nice to see the thread being looked at in a positive light.
Hands on therapies need to be seen and learn't hands on, I think we are all agreed with that.
I have done a couple of distance learning courses myself and it spurred me on to seek out colleges that could then fill in the gaps and teach me the skills I needed.
Thank you for that and it is like i said before i am finding out as much as i possibly can on the theory side i have completed my course book and now got 4 books for starters from the libary and there is more i want to read. The reason for me to get with a therapist or salon is for the practical which i know i do need and will stay with them for as long as it takes to be able to do a good confident massage. Reading things on here i know what i have to learn and do and it will take as long as it takes for me to get to where i want to be. I am going to be attending a course for a few week at my sons school o therapies and as far as i see if i come out just knowing a tiny bit more it will be well worth it to me.
Hi Luke,
I do agree with most of what you say, however no offence, but apart from giving you hearing problems (depending on your taste in music:eek:), Eric Clapton could not cause damage, whereas a massage therapist can.
Yes, there are good and bad therapists, and Susan mentioned a doctor, and dentist......but would you see either if they had done a distance learning only course?...somehow I think not.
Massage is a skill, regardless of what anyone says, and therefore you need proper training to carry it out safely and effectively, and you cannot get that from distance learning courses.
Back pain was also mentioned in a previous post, and this again is another area where distance learning courses fall extremely short, as there are so many conditions that could be causing back pain, but I doubt if 'red flags' are even mentioned in a distance learning course.
IMO, Susan is to be commended for her personal development aspirations, I think we all agree on the majority of points that are being discussed and coolhandluke provided a positive reply to this thread. One point I would like to make is that to compare a massage therapist with Eric Clapton is a not the best choice.
There are no regulations regarding guitar playing (except in my house) but there are regulations relating to massage, these regulations have been introduced and include minimum standards relating core curricula, contact teaching hours, the qualification of those teaching ( government introduced minimum standards in Sept 2007, which all schools accessing any form of public funding are required to hold by 2010 ( might be 2011) these will then be rolled out across all other training institutions).
It is only a matter of time until all training providers will need to be staffed by qualified teachers, either in affiliate or full teaching role and maintain a professional development programme. This is when those who have decided not to embrace the regulatory process will be out of work. There will be no hiding place for those who offer unaccredited 1or 2 day workshops, distance learning colleges (offering massage quals or other hands on training.)
I know the ball has started rolling, it is gathering speed and there are going to be changes that affect all training providers, so my advice is to start now to update your skills, obtain your accreditations whilst you still have time. I respect anyone who seeks to improve their skills or broaden their professional horizons, but to use family or finance as excuses doesnt cut the mustard with me.
I have 5 kids and no money ( directly proportional) and have just spent 2 days seeking grants and funding for my current uni course that is based 110 miles from where I live, it is inconvenient for both myself and my wife, my kids miss out occasionally but we decided that if I was going to do a course, I would give it 100% and my family would fully support me. My wife is also currently doing an advanced diploma course which takes her 90 miles away for 1 weekend per month and occupies several hours per week home study. We accept that our social life is on hold, one of us is always here for the kids and it is bloody hard work at times.
We have prioritised that to improve our life there are going to be some short term difficulties that will seem insignificant when our study is complete.
regards
BGFL
I am pleased that you can sort your study and work in with your wife but as i said before my husband works long hours, not sure what time he is coming home could be 6.00pm could be 10.15pm and he is on call out of his normal working hours too which he can not attend to if there is no one to have the children. If i new a time night college would be brill but unfortunatly i don't and i can not afford a childminder and pay a college fee at the moment plus they do not work evenings. Anyway like i said good luck to both of you hope you do well
Hi Susan,
perhaps now is not the right time for you to study if you cant make the necessary commitment due to your circumstances. there will be times when things get easier, I just dont think that sitting watching in a salon is going to be a good learning experience, and as has already been indicated, salon insurance doesnt cover students working, and in my experience my clients wouldnt like someone sitting and watching me work, come to think of it neither would I
regards
BGFL
I am pleased that you can sort your study and work in with your wife but as i said before my husband works long hours, not sure what time he is coming home could be 6.00pm could be 10.15pm and he is on call out of his normal working hours too which he can not attend to if there is no one to have the children. If i new a time night college would be brill but unfortunatly i don't and i can not afford a childminder and pay a college fee at the moment plus they do not work evenings. Anyway like i said good luck to both of you hope you do well
I am not getting involved in an "old" argument so this is going to be short, but Susan please for goodness sake dont feel like you have to justify your decision or put your family situation or private life and what you can or cant afford on here. Lets take the whole debate away from singling out one person as I for one think it is highly insensitive.
