What's up with Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts?

Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts was what I referred to as a "massage school with heart" from 2001-2011.  The Durango, CO  massage and energy healing school has officially ceased operations. 

I almost feel as if I'm writing an obit because I have so many good things to say about the school and all the people who were involved over the years.  I (Rebecca Mauldin) founded RMIHA and had a feeling of great things to come.  I had no idea!!   From both professional and personal perspectives, owning the business offered me all the potential for growth I could have imagined.  We had some really amazing teachers and the students and I learned tons from them.  I could tell stories forever and maybe someday, we'll all get together for a grand reunion and do just that!  Many of the students will be in my life forever.  And if you feel you've lost connection and are reading this, add a comment and we'll reconnect!  Massage education was and is a passion for me.  I believe that body work and physical healing is an integral part of healing the whole of our lives, individually and collectively.  So it only made sense to me to create an incredibly excellent massage school where students could learn the physical elements the science of massage in detail, but could also explore the spiritual and emotional dimensions.  What a grand ride it has been.

Many people have asked why the school is closing.  Basically, it's that I'm being called to new ventures.  As fulfilling as RMIHA was, there are new things out there for me.  Running RMIHA as the sole owner, took a huge investment of time and energy from me and it's now time to open that up for something else. 

To all of you who've come to this post looking for RMIHA info, thanks for your interest.  To those of you who've been a part of it all, much love and gratitude.

Rebecca

Garage Sale on the Way!!!

Details to come, but be prepared for a great garage sale of RMIHA goodies.  Includes massage tables, stools & supplies, books, office furniture.  It'll be a great time and a good chance to pick up some bargains.  Next weekend in Durango!

NCBTMB Announces Specifications for NCAP

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has drafted specifications for their National Certification for Advanced Practice. The draft may be viewed online at their website. The specifications are being posted for review and you can post your thoughts and comments online as well.

The proposed certification is separate from the basic national certification you may already have. It is not designed to be an entry level certification that can be used for licensure, but instead is intended to reflect advanced knowledge and ability. Check it out!

NCBTMB Announces NCAP Test Specifications

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has drafted specifications for their National Certification for Advanced Practice.  The draft may be viewed online at their website.  The specifications are being posted for review and you can post your thoughts and comments online as well. 

The proposed certification is separate from the basic national certification you may already have. It is not designed to be an entry level certification that can be used for licensure, but instead is intended to reflect advanced knowledge and ability.  Check it out!

What is It Coming To?????

Many of you readers have probably received the following notice from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork. For those who haven't, I'm reprinting it below my comments. I read it with a combination of horror and resignation. I have been watching the changes in the massage education field with the same, I must say. I understand that change has to occur. It's inevitable of course. Back in the day, people learned to be massage therapists through books and apprenticeships. Then educators and state boards decided the process should be more formal and more appropriate for the profession. What I have noticed of late is the loss of many of the education providers who were in it for the love of massage therapy. I've witnessed the birth of massage education based on profit and not passion. That seems to be what we're witnessing all around us here in the United States. I do my best to support local businesses and avoid generic or mass produced items, but it's not always easy. I'd love to hear from all of y'all about the trend in products and services being driven by economies of scale. Or is it even a trend or just the way things are now?

I know it's not large, ethical corporations that are driving the incredibly unethical practices NCBTMB is addressing.  But I'm wondering if there's any correlation.  Haven't all MTs been taught about the massage school scandals that brought about the ill repute of massage therapy in the first place?  I guess I'm thinking what MT would allow anything like this to happen???  I know I'm rambling, but I'd like to get some discussion started here!

So...here's the press release from NCTBMB:

As you are undoubtedly aware, there are ever-increasing issues of illegitimate massage schools, organized prostitution and alarming occurrences of human trafficking affecting the reputation of the massage profession. In order to do our part to restrict the ability of these illicit institution’s students to become nationally certified, NCBTMB has spent the past 18 months developing and implementing a national School Compliance Program.

