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Massage Therapists Getting Younger
One of my latest concerns is seeing that the massage profession is getting younger and that high school students are wanting to become massage therapists. I used to be totally against 500 hours of training and thought that the minimum should be 100 hours because most of my friends only have that as initial training but if they are high school students I am now starting to think that we need a 3 year program like Canada. Is anyone looking into things like that and what is needed?
As I hear more stories about massage schools going into high schools for recruiting it makes me scared for our profession.
Julie
As I hear more stories about massage schools going into high schools for recruiting it makes me scared for our profession.
Julie
Views: 366
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Julie Onofrio on
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It isn't about the knowledge but being able to hold the therapeutic container and being able to hold boundaries and be of service. Yes it is good to be passionate and I am glad you are but many that I see and get emails from just want to become a massage therapist to get out of taking math classes. They are texting while doing massages.
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Permalink Reply by Heather on
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Amber Banks said:I think age should not be an issue as far as the practice. The amount of passion, dedication, and thoroughness is what counts. I am a student, I'm only 21, and I am very passionate about massage therapy. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. To me, it's amazing to see so many young individuals, like myself, dedicate their time to learning about something that, to other young people, may seem boring. The amount of hours put into training should not be chosen by the age of the student, but by the amount of knowledge required to do the job effectively.
I agree with this! As someone some years older than you (ahem), it is exciting and encouraging to me to see so many younger people with a passion for the field. I was in a program with younger and older people, and it was a great mix. One thing I will say, which is true regardless of the age of the student/practitioner, is that he or she must be focused on the client! I have had bad massages from young and old, and it's always because the therapist isn't "present." Some might say that student therapists right out of high school don't have the life experience to have developed the patience required to listen and go beyond self, something integral to good bodywork, but I think that it depends wholly upon the person.
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Burgess on
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I agree that it depends on the person. Sometimes people can know what they want to do with their life at a very early age...I, myself, was in my 40's before I found my nitch. I did a lot of things, but I found that being an esthetician was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life...however, in my middle 50's I decided I would like to add massage therapy to the mix. Now I do both and I am loving it! Since I became a licensed massage therapist, I think I have become a better person. I wish I could have known what I "want to be when I grow up" a lot sooner. Even though I would not deny the life lessons I have learned during all of those other years, I think I have finally grown up at 60!
Heather Grenzig said:Amber Banks said:I think age should not be an issue as far as the practice. The amount of passion, dedication, and thoroughness is what counts. I am a student, I'm only 21, and I am very passionate about massage therapy. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. To me, it's amazing to see so many young individuals, like myself, dedicate their time to learning about something that, to other young people, may seem boring. The amount of hours put into training should not be chosen by the age of the student, but by the amount of knowledge required to do the job effectively.
I agree with this! As someone some years older than you (ahem), it is exciting and encouraging to me to see so many younger people with a passion for the field. I was in a program with younger and older people, and it was a great mix. One thing I will say, which is true regardless of the age of the student/practitioner, is that he or she must be focused on the client! I have had bad massages from young and old, and it's always because the therapist isn't "present." Some might say that student therapists right out of high school don't have the life experience to have developed the patience required to listen and go beyond self, something integral to good bodywork, but I think that it depends wholly upon the person.
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Permalink Reply by Donna Whitton on
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Despite the fact I was only fourteen when I realized my gift for massage, I can definately see and even agree with this particular concern. It's not so much an age thing as much as maturity and ultimately expectations.
When I applied and attended massage school the nearest one in this area took me two hours one way to get there. Since graduating atleast two schools in neighboring counties have started massage programs that continue to saturate the field with too many therapists who don't seek experience beyond the basic routine learned in school and/or have no desire to enhance their skill, or with therapists who think it's a great career for easy, fast money. Part of this might be due to PA still working out legislative kinks and schools needing higher standards, regulations, and legislative expectations.
Either way, I meet too many young MT's who seem just as knowledgeable as they were the second month into their training.
I understand that this isn't the way it is with most young people, but I can't help but think for most a little bit of life experience definately helps therapists gain realistic expectations of the field, of themselves, and of future clients and their pain/issues. Maybe even help them with finding that special niche of clients they would like to work with.
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Permalink Reply by Sharon Seller on
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My niece graduated from massage school when she was 20 years old. She had trouble finding clients because of her young age. The men expected sex and the women never gave her a chance equating youth with inexperience. The unfortunate thing is she was a very good therapist. I use the word "was" because she has since found employment in another industry because no one took her seriously as a therapist. I just graduated in January and got licensed in June and already have a growing client list. Could it be that since I'm 50 years old clients assume I'm more experienced?
In my class there were a total of 9 students with 5 students in their twenties. None of them made it to graduation; they all dropped out. The immaturity of those students in class almost caused me to drop out because I couldn't bear it at times. So I've seen both sides of the coin. Some younger therapists can be very mature and professional but in my experience, most cannot.
