six key areas of development that must be in place for it to become a full-fledged profession. This paper offers specific policy recommendations for the major stakeholder organizations that shape and direct the evolution of the massage therapy field.
The Structure of a Profession: Where Does Massage Therapy Stand Today? Published in the December 2009 issue of Massage Today, this article is a follow-on to the White Paper. There is a specific focus on the basic structure of how professions tend to be organized, with a look at the developmental status of the massage therapy field as it compares to this matrix.
Continuing Education in the Massage Therapy Field: Proposal for an Alternative to State and National Regulation.This white paper, published in February 2013, provides an in-depth examination of the way that continuing education approvals are handled by state boards and national organizations in the massage field.
Model Regulations for Continuing Education in the Massage Therapy Field: A Simplified and Streamlined Approach for State BoardsThis proposal follows the 2013 analysis of continuing education regulation, and provides a simpler and more streamlined approach to deal with CE that is required for the renewal of state licenses and national certifications.
Working with the Body in the Educational Process
In body-oriented training programs such as massage therapy, what is the role of the body and somatic experience for both teachers and learners? This topic is explored in an excerpt from Rick’s chapter in Teaching Massage: Foundational Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors. © 2008 Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, reprinted with permission.
Supervision
A Call for Supervised Practice by Jack Blackburn, LMP, MTS-SD
Illicit Businesses/Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking Task Force Report
The FSMTB Human Trafficking Task Force released the Human Trafficking Task Force Report in November 2017. This report is the culmination of nearly two years of study, listening, discussion, and consensus-building. Learn Moreat FSMTB.
A Toolkit for Identifying Human Trafficking and Fraud in Higher Education from the Federation of State Massage Boards
The toolkit focuses on sex trafficking that is increasingly perpetrated in higher education by organized, sophisticated criminal enterprises that stretch regulatory and enforcement resources. The toolkit is specifically designed to assist state regulators and agencies, organizations, or entities that regularly intersect with the responsibilities and duties of state regulators. Learn More