The Massage Pundit

Elizabeth Lucas, who has been the Executive Director of the American Massage Therapy Association for more than a decade, has resigned.

The statement that was released by the Board of Directors was short and offered no details behind the departure. It read:

The AMTA Board of Directors has accepted the resignation of our long-time Executive Director, Elizabeth M. Lucas.  During her more than 10 years as Executive Director, and in her years before that as Director of Communications and Marketing, Liz provided AMTA, the National Office and staff with outstanding leadership, while carrying out the direction of the national board.  The board and staff thank Liz for all of her contributions and wish her all the best as she pursues other career opportunities.

The board will begin its search for a new Executive Director for both AMTA and the Massage Therapy Foundation. In the meantime, Shelly Johnson, who has been AMTA Deputy Director for more than 8 years, will function as Interim Executive Director.  All AMTA day-to-day activities will continue as scheduled.

AMTA Board of Directors

The timing of this is interesting; the National Convention is only three weeks away. I had in fact personally e-mailed Ms. Lucas this past week to express my opinion about the NCBTMB being prohibited from exhibiting at the convention, something I’ve known about for some time. I haven’t previously thrown it out on the blog out of my respect for AMTA and not wanting to look like I was accusing them of behaving badly, but it’s gotten to the point where it isn’t any kind of secret. It’s now common knowledge. When it hits Facebook you know the word is out.

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For over a year now, the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork has been working quietly behind the scenes to eradicate massage schools—or rather, diploma mills—that have been handing out fraudulent transcripts and diplomas, lacking any operating authority, and committing a host of other ethics violations. Since June of 2009, 11 schools have had their school code suspended, three have been revoked, and one school voluntarily withdrew their code after being notified that they were suspended.

To clarify the meaning of these actions, a school must have an assigned code in order for their students to sit for an examination offered by the NCBTMB. 39 states currently accept those exams, and they are often utilized by therapists in unregulated states who want to set themselves apart as professionals. No school code means no students from those schools will be able to take the NCB exams. California, where this investigation was concentrated, currently has voluntary registration for massage therapists, and is in fact in the middle of further turmoil because of AB 1822, a proposed massage bill that treats therapists little better than prostitutes. Even though the investigation and subsequently revoked and suspended schools are located in California, the implications are far-reaching, including my state of North Carolina.

Our Board noticed months ago that a high number of applicants for licensure were coming out of two schools in particular, one in California (the East-West School, which has had their code suspended pending further investigation) and one in New York. The applicants first attracted attention because they have all had the same address. In one instance in North Carolina, an applicant from one of the suspect schools was denied a license based on his criminal record. When he appeared to appeal that decision, we discovered he could speak no English. His daughter translated for him, and stated that they had immigrated to America based on the promise that they could go to massage school, get out quickly, and start making a lot of money. I actually feel sorry for these people, because the unscrupulous schools are just taking advantage of people who don’t know any better. It’s a sad situation for the students who paid money in good faith that they were going to get a real education in massage therapy.

While the NCBTMB has in the past revoked certification of individuals found guilty of ethics violations, this is their first widespread effort to put a stop to schools operating in an unethical manner.

Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCB, gave me the following statement about the NCBTMB’s school compliance program:

NCBTMB is in a unique position with its vantage point on massage in America. Because we monitor, approve or exchange critical data at many touch points of the profession, we are at the nexus of a great deal of information flowing to and from our certification specialists. This gives us the ability to get an overall snapshot of the profession in specific areas relevant to schools, students, educational methods, curriculum, test dynamics, metrics, practitioner activity, etc.

About a year ago, members of our school outreach, compliance, eligibility and ethics departments identified the emergence of some alarming developments when overlaying and studying school data. Specifically, we began to spot ways in which individual schools were giving the appearance of impropriety through inconsistent and unreliable data, irregularities or shortfalls in curriculum standards, falsification of application information and the appearance of fraudulent activities sufficient to cast doubt on the legitimacy of these schools or institutions.

With this knowledge, NCBTMB board and staff recognized the need to immediately create a standardized, legally sound process that would allow us to identify, investigate, sanction or revoke suspected schools that could not pass muster, and thereby prohibit them from being able to have their graduates test via National Certification Exams. The program was developed and received board approval at the beginning of this year. Since then, school investigations have been ongoing via our compliance and ethics departments, and sanctions and revocations have been issued and communicated to the schools, state boards and pertinent law enforcement.

In addition, in the states and surrounding regions where these schools exist, we have made authorities aware of school code suspensions as well. This includes local law enforcement, regulatory agencies, state massage boards and attorneys general. Currently, we are working closely with law enforcement officials and state board representatives on investigations in several states, sharing both intelligence and resources.

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It’s that time of the year again: Election time at the American Massage Therapy Association. For the second year, voting is online. I encourage all members to exercise their right to pick your leaders. In fact, let’s change that from “encourage” to “beg.” Last year’s showing on the election was less than ideal–a lot less. Imagine an organization that has well over 50,000 members, and then imagine that only the people who were at the national convention voted. Yep, that’s about it–somewhere in the vicinity of 1800 people.  Some of that can be attributed to the fact that it was the first year voting was offered online. Some of it can be attributed to complacency or feeling like your vote won’t make any difference and that’s just wrong. It will make a difference.