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Permalink Reply by vinny andrews on
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Julie,
when I first read the caption of this discussion "Massage therapists getting younger:... I was thrilled. At 59, the idea I might be getting "younger" got my attention quickly : )
Seriously, though, I've been practicing massage therapy for about 12 years now, and consider myself skilled. And I sometimes think it would have been great to have discovered this profession earlier in life than when I did. But, in reality I am the product of all I've done and likely I am the skilled therapist that I am due to all my experiences.
However, I teach Massage Therapy at an area Massage Institute, and I have seen some students 18, 19, 21 etc who are exquisite therapists. Honestly, I'm not sure age is much of a factor.
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Permalink Reply by Julianne on
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I agree that it's really about the individual. I'm a "second-career" therapist, but I think I would've had the maturity and ability to be a good therapist at a younger age. However, like Vinny, I think my life experience enriches who I am as a therapist. We had both older and younger students in our class, with a variety of maturity and skill levels.
I think what really needs to be addressed is educational. Harder and higher educational standards would weed out the high school kids who wanted to do something they think is easy. They would give schools more time to teach ethics/boundaries, as well. I also think schools need to prepare their students for working in the industry. Business//marketing skills are as necessary as massage skills. My work history enabled me to avoid employers who might take advantage of me (either by design or by lack of industry knowledge) and it prepared me for the challenges of running my own business. How many therapists of all ages have short careers for lack of this important information?
Many schools are all about getting as many people through as possible, though. They present the massage marketplace as ripe for the picking--you can be a successful, high-income earning, full-time therapist with just a few months of training. (Isn't this exactly what they're presenting when they go into the high schools) Maybe something like post-graduation apprenticeships could answer some of these issues. I say this as I'm working hard for every new client, so I can see a million issues with this idea!
I'm always nervous about the "kids today" kind of attitude, because people in every generation says that about the one that comes after. Generalizing is a dangerous path. I guess I feel it's up to the people already out here in the trenches to make sure that standards (educational/industry/etc) are set up to promote the best up-and-coming therapists, no matter what their age. It will ensure a positive environment and success for everyone.
PS All of this just reminds me how young the US massage therapy industry itself is. While many people have been working hard to legitimize massage for almost a half century, in another 50 years it will be a completely different landscape.
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Permalink Reply by Kerry Lewis on
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I have always had a passion for massage, starting at a very young age. However, I am glad things turned out the way they did. I was in a dead end job, and i was completely burned out. So, I took a chance and pursued my dream and now here I am. I am very appreciative of our field. It is very rewarding. I think it is great younger people are turning towards our field, but I could definately see some concerns about the very young.. I think younger people are more impressionable and guillable, and might not be able to handle certain situations as well as an older therapist, and might not be as responsible with work and finances. However, I am sure most young students are very dedicated and would make wise decsions!
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Hey Julie,
I teach massage at a school, and not one of the students has ever stated they wanted to become a massage therapist "to get out of taking math classes." Each has offered unique "stories" of their journeys to the doorstep of our profession.
Some students are 18-21 some in their 30's, 40's and50's etc, but I find no correlation between competency or commitment or sense of purpose, or motivation...........and age.
"Texting while doing massage"? As a therapist for over 11 years, I've never heard of such a thing, nor can I imagine how anyone could text while massaging. I have never witnessed one student texting while massaging...how would they do that...one hand for each? Hopefully you can describe this as you state you've seen many doing it.
Julie Onofrio said:It isn't about the knowledge but being able to hold the therapeutic container and being able to hold boundaries and be of service. Yes it is good to be passionate and I am glad you are but many that I see and get emails from just want to become a massage therapist to get out of taking math classes. They are texting while doing massages.
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So Amber you are saying that it is ok to just have knowledge witthout some type pf experience? Without being an apprentice before you begin? But even yet and still with all the knowledge that you " so call have" who is to say that anyone would want to go to you based offof just knowledge.What about the wisdom of the practice or are you justing thinking about one aspect ask Daniel about the massages he enjoyed them alot ciao babe
Amber Banks said:I think age should not be an issue as far as the practice. The amount of passion, dedication, and thoroughness is what counts. I am a student, I'm only 21, and I am very passionate about massage therapy. The more I learn, the more I want to learn. To me, it's amazing to see so many young individuals, like myself, dedicate their time to learning about something that, to other young people, may seem boring. The amount of hours put into training should not be chosen by the age of the student, but by the amount of knowledge required to do the job effectively.
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I got into massage when I was young and it was the best thing ever that happened to me. Also my experience from massage school was this : We started out with 30 students, but only the 15 that actually cared about the profession were left, ages all ranging....
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Permalink Reply by Hillary Kate Arrieta on
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I was 19 when I started my massage career. Age really doesn't matter. Mental and Emotional maturity matters. I think massage is for everyone and to be honest massage therapy SAVED me. Coming right out of high school, things change a lot. I found sanctuary in massage during a very tumultuous time in my life. I am currently teaching massage and I notice that even older adults can be just as immature as the younger students in my class. Don't fret! Our profession is safe:) And on the topic of hours of training- the more the better! I don't think it should be a 3 year program- that's over doing it. But I teach a 600 hour program and I think it's really helpful to increase the confidence of new graduates.
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