The Massage Pundit

The ruckus over CA AB 1822 is not yet over, though it has taken what CAMTC CEO Ahmos Netanel describes as a more positive approach than the bill as it was originally introduced. The CAMTC has still not spoken in favor of the bill, which would have virtually crippled the CAMTC and turned massage regulation back over to the localities.

Although much of the offensive language has been removed in the amended version of the bill, I am personally still offended that the proposed new rules call for two new CAMTC members, to be appointed by the Police Chief’s Association and the Sheriff’s Association. In other words, the Massage Police.

Does the medical association have such a requirement? I don’t think so. Does the chiropractic association, the nursing board, or the cosmetology board have such a requirement? Nope; just us hard-working professional massage therapists.

I don’t think it’s fair for us to be singled out in this manner.

AB 1822 went through this amendment process because of the huge outcry from massage therapists and industry supporters. I suggest that we need to keep on screaming until they get the message loud and clear: We are not prostitutes. We should not be subjected to a different set of rules that other boards and commissions are not bound to follow. It’s demeaning and it implies that they’re just lying in wait for us to screw up, no pun intended.

I hope that the CAMTC will continue to withhold their support of this bill, even in its amended form, and that the rank and file will rally again and insist that they do not have to have the Massage Police breathing down their neck by demanding seats on the council.

Any and all public boards and commissions that are created for the credentialing of professionals and protection of the public should have the expectation of a good working relationship with law enforcement, and when they are all required to have law enforcement actually sitting on their boards, I’ll support them sitting on the CAMTC. Until then, I can’t be in support of this prejudicial requirement, and I hope the CAMTC refuses to support it as well.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Massage therapists are tireless volunteers. They show up to massage hospice patients, do chair massage or hold benefits at the drop of a hat to raise money for some worthy cause, and generally are just a giving bunch of people.

Volunteers are also one of the backbones of this profession, especially when it comes to serving on a state board or serving one of our national organizations.

AMTA couldn’t run without volunteers. The NCBTMB could not survive without volunteers. State boards couldn’t serve the public interest without volunteers.  COMTA can’t do site visits without volunteers. People volunteer to be delegates to the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. The good folks of Puerto Rico volunteered to translate the MBLEx into Spanish, saving the Federation thousands of dollars. I expect the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education will be recruiting some volunteers at their first annual meeting next month.

Volunteers don’t have any monetary incentive for what they do. It’s not for the fame and the glory…speaking from personal experience, anyone working for any of the organizations is a target for criticism, when the organization itself is under fire. The time expenditure can be big, and the rewards can be small. So why do it at all?

Do it because your talents are needed. Do it because it’s giving back to your community and your profession. Do it because it will be a learning experience. Do it because you can. Do it because it’ll look good on your resume. Do it because no one else will. Just do it.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Earlier today I put up a blog on my personal site, www.lauraallen.com about the departure of John Goss, a COMTA (Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation) volunteer for the past ten years. As background, prior to writing the blog, I contacted Kate Henrioulle, Executive Director of COMTA, and Melissa Wade, Chairperson, and asked them if they would like to comment. Both responded with “COMTA thanks John Goss for his service to COMTA and wishes him well in the future.”

If you’ll read the blog, you’ll see that I commented on Dr. Goss being dismissed from the Commission during a meeting he was not present at; I also quoted two different COMTA sources who gave me comments about their perceived problems at the organization, and an observation of my own that the organization seems to be stuck in neutral, having gained only 100 schools in an 8-year period.

What ensued before and after is the interesting part. Just yesterday, I was notified that I am on the ballot at COMTA for the upcoming election; I had submitted my resume a couple of months ago and been interviewed by a member. Apparently, I passed muster. I also put a disclosure at the end of the blog that I was a candidate.

Today, however, after my blog went live, I received, erroneously is my take on it, e-mails that transpired between the present Commissioners who were horrified at the way I “am working to harm COMTA.” I don’t think they were aware they were cc’ing me. Or perhaps they were. At any rate, the word from Chair Melissa Wade is that she would see to it that none of the Steiner schools, which she works for, would vote for me. Lisa Helbig chimed in and asked if there was any way they could remove me from the ballot due to the fact that I am not the type of objective person they are looking for. All because I expressed an opinion.

There was also a good deal of speculation among them about who my sources are. I don’t divulge them. That’s why they’re my sources. I will say that their guesses were wrong; however, I will be letting those people know that they’re suspected. They’ll probably be tickled that they were thought of.

So here we have the Chair of a national massage education accrediting organization who is going to tell her associates not to vote for me, regardless of what they may think of me personally, and another member who wants me removed from the ballot because I spoke out. I’m going to contrast this situation with a comment that Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB made to me last year the day we met. I had been slamming him personally, and the NCB, in my blog for well over a year.  He stated to me that in spite of the fact that a lot of what I said in my blog was distressing to him, that he wouldn’t dream of trying to shut me up because he values freedom of speech as much as I do.

I’m on the ballot. I don’t expect to get elected due to the uproar I have caused and due to Ms. Wade’s efforts to keep it from happening, and if that’s the case, I’m sure my talents can be put to use somewhere else. Too bad, because as I wrote in my candidate statement, I would like to see COMTA move from an exclusive club for 100 schools to a standard-bearer that every school and program aspires to join, and I would have worked hard to make that happen.  And I suspect that even if I do win, against the odds, I am hardly likely to be welcomed with open arms.

Maybe the NCBTMB will let me volunteer for them.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen