Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
Emily Dickinson
I truly believe every single Massage Therapist became a Massage Therapist because of Hope. They hope to help people every day. They hope to be the best Massage Therapist that they can. They hope they can be part of a community of Massage Therapists that can create progress and a better future for our whole industry.
Part of this is continuing education. I am constantly surprised when Massage Therapists get upset and do not want to be required to participate in continuing their education. Here are few things I have heard; They don’t feel they need it. They don’t want it. They don’t want any association or regulatory board to tell them they have to have it. They don’t want any association or regulatory board to tell them how much they have to have.
Any yet these same Massage Therapist will say they want people to recognize us as a healthcare profession. So we have to look at all other healthcare professions and see what they are doing and they are indeed requiring continuing education for their professions.
On the other hand I also heard Massage Therapist explain; They learn more from reading or independent study. They learn more face to face, individually from other Massage Therapists. They have been to continuing education classes that they were not impressed with. They have attended classes and felt they could do a better job than the instructor. They didn’t learn anything new at a class so they don’t want to waste their money on another one. My opinion is that these people may have been to some disappointing classes in the past or they may be completely missing the point of continuing education.
Have some class people. I just attended a three day course. I didn’t have to. I already have plenty of continuing education hours. I have already taken a number of classes on this topic. Not taking this class would not hinder my practice or keep me from doing what I already do well. Arguably, I already knew almost every bit of this information by heart and have been working with this client demographic for over 20 years. Here are some of the things I got from participating in this class;
- I got validation for what I already knew.
- I was assured that I was up on the newest knowledge and developments in this area.
- I was reminded of things I already knew but, hadn’t thought about in a while.
- I had the opportunity to hear a different take on things, new analogies, yet another voice on the topic.
- I got to remember where and when I learned this.
- I had the opportunity to be reminded why these things I knew were so important.
- I did learn some new things. Even if it had been just one thing it was worth it.
- I got to be in the place that passion is ignited and people are excited to not only learn but, commit themselves to that passion and become part of a community of practitioners.
- I had the opportunity to experience being in a class with my peers, meeting new colleagues and forging new friendships.
- I got to be a student.
- It was worth much more than the cost of admission!
I doesn’t really matter what the class was because all of us could have some of the same experience in any class. If we participate and are present in the moment and don’t dive into a black hole of judgment, we have a completely different experience. We are not there to judge. The minute you start to judge, you cease participating in the learning process, you create your own downward spiral, make certain you validate all your personal opinions and ensure you are going to leave another class with a bad attitude and lack of respect for continuing education. This doesn’t mean there are not less than awesome instructors and people out there. We do have to careful in our choices and how we spend our money for continuing education. It does mean you have the power to make the best of any situation and harvest the value of any educational experience.
Lauren Cates is an amazing instructor. She is a highly effective communicator. She is an incredible Massage Therapist. She is also a highly intelligent, passionate, joyful, humble, loving, authentic, funny and compassionate person. She puts her heart and soul into everything and it is a rare thing to witness and be part of.
Lauren credits all those that have went before her. She recognizes and imparts wisdom from Gayle MacDonald and Tracy Walton with their permission. She brings another flavor and vibrancy to Oncology Massage Education.
Lauren doesn’t know how inspiring she is. Being in her class is a great reminder that the world is changing and we are all on the transition team. Check out http://www.lighthold.org/ to learn more about Lauren and the classes she offers.
If you would like more information about Oncology Massage please give me a call at 610-906-2322