Massage Therapist Certification

A massage therapist certification is received upon completed off all massage therapy courses.  Massage therapy courses include:  clinical anatomy, physiology, pathology, hydrotherapy, kinesiology, complementary therapies, clinical massage therapy at various levels, and clinical integration.  A massage therapy program usually consists of 500+ hours of instruction including lecture and hands-on application of techniques.  The lecture classes seem to be weighed more heavily than the massage courses surprisingly enough.  This is to ensure the safety of the patient as different disease processes require extensive knowledge.  For instance, a metastasis (cancer) patient should never receive massage therapy until in the terminal stages of the disease or deemed okay but their oncologist because cancer can get in the lymph system and spread to the rest of the body; this would be an absolute contraindication to massage therapy.

Upon completed of the massage therapy program the therapist must apply to become certified/licensed in the state and/or city to which they choose.  Some places only require proof of completion while others require a formal written state test.  A license is good for one year and must be renewed and paid every year there after.  To ease the worry of therapist, there is a national certification test that is recognized as the premiere test in massage therapy certification.  This organization is called the Nationally Certified Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).  If the therapist satisfactorily completes this test they usually don’t have to take a separate state/city test in most instances.  When certified with the NCBTMB:  the therapist must perform continuing education, show proof of hours of hand-on massage therapy, and become re-certified every four years.