The School Compliance Department at NCB works to identify and investigate institutions that give the appearance of operating in an illegitimate or fraudulent manner. The department conducts in-depth research when it finds inconsistencies and abnormalities in information submitted by schools, such as transcripts and attendance records or falsification of certificates and diplomas.

The outcome of these investigations has resulted in NCB imposing sanctions which, in some cases, have prohibited a school’s graduates from sitting for the National Certification Exams. NCBTMB then shares this information with state regulatory boards and local law enforcement agencies on a monthly basis, and it is posted on our website. This ultimately helps legitimate schools by protecting their reputations and underscoring the standard of excellence they uphold.

In order to help draw attention to the disgrace of human trafficking and its effect on our profession, we have created this brochure: Human Trafficking – What You Need to Know, which is being distributed to massage schools and other stakeholders nationwide. The brochure was produced in partnership with Polaris Project, a nonprofit organization that operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. You can order copies of the brochure online at www.ncbtmb.org. We hope you will share them with your faculty, students and peers.

Together, let’s all work to raise awareness and help eliminate human trafficking in the massage therapy profession. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our School Outreach Department at schooloutreach@ncbtmb.org or call us toll-free at 1-800-296-0664.

With kindest regards,

Paul R. Lindamood
Chief Executive Officer

NCBTMB News--Survey Results

from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork...

RESULTS OF THE ADVANCED CERTIFICATION SURVEY ARE IN

The Profession Weighs in on the National Certification for Advanced Practice

Dear Massage Professional,

Thousands of practitioners responded to NCBTMB’s call for input on the Advanced Practice Job Task Analysis (JTA) survey. The survey results will be used to develop the test specifications for the profession’s first advanced certification exam, a key component in the National Certification for Advanced Practice (NCAP).

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RESULTS

Or copy this URL to your browser – http://www.ncbtmb.org/pdf/Advanced_Practice_JTA_Survey_Results.pdf

For more information about the NCAP, visit the Advanced Certification section of NCBTMB’s website.

FSMTB to Establish New Continuing Education Program

a press release from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards...

(Overland Park, KS, March 29, 2011) The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) announces the launch of a project to develop a new national program for the approval of both continuing education courses and providers. Once it is established, the program will provide state regulatory agencies with a centralized quality assurance process for all courses taken by massage and bodywork therapists for the renewal of State licensure or State certification.

            As the representative for the regulatory community, FSMTB has responded to requests from its Member Boards to create a unified system to ensure that continuing education courses are taught by qualified instructors, relevant to the scope of practice, and meet the needs of the regulatory community. Continuing education is a requirement in three-quarters of the States that regulate the practice of massage therapy; it is also the method used in most professions for demonstrating continued competence.

The FSMTB continuing education approval program is intended to provide a more streamlined alternative to the existing structure, which consists of a patchwork of individual State approval processes and a provider approval process administered by a private certification organization. This approach is inconsistent, requires continuing education providers to go through multiple approvals to offer their courses around the country, and is not focused on standards for licensure renewal.  The new approval program will be developed and administered by FSMTB, giving State agencies the necessary mechanism of ownership and control required by their legislative mandates. In this way, the program will be similar to the Federation's establishment of the MBLEx, a highly successful program that provides its Member Boards with a dedicated licensure exam for State credentialing.

FSMTB has invited the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE) to collaborate on this project as a representative of the educational community.  And to ensure that the perspective of the learners is considered in the development process, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) have been invited to provide input as the two largest massage and bodywork membership associations.

Once an initial draft of the continuing education approval program is completed, it will be made available for public comment. Other stakeholder organizations, as well as continuing education providers, schools and therapists will have the opportunity to give their feedback to FSMTB on this project before it is finalized. This step will ensure that all interested parties have a voice in the process.  The ongoing status of this project will be updated on the FSMTB website: www.fsmtb.org.

Overall, the FSMTB continuing education project is consistent with the FSMTB Mission, which is to support its Member Boards in their work to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is provided to the public in a safe and effective manner. Upgrading and consolidating the process of continuing education approvals will directly serve the regulatory community and deliver a valuable service for providers and consumers of continuing education alike.   

