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Laura Allen's Blog (160)

My Picks for the NCBTMB Election

This was not an easy task for me this time; almost everyone of these people is on my Facebook, and several of them are people that I actually know in person. It was a very hard call for me to choose one over another, and I don’t intend any bad reflection on the ones I didn’t choose. I always admire it when anyone is willing to step up to the plate and volunteer for what is basically a thankless job. Service on any board is very time-consuming, requires conference calls that drag on…

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Added by Laura Allen on October 10, 2010 at 7:25am — 1 Comment

IMA Insurance: Up in Smoke, Therapists Burned

The saga of the now-defunct IMA (International Massage Association) continues. Back in July, Will Green, owner/founder of IMA, basically admitted to sabotaging his own company by failing to turn over $600,000

in insurance premiums paid by massage therapists to the insurance

company.

Markel, a respectable insurance company who had been underwriting IMA’s policies since Feb 1, 2008, discontinued writing policies for IMA on April 6, 2010 due to Green’s non-payment of premiums.…

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Added by Laura Allen on September 21, 2010 at 3:12am — No Comments

Executive Director of AMTA Resigns

Elizabeth Lucas, who has been the Executive Director of the American Massage Therapy Association for more than a decade, has resigned.

The statement that was released by the Board of Directors was short and offered no details behind the departure. It read:

The AMTA Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of our long-time Executive Director, Elizabeth M. Lucas. During her more than 10…

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Added by Laura Allen on August 29, 2010 at 6:30am — No Comments

NCBTMB Revokes/Suspends Diploma Mills

For over a year now, the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork has been working quietly behind the scenes to eradicate massage schools—or rather, diploma mills—that have been been revoked, and one school voluntarily withdrew their code after being notified that they were suspended.



To clarify the meaning of these actions, a school must have an assigned code in order for their students to sit for an examination offered by the NCBTMB. 39 states currently… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on August 22, 2010 at 3:43pm — 1 Comment

The Massage Therapy Foundation: Our Greatest Organization



If you’ve been reading my blogs for any length of time, you know that I often report on the politics of massage as well as my perceived shortcomings of some of our professional organizations. There is one organization that I have never criticized, and that’s because they’re above the fray: the Massage Therapy Foundation.

The Massage Therapy…

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Added by Laura Allen on August 3, 2010 at 4:55am — No Comments

Hell Has Frozen Over: Yes, that is me in an ad for the NCBTMB.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from blogging about the massage profession, particularly when it concerns politics and/or the goings-on at the associations, it’s that there aren’t any secrets in this business. I’m pretty good at keeping secrets; I wouldn’t be able to write this blog without the help of sources who prefer to remain anonymous. This time the cat is out of the bag--concerning me.

In the next few weeks, the trade magazines will be coming out with an ad from the…

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Added by Laura Allen on July 16, 2010 at 7:00pm — 3 Comments

Non-Compete Agreements: Disagreeable

I hear from massage therapists many times that they have been asked to sign a non-compete agreement when accepting employment. Here’s my take on that: There are enough aching bodies and stressed-out people to go

around.



I have a decent-sized staff of 14, and I have never asked a single soul to sign a non-compete. Most of my staff members have been with me for years, and I am certain if one of them left, a certain amount of people

would follow them out the door. It has been… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on June 30, 2010 at 7:42am — 6 Comments

Interesting Changes in COMTA By-laws

I reported in my May 5 blog that COMTA volunteer of more than ten years, John Goss, had been removed from his position, during a meeting

he was unable to attend. That led to my reporting a personal experience I

had with the organization; I heard through the grapevine that the

officers were upset that I had given them negative publicity. I don’t

owe…

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Added by Laura Allen on June 1, 2010 at 9:03am — No Comments

COMTA: A Contradiction?

COMTA (Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation) is in dire need of volunteers, so why did they just get rid of a good one? I’m referring to John Goss, who has served COMTA for 10 years in several capacities,

including a stint as Interim Executive Director. Last week, during a meeting he was unable to attend, Dr. Goss was unceremoniously dismissed from the Commission.

I contacted Kate Henrioulle, Executive…

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Added by Laura Allen on May 5, 2010 at 8:38am — No Comments

The NCBTMB: Time to Back Up and Punt

This past weekend, ABMP convened the 14th annual School Issues Forum in Alexandria, VA. I was teaching at the NC Chapter of AMTA’s Spring Conference and couldn’t attend, and apparently, I missed a little firestorm by not being there.



