Massage Instructor Training
According to the National Institutes of Health, as of June 2009, there were at least 1,500 massage training programs and schools in the United States. To become a massage therapy instructor, you must first qualify and practice as a massage therapist and then undergo further training to become an instructor.
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Prerequisites
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To train as a massage therapy instructor, you need to be a qualified massage therapist. Many states require that massage therapists have at least 500 hours of massage therapy training at an approved school, pass a national exam and carry malpractice insurance. Massage therapists must have written proof of of massage therapy certification to proceed on to massage therapy instructor training.
Course Syllabus
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Most massage therapy training programs include at least 250 hours of class observation and require that students attend staff and teacher meetings. Students may study a range of massage techniques including Swedish massage, chair massage, prenatal massage and sports massage. They are also required to write lesson plans for various massage techniques as well as for anatomy, physiology and kinesiology classes. Students teach class segments as part of their training.
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Additional Education
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Once qualified and certified as a teacher, a massage instructor must have teaching insurance and attend continuing education classes to maintain teaching status. Continuing education classes are offered by accredited schools and include refresher courses in massage therapy techniques as well as classes on the latest developments in the discipline.
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References
- Photo Credit Lower body massage as part of a full body Thai massage. image by Deborah Benbrook from Fotolia.com
