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Laura Allen's Blog Posts Tagged 'NCBTMB' (73)

Growing Pains

Massage is my second career, one that I only adopted ten years ago. Some of my fellow bloggers here were doing massage when I was still in high school. They’ve witnessed a lot of changes. As we move toward the New Year, I am reflecting on what has happened in the past decade, and I feel pretty certain that it’s been both the most productive and the most tumultuous time our profession has seen so far.

Rick Rosen, Executive Director of the recently formed Alliance for Massage Therapy… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on December 1, 2009 at 5:04am — No Comments

Reno Rides Again

Although the official election results have not yet been announced by the NCBTMB, the grapevine has it that Monica Reno has retained her certificant seat on the Board, and the new public member is Ronni Burns.

I’m very pleased to hear about Ms. Burns, and less than pleased to hear about Reno. As I’ve stated on a previous blog or two, she is in my opinion part of the Old Guard That Needs To Go. The NCB seems to be making some good strides forward here lately, and I think the more they… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on November 7, 2009 at 6:29am — 1 Comment

NCBTMB Advanced Certification Process is a Bumpy Road

The National Certification Board hit a bump in the road this weekend when Whitney Lowe resigned from the Advanced Certification Task Force, citing differences of opinion over how the project should proceed.

In a letter to NCB staff and fellow Task Force members, Lowe acknowledged the effort that has been put forth during the process, and expressed his concern about the timeline of the process, which he feels is being rushed to the detriment of the project.

His resignation… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on October 25, 2009 at 10:24pm — 16 Comments

Is the NCBTMB Turning Over a New Leaf?

There is something big happening at the National Certification Board: THEY ARE LISTENING!

I caused a little uproar earlier this year when I scooped their announcement on this blog about the membership organization the NCB was planning to launch. The response to that announcement wasn’t very cordial on any front; everyone from the certificants to the other professional associations spoke out about it, and I am glad to say that the plan is on hold, according to their press release of… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on October 22, 2009 at 6:57pm — 2 Comments

NCBTMB Suspending the Requirements on Instructor/proctor for Home Study and DE Programs

This ought to make a lot of people happy: The NCB is temporarily suspending their policy on requiring an instructor/proctor for home study and distance education programs, due in no small part to the outcry from the profession.

The NCB plans to revisit this issue during their 4th quarter meeting, but for the present time, the rule has been suspended. They will inform the stakeholders as soon as they reach a final decision.

The announcement reads: "The definition and… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on October 14, 2009 at 6:17am — 3 Comments

My Report from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards Meeting

I just returned from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards annual meeting, held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. I must say that the venue was fabulous--in fact over the top--and miraculously cheap. They gave us a rate of $110 per room, including breakfast and free Internet access. It is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. Enough gushing about that--here's what happened at the… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on October 11, 2009 at 9:00pm — 12 Comments

The NCBTMB Election: My Views on the Candidates

Once again, it's time to vote for new officers of the NCBTMB. A lot has happened with the organization since the last election, but I will decline to blame, or give credit to, anyone who was just elected last year with those events...things have been unfolding there for a long time that no newbie could possibly have had control over.

When the ballots came out last year, I personally contacted each candidate by phone or email. I asked their opinions on the downhill spiral that I felt… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on October 6, 2009 at 5:41am — 5 Comments

Sitting on Your Hands?

This weekend while I was teaching ethics to a class of 23 people, I asked how many present have read the Practice Act. As usual, the answer was TWO. I wonder how people think they can comply with the law if they don't know what it is. I wonder if they know they can have input whenever the act is opened, as it occasionally is. I wonder if they know they can attend massage board meetings; that holds true everywhere, not just in my state; a public board is obligated to have open meetings and to… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on September 22, 2009 at 4:48am — 6 Comments

Advanced Certification: The Long-Awaited Announcement from the NCBTMB

The NCBTMB announced today in a press release that the organization is getting on with the task of offering an advanced certification examination, with a target date for the exam to start beta testing in April 2010.

While I applaud any effort from them towards that at all, the issue here is that I think they're a little off target, before they get started. I have heard input from hundreds of therapists who would be interested in gaining an advanced certification in their area of… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on September 8, 2009 at 3:36pm — 34 Comments

New Blood at the NCBTMB

The NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork) has announced that Angela Palmier and Christopher Alvarado are joining the NCBTMB as Industry Relations Specialists. In my opinion, that's the first positive action they have taken in a while, and I hope it is a sign of better days to come for the NCB.

Both Palmier and Alvarado have long involvements with the massage profession and with AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association). Both have served as… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on September 1, 2009 at 6:37pm — 15 Comments

AMTA & ABMP Responses to NCBTMB Announcement

Once again, our professional membership organizations have spoken, and once again, the NCBTMB (National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork) is not paying heed. I reported back on June 25 that the NCB has a new initiative in the works to expand their scope from a certifying body into a membership organization.

ABMP (Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals) was the first to respond, and AMTA (American Massage Therapy Association) has now followed suit in… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on July 12, 2009 at 11:45am — 2 Comments

Reposting: Exciting News About Pizza Discounts! (More on the Shenanigans of the NCBTMB)

This is a repost of my June 25 blog, from my primary blog that originates on the Massage Magazine website. It is on RSS feed on my page on this site for those who are interested in my previous posts. Although I occasionally write about other subjects, my main focus is writing on the politics of massage. I will definitely be posting original blogs in this spot. Thanks to Les Sweeney and the rest of the ABMP staff for offering us this great site.

Yes, it’s true! Soon the… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on July 8, 2009 at 10:30am — No Comments

Defining and Advancing High Standards?

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has issued a press release this week regarding the "premature disclosure" of their plan to create a new membership organization.

I scooped their big announcement on my blog, but in fact, I did not publish that until I had seen a number of comments publicly made about it on Facebook. Les Sweeney, president of ABMP, has now issued a letter that has been shared on the Massage… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on July 5, 2009 at 10:46am — 5 Comments