Neal Delaporta, Chairman of the Board of the… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on April 27, 2010 at 3:41am — No Comments

Male Massage Therapists: Survival of the Fittest

According to surveys by our professional associations, males account for less than 20% of massage therapists. From the personal experiences I’ve had with teaching male students,having male therapists in my own practice, and serving on a state board, I’ve made a few observations. I think males definitely have a harder row to hoe when it comes to making a living in massage therapy.



I’ve employed a couple of male therapists over the years who practiced…

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Added by Laura Allen on April 21, 2010 at 4:00am — 14 Comments

Local Laws Affect YOU!

I try to keep abreast of what’s going on in the political scene of massage–and to update my readers on that. I am amazed at the amount of people who apparently don’t care. I hear things like “I’m just too busy doing massage to keep up with that stuff.”



Well, here’s a reality check. There are still plenty of places in the US where we are treated like prostitutes or some other category of second-class citizen. Right this moment in Chicago, the zoning commission is…

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Added by Laura Allen on April 2, 2010 at 11:19am — 8 Comments

Where Does Energy Work Belong?

The comment period for the second draft of the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge ended a week ago. I’ve made comments on both drafts, and I hope you have too.



A number of my own comments were in regard to the amount of energy work-related statements that were included. I don’t think most of it belongs there. Before anyone gets their chakras in a twist at me, let

me state that Healing Touch was the very first class I ever took,…

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Added by Laura Allen on March 19, 2010 at 7:00am — 133 Comments

10 Questions for Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB

This is the final post in my series of interviews with the leaders of

the organizations of the massage therapy profession. Paul Lindamood is

the CEO of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage

& Bodywork. He recently answered my questions, and as with the

others, his answers are offered here unedited.



LA: What is your background in the massage profession? Are you now or have you ever personally been a massage…

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Added by Laura Allen on March 2, 2010 at 7:31am — No Comments

10 Questions for Debra Persinger, Executive Director of FSMTB

The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards was formed in 2005 with the intention of bringing state boards together in the spirit of collaboration to address the needs for consistent scopes of practice and entry level standards across the country, the need for a valid and reliable licensing exam that would be accepted in all jurisdictions,and the need for a common database with licensing and disciplinary information and the ability to store critical documents.



After a…

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Added by Laura Allen on February 15, 2010 at 11:32am — No Comments

The California Gold Rush





My morning mail arrived with a packet sent by an anonymous contributor…copies of emails and correspondence concerning the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). I must say it caused me to choke on my breakfast.



The CAMTC, according to their website, is currently conducting a search for a CEO. That’s not shocking news. What is shocking news is the insistence of former Board chair Ahmos Netanel, who is said to be gunning for the position, that the job is worth $348,000 a… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on February 7, 2010 at 10:30am — 57 Comments

The California Gold Rush

My morning mail arrived with a packet sent by an anonymous contributor…copies of emails and correspondence concerning the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC). I must say it caused me to

choke on my breakfast.

The CAMTC, according to their website, is currently conducting a search for a CEO. That’s not shocking news. What is shocking news is the insistence of former Board chair Ahmos

Netanel, who is said to be gunning for the…

Continue

Added by Laura Allen on February 4, 2010 at 7:37pm — 3 Comments

10 Questions for Rick Rosen, Executive Director of AFMTE

This is the third in my series of interviews with the leaders of our professional organizations.



The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education is the newest of our associations, and is an independent organization founded for the purpose of serving the entire education sector of the massage profession, from entry-level to post-graduate studies. Their new national headquarters is located in McLean VA, a suburb of Washington DC. You can visit their new website at… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on February 1, 2010 at 8:40am — 1 Comment

NCBTMB: Setting the Record Straight

I’m borrowing this title from an actual press release from the NCBTMB, dated August 21, 2007. I don’t have the space here to print the whole thing, so please follow this link and read it. If you’re unfamiliar with the past history of the NCB in recent years, it will give you some insight.



The rumor mill seems to be working overtime these days when… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on January 27, 2010 at 5:33am — No Comments

NCBTMB Releases Needs Assessment Survey Report

The NCBTMB has just released their Needs Assessment Survey Report, a 15-page document that can be accessed here. The main purpose of this survey was to determine how massage therapists feel about the NCB’s plan to offer an advanced certification exam. In total, 6, 883 massage therapists responded to the survey, with 80% of those answering at least four questions. It… Continue

Added by Laura Allen on January 20, 2010 at 3:22pm — 3 Comments

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