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Can you complete a Massage Therapy program in four months?

There is a school that will be offering a Massage Therapy program and they told me the program is for 4 months. Has anyone ever heard of or attended a Massage Therapy program that was four months?

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Permalink Reply by Gary W Addis, LMT on August 7, 2017 at 5:58am

Melissa, the longer program should be well worth the investment and time and money. And the student loans fall under a Federal student loan program; you will have ten years to pay the loans off, not a mere six months. BTW, you should also qualify for Pell and other Federal grants, which will pay a good portion of the tuition.

The short curriculum schools can teach you the basics of how to rub. But cannot in a few weeks teach anatomy & physiology, kineseology, pathology, or even rudimentary familiarity with TCM, NMT, MFR, CST. Graduate and become licensed through the very limited curriculum schools, you can begin earning right away. But if you're the type of person who wants to become the very best YOU can be, who wants to relieve pain and restore free range of motion in human bodies, invest the time and effort and dollars to attain a thorough grounding in therapeutic massage in a reputable school.

To make up for the lack of a sound education in more than giving Swedish Massage rubs will require years of diligent, expensive, study on your own. Gordon Wallis, Pueppi, and many many others are proof it can be done. But Continuing Education Units are very expensive, far more costly taken in small bites rather than the guided study you will receive in a reputable college..

Melissa Anderson said:

Thanks for your reply I'm not really sure if my back issues would be a problem. Being as though I would be getting Massages often from other students. And Massage do seem to help a lot I'll also be seeing a chiropractor. One school offers the Massage Program which is 22 weeks. And another one offers the program which is for an entire year. I would have to pay out of pocket while attending the school that offers it for 22 weeks. Yet it's only $4500 where as the one that offers it for a year is about $11,00 they do offer financially aid and loans. Which I would have to pay back within 6 months of getting certified. And they do offer electives and this school is more known and a lot of people like it. Yet both schools are accredited.

Pueppi Texas said:

I completed my massage training in 4 months, which included my internship. That was back when Texas had something in the range of a 350 hour requirement. We were responsible for getting clients for the internship hours, and the other students in my program were not as bent on getting done in as quick of a manner as I was (I got on the phone and called prior student clinic clients), so they ended up taking another two months to complete the internship. They actually thought I was crazy. In the end, only one other student from a class of about 7-10 (very small class) took the State Licensure at the same time I did. Again, that was back when we travelled to Austin to do the State exam, and we also took a practical in Austin.

If your school does allow you to make phone calls to previous clients, then I highly suggest you begin to make calls at least two weeks prior to internship.  I booked out my schedule with 3 clients per day for the first week in clinic, and then 4 per day for the remainder of the time there (with a few days of 5 to get the swing of a full day) ---  this allowed me to get done and get out.

I have also taught Anatomy & Physiology for two different schools which offered an Intensive Massage Therapy program.

It can be a lot of information but it definitely can be done! In my opinion if you are up to it (though I am not sure how your back issues will play out), have intent to complete the program and have can retain moderate amounts of information, it makes a lot of sense to do the program this way.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Anderson on August 9, 2017 at 2:42pm

I was told that the program can be completed in five months. It depends on how many hours are required in the state that you live in. So I could get my license after completing the five month program. I do understand what you mean though I just wanted to be finished a lot sooner. So that I can get a job and start working.
Gary W Addis, LMT said:

Melissa, the longer program should be well worth the investment and time and money. And the student loans fall under a Federal student loan program; you will have ten years to pay the loans off, not a mere six months. BTW, you should also qualify for Pell and other Federal grants, which will pay a good portion of the tuition.

The short curriculum schools can teach you the basics of how to rub. But cannot in a few weeks teach anatomy & physiology, kineseology, pathology, or even rudimentary familiarity with TCM, NMT, MFR, CST. Graduate and become licensed through the very limited curriculum schools, you can begin earning right away. But if you're the type of person who wants to become the very best YOU can be, who wants to relieve pain and restore free range of motion in human bodies, invest the time and effort and dollars to attain a thorough grounding in therapeutic massage in a reputable school.

To make up for the lack of a sound education in more than giving Swedish Massage rubs will require years of diligent, expensive, study on your own. Gordon Wallis, Pueppi, and many many others are proof it can be done. But Continuing Education Units are very expensive, far more costly taken in small bites rather than the guided study you will receive in a reputable college..



Melissa Anderson said:

Thanks for your reply I'm not really sure if my back issues would be a problem. Being as though I would be getting Massages often from other students. And Massage do seem to help a lot I'll also be seeing a chiropractor. One school offers the Massage Program which is 22 weeks. And another one offers the program which is for an entire year. I would have to pay out of pocket while attending the school that offers it for 22 weeks. Yet it's only $4500 where as the one that offers it for a year is about $11,00 they do offer financially aid and loans. Which I would have to pay back within 6 months of getting certified. And they do offer electives and this school is more known and a lot of people like it. Yet both schools are accredited.

Pueppi Texas said:

I completed my massage training in 4 months, which included my internship. That was back when Texas had something in the range of a 350 hour requirement. We were responsible for getting clients for the internship hours, and the other students in my program were not as bent on getting done in as quick of a manner as I was (I got on the phone and called prior student clinic clients), so they ended up taking another two months to complete the internship. They actually thought I was crazy. In the end, only one other student from a class of about 7-10 (very small class) took the State Licensure at the same time I did. Again, that was back when we travelled to Austin to do the State exam, and we also took a practical in Austin.

If your school does allow you to make phone calls to previous clients, then I highly suggest you begin to make calls at least two weeks prior to internship.  I booked out my schedule with 3 clients per day for the first week in clinic, and then 4 per day for the remainder of the time there (with a few days of 5 to get the swing of a full day) ---  this allowed me to get done and get out.

I have also taught Anatomy & Physiology for two different schools which offered an Intensive Massage Therapy program.

It can be a lot of information but it definitely can be done! In my opinion if you are up to it (though I am not sure how your back issues will play out), have intent to complete the program and have can retain moderate amounts of information, it makes a lot of sense to do the program this way.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa Anderson on September 11, 2017 at 4:09pm

I decided to enroll into the year long program and I start tomorrow. I'm nervous but I really hope everything turns out ok I do think this is something I'll enjoy. I just hope I learn everything I need to learn and I can become a good therapists.

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Permalink Reply by Therese Schwartz on September 13, 2017 at 7:31pm

Congratulations! That was a big decision. The school will teach you the basics; even with the longer program it's difficult to go in-depth. They will introduce you to a number of different modalities. You will be able to get started for sure, but practice and experience are the best ways to build your skills.

Also, look for Massage Sloth on YouTube. He has some great videos that are really helpful.

Melissa Anderson said:

I decided to enroll into the year long program and I start tomorrow. I'm nervous but I really hope everything turns out ok I do think this is something I'll enjoy. I just hope I learn everything I need to learn and I can become a good therapists.