Deep, STR, MET, forearms.. what should I do??

[Ada I]

I qualified as a holistic massage therapist in July, and feel (probably like many others) lost and completely worthless - performing massages

I grew up in an environment with complimentary therapies,
and all my life receiving and giving massages, even to horses.
So I'm not really a stranger to, or afraid of giving treatments.

Or at least until I got my qualification


Now I am so aware of everything I don't know that I don't even want to rub my boyfriends back (ok, over-exaggerated, but you get the picture).

Anyway.. I really want to do more courses, and have a long list of things I want to learn. But find it all very confusing.
I want to attend quality courses, where I can walk out and feel I either improved my skills or learnt an additional therapy.

And I guess that's the problem. What course will "only" improve my skills, and what course will allow me in a marketing situation to market an additional therapy?

I want to do Deep Tissue, STR and MET seemed interesting.
I want to learn how to work with No Hands, Knuckles, Elbows and Forearms. And Stretching feels very important, both in the routine and for after care.

But what courses to attend in what?

Like, I've seen Deep tissue with "some forearm techniques" - is that enough forearm techniques or is it better to attend a course with only forearms?

Or, No Hands courses for the comfort of the therapist, that offers "how to go deep" - is that equal to a deep tissue course?

I don't know, can anyone see my problem? And help me through the course-swamp?

And also, what about Certificate of Attendance and/or Diplomas?
What is enough for what?

I have already signed up for a Seated Acupressure/On-site course (with ASOM), and in the future want to study Sport & Remedial massage, but don't have the economy or confidence for that at the moment.


...and now my book is finished, hope someone got through it

 

[Silve]

Hi ,
I think some consolidation time would be benficial, you may have past your course but the learning starts now, a year of practising will let you hone your new skills and further whet your appetite for advanced skills. With so much ahppening in the industry at present there are likely to be othe options available. Most training providers like you to have solid basic skills before embarking on advancec courses
regards
BGFL

 

[Pinkymea26]

Hi Maria

That's a lot of questions!

It's good to know what holistic massage course you have done. Whatever you have done, you need to practice, practice, practice! Massage is after all a practical skill.

As for certificates and diplomas, such terms don't mean that much. You can go on a 50 hour course and receive a certificate, or go on a 6 hour course and receive a Practitioners Diploma. This is an unfortunate situation we are in as a profession, qualification titles are meaningless. Better to enquire on the amount hours of study and the insurablility of a course.

As for what is the best technique, this is very personal to the therapist. But you are right, it is good to develop your technique and DTM, MET, STR etc is worth learning.

As for No Hands Massage, to me it's a nice sweepy holistic massage and you may benefit from learning it, but for a musclo-skeletal issue i rather have sports/remedial/oriental massage. A lot of therapists may not agree with that point.

Enjoy your OSM, and you will meet other therapists that maybe helpful in guiding your future decisions.

Best Wishes

RP

 

[Stu J]

Hiya, you are probably not short of skills, many newly qualified practioners feel lost about how to actually apply them. Perhaps the first step would be to read up on the philosophy of natural therapeutics (that's actually the name of a very important book too, by Henry Lindlahr, but the number of suitable resources is collossal). This will help you to understand better what you are trying to achieve with your therapy. From that, it will become more clear what extra skills are important, and which are just good party tricks. (Hint, any skill is a mere party trick if the vision applying it is lacking).

If possible, find a good mentor - ever wondered why some practitioners seem able to achieve anything with hardly any input, and others achieve very little despite brilliant displays of skill? It's often in the vision that guides their hands.

Best wishes for the future, and an amazing career in natural healing.

 

[Greenapple]

Hi
You have studied enough! just jump into practicing now from this course swamp! Confidence and honing of skills happen as you practice. Things that are intimidating now will vanish or become insignificant as you actually start working as a therapist. There is nothing like doing it.
You seem like a natural to me but just got too caught up intellectually due to not trusting your own capabilities and skills. people with lesser qualifications are doing so well. Trust yourself. I already do after reading your post.
All the best
Ruby
x

 

[Tod]

Hi,

Yes I am aware of that it is know the learning is beginning. The problem is it is very hard to get opportunity to practise - and learn - without additional skills or therapies to offer. I am finding it very hard to find any job with just holistic massage to offer.

I had the intention to wait a year before I start with any additional therapy. For just the reason that I want to be confident with what I already learnt.

But I am at the point when I don't have any confidence to meet clients, at all.
Partly, because I feel I can offer very little or no help.

Most people I know need deeper pressure than I can apply with only bare fingers and thumbs, or just.. skills I feel I don't have.

Holistic massage is very basic, and I think its not really the massage itself, but remember muscles, the the A&P and learn how to identify problems that are my biggest issues. And for that it is really only one solution - continue to study (and I am, A&P books around the whole time)

So I thought the solution would be to attend some shorter course.
I didn't really intend to read all of those courses that I posted in one go, but those are the ones I am interested in.
Specially no hands techniques since it seems like a good investment in my own health.

