People are always asking me which is more important Myoskeletal Alignment(R) home-study courses or “live” workshops.
For the past 15 + years, my Freedom From Pain Institute(R) has provided both types of educational opportunities to a broad range of bodyworkers including massage therapists, sports therapists, structural integrators, functional movement trainers, and physical therapists. Of course, nothing replaces a live workshop for actually feeling and seeing the assessments and techniques performed firsthand.
There are, however, many advantages to home study courses that make it very easy to maintain your CE certification while enhancing your education in a conveniently packaged format.
* Build your bodywork library: I’m a video and book ‘junkie’ and am very fond of my large library of Massage Therapy education Videos, DVDs and textbooks, which I refer to often. This collection includes many of the masters of our profession such as Ida Rolf, Philip Greenman, Vladimir Janda, Stewart McGill, and others. I’ll throw one on in the morning when running on my treadmill and it ignites a spark that I can take into the therapy room that day. Even if I’ve watched it many times before, I always pick up something new. A high-quality home study course offers a lifetime reference source to help build on the material you learned in massage school. My advice is to immediately begin constructing a quality library that shows your clients and fellow therapists that you’re passionate about your work.
* All CE courses are not created equal. You’ll not benefit the same from “so-called” quick and easy online CE courses designed to complete in a couple hours and once finished, you’re left with no reference material…no handsome books and videos to display in your clinic. However, there are some wonderful distance e-learning programs and podcasts available through top educators such as Whitney Lowe, Ben Benjamin, Tom Myers, Art Riggs, and the World Massage Conference that allow therapists to go back and reference the material they’ve learned..
* Expense: If you live far from a convenient workshop, are disabled, or have a hardship, you probably should evaluate the time and expense of travel, high gas prices and airline inconveniences. Often, not only do you have to pay for transportation, but also accommodations and food. Travel and lodging is not an issue with a course that you can complete in the relaxed, no time-limit of your home or office. The Freedom From Pain Institute offers fast multiple-choice online testing in addition to books, videos and free home-study Ethics courses.
“I have been in practice for 25 years with advanced training in many bodywork disciplines, so when I have to spend time and money for CEUs to maintain my state and national certification, I am very careful and particular. Having read some of Erik Dalton’s magazine articles over the years, I researched his home study programs and purchased the Advanced Myoskeletal Techniques course. This program proved to be very comprehensive. Erik has a gift for articulating complex data so that it’s easy to understand and integrate into your practice. Beyond expanding my knowledge base and skills, the course gave me tools to educate my clients in a way that excites them about their own process. Gift yourself this program today!” – Vince Falone, New York City
There are unique and equally important benefits to both types of certification education. I would suggest that you take advantage of both. Both have a place in your ongoing training, but don’t forget to build your bodywork library!
The Freedom From Pain Institute offers two beautifully produced top selling NCBTMB approved home study courses for massage and bodywork therapists. These detailed, professionally produced courses offer pain management techniques for finding and fixing chronic postural and functional pain problems through innovative deep-tissue, joint-stretching and postural therapeutic routines that will elevate your clients to a new level of health. Upon completion you will be awarded a beautiful “Certified Myoskeletal Therapist” diploma.
As a bonus you will also receive a FREE listing to help promote your business. Google loves those backlinks!
