Choosing CEUs as a Massage Therapist
How do you pick your next class?
Welcome back to another Monday with the Mavens. We created the Massage Mavens blog to connect with and educate self-employed massage therapists working to grow as business owners.
It can be lonely working for yourself – and we’re here to remind you that while you’re in business for yourself, you don’t have to be in business by yourself.
While we cater our content to independent MTs, all massage therapists are welcome here; whether you run your own independent massage therapy studio, you contract in a clinic, work in spa, or you are still in school.
It’s Time To Call a Cult a Spade.
CEU’s. I’ve been asked a few times lately how I decide which classes to take to further my own massage therapy education and skillset.
There are three guiding practices I personally go by:
I snoop on what other therapists have taken. I follow like 800 MT’s and the people who take classes they love (or don’t) talk about the experience on their socials! I listen and take notes.
If it is a paid class, I check to see if it is credentialed through NCBTMB. I’m not saying a class NEEDS to be credentialed to be legit, but it does help if I’m on the fence about whether the class will be acceptably well thought-out, organized, and efficient. Ie “worth my time and money.”
(And this one - for me - is the most important) I research the culture within the community of graduates and instructors.
Put another way – if it looks like a cult, acts like a cult, and smells like a cult, it’s likely a cult.
JFB MFR, I’m looking at you.
Also. Side note. Did y’all know the saying “Call a Spade a Spade” - my favorite way to say “Tell it Like it Is” actually originated in Ancient Greece, and was mistranslated into Latin, and then eventually made its way into the English language in the 1500s? I find it ironic that a phrase about speaking clearly was, in fact, garbled up. Ha. Anyway, moving on.
There are hundreds of modalities in the massage and bodywork industry. Many of them have a very dedicated following.
I’ll be damned, however, if any of them can actually cure cancer. (And before you ask, yes…I’ve been to a class that claimed their technique cures breast cancer).
Many modalities claim to be
The ONLY way you’ll need to learn to do XYZ.
The ONLY technique you’ll ever need to learn.
The PREMIER way to achieve XYZ goal.
Hi. Hello. I know it’s easy to get caught up in their enthusiasm, but you’ve gotta remember that claims like these are a marketing tactic designed to pull you in and give you FOMO.
Confidence in a product is one thing. We want to see an instructor who stands behind their class and endorses it, obviously.
But the idea that there is “1 product to Rule them All” is off-putting for a reason. When a company is trying to convince you that they’ll solve all your problems…all you have to do is invest thousands of dollars, dozens of hours, and – oh, by the way, worship the ground they walk on – they’re not here for the improvement of our industry. They’re here for the improvement of their own wallets.
When you see an advertisement for a new technique, it is absolutely okay (and 1000% encouraged) to use your common sense and evaluate their claim before you jump in with both feet.
Now please don’t take this as a PSA to stop investing in CEUs. Absolutely you should keep learning new things and adding to your toolkit. But please pick/choose classes that are worth your time and money, are clear about what they offer, foster a supportive and open-minded environment, and actually move your career in the direction you want it to go.
Do your research before you invest thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours into a new technique that has spent more time building their brand than they have building their actual product.
Happy hunting, and I hope this helped!
Thanks for stopping by!
As always, we’d love to hear how our content has helped you improve either your studio, your mindset, or your revenue as a self-employed massage therapist.
Rachel Martin, LMT, is an independent massage therapist living in Denver Colorado. Having built her solo massage studio to capacity, she now spends her free time helping other massage therapists do the same. Check out The Bodyworkers Business Collective, Queen Street Marketplace, and The Techy MT to learn more.