But I don't know, I am new to all this as a profession. Maybe I just should struggle with the basic for a year.

 

[BigLew]

Hi Maria

Agree with everyone you need a period of consolidation to build your confidence & get back the enthusiasm that started you on your path in the first place.

Seated massage and the Academy of On Site Massage is a great choice & you'll learn a lot but give yourself a break after you've done it. The "so many courses so little time" syndrome is intimidating but you need time to practice, absorb and enjoy what you've learned so far.

Then it will be much easier to decide what you want to do next.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Vision is important, as this is sooooo lacking in many massage and bodywork courses. Kvdp I think it would be nice for you to start a thread about the therapist's vision.

As a massage therapist, I would like to say that most holistic massage courses are foundation courses and that CPD and post-grad study is almost essential. It doesn't have to be done now, but gradually on an as and when basis. But Jiani is right, we can get too involved in being intellectual. Best massage is feeling, doing and being.

RP

 

[<3!]

I really appreciate all your answers, and I am listening to you all.

I am really aware of that it is such a practical and experienced based profession, if not through the massive lack of skills I feel, haha!

But I think my post might have been misunderstood in one way.

I didn't want to find out what therapy or course is best.
More what is needed for each one of them, to be a course worthy to attend.
Also, I did not plan to do courses in all of them just like that, but to choose one.
But in many cases the therapies/skills are more or less mixed in courses, and I am a person that rather attend something that concentrates on only one thing and go through that properly, then getting bits and pieces of everything.

So it was more to find out what can be mixed and not, to be able to make a decision about one of them. Either now, or in the future.

There is also a problem for me to only have holistic massage, since it is very difficult to get jobs that way.
I have been following the market way before the time I even started my course.

So I thought to do a deep tissue course, since that is so popular, and then I just found the rest of them. And the problem I'm sitting with.

Also for me, the few people I have around me to practise on (friends & family) all have very speciall needs, so I'm not in a great position to gain experience, unless I get people from outside.
See the bad circle?
but I am positive, everything has its own time, I don't need to rush anywhere.
Like I said, it was more a confusion about all this mixing in the courses I wanted to straight out. Either I attend the course or not.

 

[cinzxiaxaq]

Hi Maria,

I've been a massage practitioner in Central London since 1997 and have mentored many a student. Feel free to PM me to exchange contact details if you'd like to swap some skills.

Cheers, Sue

 

[johndier]

You seem to be putting the cart before the horse, the question is am I a masseuse or not?

When you have made that choice, the next choice is a lot simpler, if yes then how do you start to function as a masseuse, are you going to practice from home, a clinic or mobile, where are you going to get your insurance from and who is going to design your website, adverts and printing materials etc.

Then go for it, there is no other way, you have to step into the role in order to become what you have trained for, spending time honing your skills as a holistic massage therapist will work wonders for you, then in time, you can make an informed choice based upon your experiences as to if you need to expand your skills or not.

 

[Alex G]

I'm going to say the opposite to a lot of the suggestions so far, don't consolidate for a year!

The first qualifications I got were diplomas in aromatherapy and remedial massage at the same time (one school, same A&P, etc). Even with that much I felt pretty much like it wasn't enough! So while I was finishing off the last couple of aromatherapy subjects I did a temple style lomi lomi course (I was bored out of my brain with the aromatherapy routine, and didn't feel confident with the remedial) It was the best thing I could've done at that stage, it covered a lot of fore arm stuff, and combined, with the remedial background, it really made a huge difference to my confidence and what I could offer clients.

I've go no course suggestions because I'm not in the UK, other than LaStone Therapy. (I did LaStone a few years later) It uses hot and cold stones and the therapeutic effects from the contrast in temps plus the ease of getting into the muscles with a firm stone makes a huge difference. Stone therapy isn't as fashionable as it was a few years ago, probably because a lot of people think you can pick it up off a video or a very short course, plus it does require some fairly expensive equipment, so maybe something to consider later.

 

[Bill M]

might I suggest to those who dont feel confident once you have completed a course, that the course itself didnt prepare you properly, and therefore wasnt a good course.
On completion of any training programme ( practitoner level) you should achieve occupational competency, this is set by the industry (course aims) and the education specialists at the lead body will create a syllabus to achieve this ( course objectives.
Assessors will check your skills to the required level ( or should do) using formative (ongoing) and/ or summative (final) assessments.

Once completed you should have confidence that you meet occupational competency standards, you will undoubtedly improve with practice in your practise, you will develop as a therapist and I disagree that by adding further skills as suggested by the last poster that you will benefit by enhancement, I think you will urther dilute those basic skills and at the very least forget them.
Skill consolidation is the key to your success.

The 10 year rule states that you must practice a skill for 3 hours a day 6/7 days a week to become a master of said skill. I now have 18 years in my current fitness industry role and 7 as a therapist, I am still learning but have spent several months consolidationg my new skillset once completed a training programme.
regards
BGFL