August 2019 President's Message

Published: August 1, 2019

President's Message
August 2019

Hello to all. We wish you a healthy and happy summer!

Our next big event is Dr. Joe Muscolino's Clinical Orthopedic Manual Therapy (COMT) for the Low Back and Pelvis in Springfield, MA on September 14th and 15th. Dr. Muscolino’s classes often sell out as they are that good! There will be a Chapter Meeting and lunch on Saturday, the 14th that weekend so we hope to see you there. We are also having a class on the Fundamentals of Fascial Therapy in Quincy, MA this December. Details will be on our website and registration will open very soon, if not by the time you’re done reading this message!

The AMTA National Convention is in October in Indianapolis, IN. There will be lots of great education and the Assembly of Delegates will take place. The AMTA-MA Chapter will be sending two people to the Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program (CVOP), which is a great program designed to train chapter leaders on their volunteer responsibilities and a variety of methods to create positive communication with members. I am on the Assembly of Delegates Committee and we will be getting information about statements and discussion topics soon. Our two Delegates, Gordon Pilotte and Sarah Ernst-Edwards will keep us updated.

We will, of course, keep you updated on the bodywork regulations, which in the Senate now. Speaking of the bodywork bill, our lobbyist, Mark Molloy and Law & Legislation Committee member, Lisa Gorman, and I went to the office of Senator Paul R. Feeney to bring awareness of the AMTA’s concerns regarding the Bodywork bill. We want to make sure that the rights of licensed massage therapists are protected.

On another topic, right now in MA, the demand for massage therapists is greater than the supply! We are looking at how we can promote the profession of massage therapy and get more people into massage as a career. We have such a variety of choices for massage therapy. They can work on their own, in a spa, a massage practice, a franchise, hospital, wellness center, sports massage business, and so much more. Massage can be sports massage, deep tissue, relaxation Swedish, neuromuscular therapy, orthopedic and medical massage. And there’s more… chair massage, hospice, hospital, home visits, and the list goes on and on. Therapists can own a business or be an employee. Perhaps they own a business and can have passive income through renting space to others or by selling products. They can be on their own or part of a team. They can do table massage and/or chair/seated massage. Therapists can have massage as a sole income; part time or adjunct. There truly are so many options! What a great career!

With that, I am so very grateful that I am in the field of massage therapy and I am grateful for all of our AMTA-MA Chapter members as you help so many through the benefits of massage.

Have a great summer and we’ll see you in September and December, and maybe even some of you in Indianapolis in October!

Greg Hurd
AMTA-MA Chapter President