I dont think everyone is singling out one person, what we are doing is simply stating how hard it is to make it in this industry, even when you are properly prepared and trained.
We are also quite within our rights to feel aggrieved when we see our industry reduced to "read a book and start a business" mentality.
I for one have fought for and support regulation, in what ever form that takes to rid the industry of sub standard training.
i have shown support and respect for susan as an individual but think she is being given questionable advice from a college that knows full well it is providing sub standard learning opportunities and from people who use this forum as a vehicle to promote their training companies which fail to meet NOS in their course provision
this is my last post on this subject and quite frankly I feel that strongly about this thread to say that I have decided to take some time away from HP.
To those who have offered me support and advice over the years i thank you personally and look forward to renewing friendships in the future, to those i have upset with my views and knowledge of this industry, I apologise this was not my intention, I simply say it as it is, always have always will.
au revoir
BGFL
One thing I have learned since establishing a career in CT's is that when the time is right to do something it will present itself.
Susan, maybe now is not the right time to see massage as a profession but more as a hobby. I first qualified in massage 10 years ago (full year, two nights a week at local FE college and had to pay someone to babysit as kids were 7 and 4 at the timeand hubby worked mega long hours). I didn't do massage again till just over three years ago this time as a profession.
I wanted to do herbalism for the past 2 years but as I was busy doing other things I haven't started it till this year.
You can only do what you can, when you can, with what you have.
Patchouli
OK there are good massage therapists and there are not so good massage therapists. It does not always follow that just because someone has attended x-amount of tuition and has a string of letters after their name, that they are a good massage therapist.
Massage is a tactile skill; you can't learn it by watching or by being told how to do it, you have to get your hands onto a number of bodies and do it. Over time a good massage therapist will learn instinctively how to interpret what they are feeling under the skin, as in soft tissue which is too tight or has been strained or sprained or needs toning up etc.
I really don't know how the world managed before colleges and universities came into vogue, but believe it or not, massage has been around and practised as a natural healing practice for as long as mankind has been on this planet.
It has stood the test of time without government interference and the people who have practised massage have been assessed by the recipients in exactly the same way they are today. If they like what they receive and it gets rid of their stress and tension etc. then they will return for further sessions; they are not really interested about what the piece of paper on the wall says as the proof of the pudding is as always in the eating.
I am sure that Susan will make an excellent masseuse; she has asked for help and will continue to do so until she succeeds. How she succeeds is nothing at all to do with anyone else but her and her clients, she will stand or fall on her application of the massage she eventually feels is right for her.
Susan has a right to learn in whatever manner she feels is appropriate for her, there is nothing wrong with learning the head knowledge using the distance college route.
Susan is aware that she will need some hands on help, the help does not have to come from a college or school, it is IMO a lot better to receive this help from someone with a few years of practical experience from continually doing the job, but again that is Susan's choice.
Hi Paul,
a question for you (and any other massage therapist that wants to answer):
If you were looking for a massage, and you saw a reasonably priced therapist, gave them a call, asked what their qualification was, and they told you it was a Stonebridge (or BSY or any other) distance learning massage diploma, would you book in and pay for a massage with them?
Ahh my favourite Hp subject!
As a therapist who has been practising for 13 years and done over 1000 hours(guess-mation) of training costing me 1000s and 1000s of £, I cannot see whatsoever how anyone can learn hands-on therapy from a distant learning course to a professional standard.
As a teacher and former FE lecture who has taught within the community doing short courses, ITEC diploma courses and Tai Chi, how anyone can learn hands-on therapy from a distant learning course to professional standard beats me.
I have worked with the elderly, adult learning disabilities, festivals, sports events and in palliative care. No way on this planet would I've been allowed to work in any of those situations with a Stonebridge or BSY or SNHS certificate.