Moving!!!

We've moved "The Spirit of Massage Education" to a new web address. We're now at http://rmiha.blogspot.com/.  Please check us out at our new location.  This site is changing to a resource guide and review forum for massage therapy continuing education.  Stay tuned for some great posts.

If you're a subscriber or follower, you can switch your information to the new blog.  Or, if you'd like to see what's happening with the new continuing education site, why don't you add your name to the new site but keep this one current too. 
Thanks!
Rebecca

Blog Make Over

Well I suppose it's about time for a new look!  And we've got more than that, a new name and url too.  The name change is minor "The Spirit of Massage School" from "The Spirit of Massage Education."  The url is now http://rmiha.blogspot.com/.  RMIHA stands for Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts.  The new look is our creative expression in action.  Hope you love it as much as we do. Please let us know how it's working for you!

Rebecca

Facebook It Is!

Based upon the reader poll and responses to our email, we've streamlined our presence on social networks to Facebook only.  Goodbye MySpace.  Goodbye Ning.  It was good while it lasted!  If you haven't checked out our Facebook page, come see it!  There's lots of photos and info and it's a good way to connect with graduates, faculty and other people interested in RMIHA.

In the Circle

At RMIHA, we sit in a circle for our non-lecture class discussions.  To me, it is an expression of unity, connection, and respect for one another.  In a traditional classroom set up, you can't look into the eyes of everyone in the class.   I think that makes the experience more solitary.  (Which I suppose could be valuable in some testing situations)!

Today in yoga class, our teacher started the class with everyone in a circle.  We closed our eyes and experienced a guided meditation and felt the energy of each other.  I realized since I've been on sabbatical, I've missed the experience of sitting in the circle.  I plan to be proactive in seeking out the experience of communing with a circle of friends, meeting round the metaphorical campfire (or literal for that matter!), and allowing the free flow of one person's energy unimpeded through the group. 

I recently started a personal blog and did another post about the circle and social networks. 

Love,
Rebecca

Scholarship Update

I was checking up on scholarships and was pleased to discover The Spa Foundation Scholarship was being offered again.  It hadn't been available for a while, so that's great news! 

The JoyLife Therapeutics Chair Massage Scholarship continues to be active. 

Both of these links are available in the links section of this blog.

I offer up a huge THANKS to these organizations for supporting massage education.  For all of you who apply, I wish you the best of luck. 

Rebecca

Sabbatical

When I've posted in the past, I've tried to talk more about themes, ideas, classroom experiences, and less about myself. But it's been ages since I've posted and I thought I'd bring a little of myself into the post today. The big thing going on in my life is I'm on sabbatical. Basically what that means, is I've suspended offering massage school classes for the 2010-2011 season and have moved out of state for a year. I'm spending time helping out a friend who needed some help and I'm spending time rejuvenating myself. (That's my horse and me in the photo, enjoying a trail ride). The staff seems to be finding plenty of self-supportive things to be doing in this time away also. From raising families, planning weddings, and nurturing practices, there's plenty to keep us all busy and focused on what we hope are the right priorities.

When I decided to go on sabbatical, I actually looked up the word. It comes from sabbath and, as the sabbath is a day of rest every days, a sabbatical is meant to be a year of rest every 7 years. Or maybe not exactly a "rest," but a break from the production emphasis of the other 6 years in the cycle.

Which brings me around to how longs it's been since my last post. I have to admit, posting to this blog is a lot of fun. I like writing down ideas or sharing something that happened in the classroom and making it available for people to read. Hasn't everyone who's read a blog experienced the kick of cyber-relating? But (here it comes)...when I make my typical priorities, writing a post is way down on the list below, uh say teaching, meeting with students, doing payroll, filling out compliance forms for the state, holding staff meetings, and so on and so on.

When the gas prices and the economy did their thing, RMIHA experienced a drop in enrollment. (All you guys who've been waiting 3 years to afford massage school know what I'm talking about!) For me, the owner of a purposefully small, intimate, quality focused school, this meant more work on my shoulders and less hiring someone else to help out. Which eventually led to the sabbatical decision!

