Whether you are looking to learn about massage for sports therapy in general or seeking a more specific lesson, such as massage techniques for back pain, chances are you will come across Erik Dalton and the modality he developed for pain management, called Myoskeletal Alignment Techniques (MAT). No matter what brings you to the point where you are considering a massage certification in MAT, the list of benefits is impressive across the board. From allowing you to better serve your current clients and attract new ones to cracking the door into the realm of medical massage and more clinical forms of movement therapy, a massage certification in MAT can give your career a serious boost.

Currently, the main massage certification available for MAT practitioners is the Certified Myoskeletal Therapist credential. In order to earn this massage certification, one must successfully complete a continuing education home study course or live workshop on the topic of MAT. These classes have been carefully crafted by Erik Dalton and his team at the Freedom From Pain Institute, which is an NCBTMB approved provider, as well as a BOC approved provider. In each MAT massage therapy continuing education class, students will learn various assessment strategies and deep tissue massage techniques, which serve as the foundation for MAT and aim to alleviate and manage pain among clients, particularly those who suffer from chronic pain.

For massage therapists and bodyworkers who are just beginning to walk down the path of pain management, the ability to create a practice where clients can secure effective and lasting relief from pain can be one of the most lucrative and rewarding ways to work in this field. Among the first steps toward achieving this goal is to earn massage certification in MAT. One way to attain this credential is to complete one of the three massage therapy home study courses offered by the Freedom From Pain Institute — Posture & Pain Specialist (20 CEs), Upper Body Specialist (22 CEs) or Lower Body Specialist (32 CEs).

Another way to become a Certified Myoskeletal Therapist is to complete the Dalton Technique Tour, a continuing education course that takes place entirely online and allows students to earn 16 CEUs. There also are a number of live workshops that take place annually, each of which grant successful students with the title of Certified Myoskeletal Therapist. However, these seminars tend to book up fast, so be sure to reserve your seat well in advance if you plan on attending an in-person workshop on MAT.

Once you have completed the necessary continuing education to receive the credential of Certified Myoskeletal Therapist, you can begin working toward the second tier of MAT certification: Master Myoskeletal Therapist (MMT). This is a new certification program that will officially launch in the coming months. The good news is that you can start now to begin checking off boxes on the list of requirements for the MMT credential. Although not all the courses required for the MMT certification are currently available, quite a few of them are open to enrollment right now.

In order to attain the expert level MMT credential, practitioners will need to complete all four home-study courses available through Erik Dalton’s website and the Freedom From Pain Institute, along with a total of five massage online continuing education classes and 50 hours of live workshops with Erik Dalton. While earning the CEUs you may need to renew and maintain your license to practice, you can simultaneously be climbing these 10 steps to the coveted MMT credential.

The classes currently available are the home-study courses Professional Ethics (6 CEs), along with Lower Body Specialist, Upper Body Specialist and Posture & Pain Specialist; the fully online course Dalton Technique Tour; and the live MAT workshops hosted each year in Oklahoma City and Costa Rica. If you are currently a Certified Myoskeletal Therapist, then you have completed at least one, if not more, of these MMT requirements already.

In the coming months, the remaining four required courses for the MMT credential will become available. These will all be e-learning MAT continuing education and will take place totally online, just like the Dalton Technique Tour. Here are a few specifics for the four upcoming courses: Shoulder, Arm & Hand (16 CEs), Motion is Lotion (16 CEs), Art of MAT (16 CEs), and MAT Assessments and “Brain-Pain” Client Advice (16 CEs).

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