There is no way of this planet that I would be able to be at the clinic I work at with the forementioned qualifications.
I fully understand not anyone can go to college and learn, but over the years I have met people who have made big sacrifices to do what they wish to do. Sometimes we cannot do what we wish. There as thousands of things and places I would wish to go and do, but I can't do it all.
Practising massage in a privilege and a calling. It's not just about skills accumulation, it's about the attitude behind it. It's a big commitment, not the latest whim and fancy.
Whether we like it or not, massage to be taken more seriously as a healthcare profession is this country, standards have to rise.
As for the Guild of whoever, so what! Who the **** are they? A business at the end of the day. I could tomorrow set up a professional body and issue certificates. It's easy to do and legal. But would it be worth the paper its written on, that's up to you to decide.
As for how come distant learning courses with a day or two of training gaining insurance? That is probably due to the fact that they teach simple techniques with a minimum amount of contraindications. Simple = low risk = cheapo insurance. You try and get insurance for techniques that are potentially dangerous with in minimum amount of training and see the how premium rises up to the sky.
I've been working all day, working all day tomorrow massaging and therefore going to bed. Why am I on here then? Because I care. I don't wish to upset people, but if I truly belief in what I do, I have to say this and hopefully encourage others to take a responsible route into therapy work.
Nighty night zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.......
If I need a massage then qualifications are less important to me than the person's ability to do the job in a caring and intuitive way.
When I first started massaging professionally, which was more years than I care to remember, I did it with no formal training what so ever, I put together an intuitive massage so I could practice my healing skills, I then gave my routine to someone doing a holistic massage course and they got a distinction for the routine.
A few years down the line, once I had developed my empathy and intuitive skills to the level I was happy with, I did go and do a remedial massage course at the Northern Institute of Massage, yes this was expensive and did give me qualifications for what I could already do, did my time and investment improve my skills, I don't think so as I am quite thorough at learning something when I set my mind to it.
I know it is becoming fashionable to put everyone else's training down as inferior etc, but the fact still remains that the proof of the pudding is as always in the eating, not the presentation. With massage you can either do it or you can't, no amount of training is going to change that fact.
As for insurance it has nothing to do with your qualifications, I had insurance before I was qualified, you can't get onto a so called governing busy body insurance scam unless you show them that you have jumped through their hoops high enough, but insurance is available privately to anyone who pays for it.
Hi Paul,
I take it from your answer that you would pay for a massage from someone with a distance learning only massage qualification, it would be interesting to see how many other massage therapists would.
Following you slightly off topic, I dont see how it has become fashionable to put everyone elses training down as inferior. There are good courses, and there are bad ones....fact.
The governing body dont issue insurance, some of the Professional Associations do. Mine is £50 odd pounds for £5million cover. Yes you can get it privately, usually from the companies that insure distance learning only courses, but when I last checked, they wanted over three times what I was paying, so surely that says something.
I know there are those that dont believe in professional associations or regulation, however, there is a reason why the industry has moved on, its called progress.
A few years ago, I had a call from a friend who had a friend that had received a massage treatment....on an acute sports injury.....now obviously massage is contraindicated in actute sports injuries, however the therapist still worked it....and left the client in a worse state than before...so much so that he tried to take some action. My friend, knowing that I was in this field, asked me what to do, so I suggested that the client contacted all the Professional Associations, with the therapists name and details of the complaint, (I gave him details of all the main PAs). The answer he got from every single PA was, sorry, they are not a member. So ultimately, the client vowed never to use a massage therapist again, because he felt he couldnt do anything about the shoddy treatment he had recieved. That is the reason that we should have PAs, we should have a regulator, and why standards need to be kept high.
Let us not forget that prior to all this regulation and study that massage has very ancient roots. It was more ad hoc, instinctive and a part of every day life in some cultures. The knowledge was passed down the generations. Granted people weren't paying for it and not many people did it as a profession.
Sometimes I think modern massage has got so far removed from it's organic roots that it's unrecognisable. I'm not saying that regulation is a bad thing, I just want to remind people that there is more to massage than a string of letters after your name. There is intention, concentration, instinct, talent and compassion built into a good massage.