I'm back to having time to blog and write, just not in the thick of an operational school at the moment. I'm curious to see where that takes this blog. I'm still writing questions for the MBLEx, still doing massage, still offering continuing education (if you're interested in something in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, check out this class), so there are massage education things to write about. But I'm just gonna be open to whatever expression takes place. I'm gonna start a new blog about my time away from my business, my spiritual practice, yoga, riding my horse, service to others and all that good stuff. I'll post the link once I get that going.

I still have lots of opinions about massage education and have seen so many changes in the field since 2008. I'm sure I'll be spending some time like a sports announcer, critiquing from the sidelines, so tune in again. I sincerely doubt you'll have to wait another year for the next post!

Love to all,

Rebecca

Massage Scholarship Info!

Finally, a scholarship for massage school!

This one is from JoyLife Therapeutics and is for a student who is enrolled in massage school sometime between October 1, 2009 and August 2010. It's a $1000 grant for a student who's particularly interested in chair massage. Click here to view their Scholarship Rules and link to an application.

Since last year's "credit crisis" or whatever you want to call it, it's been really hard to find funding for massage school. Mind you, it's never been easy, but now it seems be really challenging. I've posted in the past about finding funding and sadly realize that much of that information isn't accurate any more. SLM Financial quit providing direct career loans last year and two of the scholarship programs I have listed on this blog have been under indefinite "we're not accepting scholarship applications right now" status.

I'm sure JoyLife will be inundated with applications and congratulate the deserving winner in advance. Good luck to all who apply!

Rebecca

Writing Exam Questions for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam

I'm feeling a little worked right now!

I just spent the larger part of a day writing 15 questions for the Federation of State Massage Therapy Board's licensing exam (the MBLEx). Perhaps I should back up a bit. Back in the spring, I submitted an application to be a question writer for the MBLEx. I was (and am) a big supporter of the exam. From everything I could tell looking in from the outside, it was offering a very fair, consistent and well written test of how well prepared a massage therapist was to enter the profession. The test was fairly new, but our graduates were giving great feedback about it and I liked the way the FSMTB was comporting itself (to use a $5 word!).

So when I heard they were looking for content experts to write exam questions, I submitted my application right away. The application process included providing credentials, references, and a personal statement about why I wanted to be involved. I got chosen to participate and I'm really happy about it.

I signed a non-disclosure, confidentiality agreement. I got trained in the procedures. And then today I sat down to get started writing questions.

I have a new and HUGE respect for all the work that goes into this exam now! My submissions are, as required by FSMTB, researched and documented, and worded in a way that is hopefully clear and meets testing protocols.

The next step for my questions is to go to committee where I understand they will get extensively edited and rewritten. Then to more review before finally making it to what I can best describe as market testing. After much review and re-working, they will potentially be part of the MBLEx.

I'm completely impressed by this organization and delighted to be serving the cause of improving the licensing process for our profession. Even if I'm a little brain dead! Next time I'll know not to tackle 15 questions in one day.

Rebecca

Saying Goodbye to Davida

I know everything in this world is impermanent. But as much as I know and have experienced this truth, it's still sad to say goodbye to good friends. Davida Millburn has been a teacher at RMIHA for 6 years, and has been in my life since I moved to Durango in 1999 and started working at South West School of Massage. Davida and I shared a massage studio back then and since, we have shared ups and downs and connected on a deep level.

It's not just me who's been touched by Davida's insight and loving nature. She's been teaching massage students for over 20 years. She was at Heartwood in CA before she even moved to Durango and then at Silver Sword Academy in Dgo back in the DAY as they say.

When Davida agreed to teach at RMIHA, she was coming from a huge loss in her life and was willing to commit to teaching a small 20 hour course called the Realm of the Heart. She brought the tenderness of her recent loss with her into her preparation for the class. She was willing to be a beginner in teaching a course she'd never taught. (For all of you non-teachers out there, this can be very challenging, especially when you're used to teaching a different curriculum and the classroom is usually as comfortable as the proverbial worn in pair of slippers). Entering into new subject matter, Davida explored her own heart and opened it up to a new set of students. Since then, she has taken on more and more responsibility at the school and has become an integral part of the Heartworks Approach program and Asian Modalities.

