a community of practitioners

Need a mentor

It is coming up on one year since I graduated from school. I went through a 9 month program at a career training school that you may be familiar with from their incessant television advertising. If I had it to do over again I would go to a two year school because, face it, the quality and quantity of training that I received was not worth the money. I tried my best to rectify this and teach myself. I went through the whole process of getting myself certified and licensed, which took forever because my school took forever to send my diploma. Throughout this time I have not been able to get much hands on practice.I had moved to Chicago where I don't have any friends. I just had my first real interview yesterday, and when it came time to do the demo massage, I was very rusty and did a pretty lousy job. Part of it was my nerves and I was lacking confidence. I generally get pretty favorable feedback for my massage. I am trying to find a fellow massage therapist that will work with me and help me get where I need to be before I go out there and embarrass myself again. Does anyone know any good exchange sites where it is actually free?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Pat Ward on September 26, 2009 at 12:06pm

Hi Robert,

I never seemed to have trouble finding people to volunteer for free massages. You could try just talking to people, tell them you just finished school and are looking to practice on some bodies to increase your skills. Make up some inexpensive business cards and hand them out to everyone you meet. In the meantime, go to any massage places near you and ask the therapist there if they would be willing to do an exchange with you in return for their expertise. I rarely met a massage therapist who turned down free bodywork. They could become your mentor and who knows maybe get you your first massage job.Practice is the key, the more bodies you touch the better you will get. Hang in there and you will do fine! We have all been there.

Permalink Reply by Joan Cole on September 27, 2009 at 7:12am

Maybe it goes without saying, but I made it a point to schedule appointments as a client (and pay for them) with a bunch of different pros with long experience in my community when I got out of school. There is much you can learn about the ritual aspects of treating a client that we tend to gloss over when we are doing trades, since they are more informal. You can learn business aspects, like how another successful therapist encourages rebooking... it's one thing to read about in a book or talk about theoretically, and another thing to experience in real life.

Permalink Reply by Carma Nibarger on September 27, 2009 at 8:07am

Do you have your own table/chair? If so, maybe you could send flyers to some local schools offering either discounted or free massages to teachers. It may not be ideal, but a lot of massage has to do with getting your hands on people, getting confidence in the healing ability of your touch.
(plus, it's something to put on your resume as you continue your job search)

Permalink Reply by Robert Duffing on October 1, 2009 at 7:29am

Thank you for the suggestions. I decided to explore an idea that a former instructor had given to me. I am going to take advantage of my school's local branch and sit in on classes for free. This will allow me to keep practice with the added bonus of being in a position of respect as a certified and licensed massage therapist.

Permalink Reply by Angela Palmier on October 6, 2009 at 12:30pm

Hi Robert,
I know quite a few therapists, instructors, etc., in the Chicago area. If you have any areas of particular concern or feel weak in, please let me know and I will try to direct you to someone that may help.

Angela Palmier

Robert Duffing said:

Thank you for the suggestions. I decided to explore an idea that a former instructor had given to me. I am going to take advantage of my school's local branch and sit in on classes for free. This will allow me to keep practice with the added bonus of being in a position of respect as a certified and licensed massage therapist.