Davida's moving a thousand miles from Durango and will be spending time with her family. In Durango, we can never replace her, but I know that she won't really be gone either. Last graduation, one of the students shared that he was working on another graduate from a few years before. As he was working on her hara, she said, "Oh, I can feel Davida's hands through yours." I shared that with a couple of other people and got the same feedback: "Yes, that's happened to me too!" It's beautiful and amazing how literally she is touching so many people receiving bodywork today.

RMIHA was blessed to have her on our faculty and even as I say goodbye and acknowledge the transition that's occurring, I acknowledge that she will always be with us. Lucky us!

Pre-Event Massage for the Durango Ultimate Frisbee Tournament

On Saturday, three of the students went to the Durango SKA Brewing Hat Ultimate Frisbee Tournament and gave pre-event massages to the players in the tournament. They had just finished a week of Sports Massage Class and were able to try out what they'd just learned.

They did lots of sports stretching and specialty techniques for getting athletes prepared for competition. Here's a shot of one of the students in the middle of a low back stretch. Sometimes when students learn sports stretching techniques, they are a little hesitant to try them out because it's something new and different from the basic massage strokes. These guys did great though and it was really fun for me to watch them just diving in and giving it a try.

I'm guessing it helped that the participants in the tournament were laid back and fun. I know they cared about their sport, but they also cared about connecting with each other and enjoying themselves, so it made it really fun to do massages for the event. Here are some of the players at the massage sign up table. You can probably see what I mean about the laid back vibe.

To see more photos from the day, click on our Ning Photo Album.

New School Slideshow

Here's our latest YouTube video for the class that just graduated:

When Times Are Tough

Two weeks ago, a student shared to the class, "My cancer is back." It was a sad moment for all of us and we gave hugs and listened to what was going on. Over the next week and 1/2, the student came to class and participated fully despite her distractions. She sat through meditation class and watched her breath while experiencing her thoughts and sensations. She attended the Singing Bowls class and felt the powerful energies of the sounds of the bowls, and along with the other students, received a short personal session. She participated in exercises where we explored listening to our own inner guidance, clearing our energy fields, and calming and centering ourselves. I don't know, but I imagine she worried about being able to stay in massage school, about what her future was going to look like, about what was going to happen with her health and her life.

Then, a week and 1/2 after getting the initial news, she learned that the nurse practitioner had mis-read her lab reports and she did not have cancer, not even close. It was, as you can imagine, a huge relief.

She told me that being in massage school during all of this was a huge support for her. The meditation classes and the energy healing of the different modalities we explored had given her more peace and insight. And the love and support of classmates and teachers was always there for her.

The number one reason students don't make it through massage school is personal and health reasons. As a massage school director, I have seen students unable to stay in school who are very upset by their life's circumstances. It's sad to watch someone have to change or postpone their dreams when life gives them a detour. But for students who are able to stay in school, the gifts of love, support, and the tools for being present, centered and grounded are huge. I've always said massage school is an amazing experience. It's through both the good and the tough times that this becomes apparent.

I am grateful this beloved student does not have cancer. I'm also grateful she had the additional loving support of her massage school community and experience to help her through her week and 1/2 of scariness.

Massage School Scholarship Opportunity

The Durango Area Association of Realtors is offering scholarships that can be used at Rocky Mountain Institute of Healing Arts. They have five $1,200.00 awards for 2009 graduates of area high schools or GED programs.

Selection criteria is 3.0 GPA and need. Applications include 2 letters of recommendation and the deadline for submission is APRIL 10, 2009.

For more information or for an application:

Durango Area Association of REALTORS

http://www.durangorealtor.com/

Scholarship Fund--Attn: Carrie Griffin

125 E. 32nd Street

Durango, CO 81301

Phone: (970) 247-9604

email: carrie@durangorealtor.com