AMTA is the only member-driven non-profit massage therapy association. We have state chapters and the leadership of those chapters is voted in (and out) by the membership. The same with the national association. As is my usual habit, if I don’t personally know the candidates, I of course read their candidate statements and almost always contact the ones I don’t know in person, if I don’t get enough out of their candidate statement and/or recommendations from my friends in the organization who do know them. And I want them to know me; that’s why I call them. I want the officers to know who I am and what I want to see happen for the organization. I want to know who to pat on the back and who to complain to.

I have the same attitude with AMTA elections that I have with the government elections: if you don’t vote, don’t complain.  This is your opportunity to pick the people who are going to be leading the organization, so make use of it. Here are my picks for this year:

President-Elect: Cynthia Ribeiro. Cynthia Ribeiro is a member of the CA Chapter. She has an impressive education and the necessary skill set for being an effective leader. It’s my desire to see the minimum standards for massage therapy raised, and Cynthia is a great example of someone who exceeds the minimum by hundreds of hours. She also shares one of my pet agendas–advancing the profession through research. She’s a member since 1987 and has been volunteering at the national level since 1997. Cynthia is Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork and is an Approved Provider under the NCBTMB. She’s the owner of the Western Institute of Neuromuscular Massage Therapy in Laguna Hills, CA. I met Cynthia last year when she taught a class at our annual meeting. She gets my vote.

Vice-President: Nancy M. Porambo. Nancy is a member of the PA Chapter and is the owner of The Therapy Option in Jim Thorpe, PA. She’s Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork and is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education under the NCBTMB. She has been an active volunteer on both her state and the national level. Nancy really hit the floor running…she won her Chapter’s Meritorious Award in 1995, just two years after becoming Nationally Certified.  She also has a Master’s in Clinical Health Psychology. I think every ache and pain in the body has an emotional component; wise choice on her part to pursue that. I’ve met Nancy twice when she taught at our chapter’s meetings and in fact had the opportunity to talk with her at our annual meeting last weekend. Nancy gets my vote.

Board of Directors Member-at-Large: Ed Sansbury, Joan Nichols, and Kathie Lea. Ed Sansbury is the Immediate Past President of the North Carolina Chapter. I won’t support him on that account; I’ll support him because he is an individual with an abundance of integrity, energy, and the desire to do the right thing, always. Ed has been a tireless worker for our chapter and he will do the same at the national level. Ed has expertise in the field of government relations and that is a big deal to me. He has a practice in Raleigh, NC. He gets my vote.

Ditto for Joan Nichols of the Georgia Chapter. Joan shares my belief that research is the key to propelling our profession forward. She is Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork and has a practice in Stockbridge, GA. She has been a volunteer on the state and national level and is currently the Immediate Past President of the GA Chapter. She brings experience and leadership qualities to the job. Joan is a supporter of advanced education and credentialing. I met Joan when I taught a class for the GA Chapter last year. She gets my vote.

Kathie Lea is the 1st VP of the Louisiana Chapter. She is Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork. Kathie has been a member of AMTA since 1988 and National Member-at-Large since 2004. Normally I’m all for new blood. However, I don’t like to see an experience deficit…I definitely think one or two “old hands” is a good thing. She served as the LA Chapter President 2000-2002 and participated in the process of bringing licensure to her state. Kathy is committed to her own continuing education and has studied with many of the best teachers in the business. I like therapists who think we need to keep on learning, no matter how much we think we may know. She gets my vote.

Commission on Candidacy: Christopher Deery. Christopher is the Immediate Past President of the OK Chapter. He’s part of a dynamic duo–his wife Xerlan Geiser-Deery is the current Chapter President. I’m happy to say both of them are friends of mine and they both bend over backwards for AMTA. He possesses leadership qualities himself and therefore knows what it takes to do the job. He gets my vote.

There you go. Whether you vote with me or not, please vote.  The right to elect our leadership is one of the perks of being a member. Take advantage of that and just do it.  All the candidate biographies can be seen here.

Yesterday when I posted A Few Steps Forward, A Few Steps Back, I wasn’t counting on having to back up and punt, but unfortunately I have to do so in the form of a correction. A few months ago, when I started reporting on the zoning ordinance in Chicago, I had been checking their legislative updates and apparently looking in the wrong place.

This morning, two Chicago therapists have contacted me to let me know that the dreaded zoning ordinance, which was tabled in May, slid into home plate on June 9th in a move that blindsided everyone. Apparently it has also escaped AMTA’s and ABMP’s attention, as their legislative updates don’t mention it, either–two places I often look for verification when it comes to checking on what’s coming down the legislative pike.

Title 17 of the Municipal Code of the City of Chicago was amended to prohibit massage establishments from the same areas zoned for business that hairdressers, barbershops, and nail salons are allowed to be in. Why have we been singled out in this manner, and honest hard-working massage therapists relegated to areas zoned for heavy commercial and industrial use? Are hairdressers and nail technicians more moral and law-abiding than most massage therapists?

This is pathetic. This zoning change was sponsored by Ray Suarez, Alderman in the 31st Ward, and the vote was 30-8 in favor of the ordinance, with 11 members not voting. You can read the list here.

It is my fondest hope that EVERY massage therapist in the city of Chicago checks to see how your Alderman voted, and vote them right on out. Contact them to express your extreme displeasure at the way they are discriminating against massage therapists and let them now you’ll be expressing that when they need your support.

The massage profession has made a few good strides lately–and taken a few hard hits, as well. On the “moving forward” side, the wake-up call to the therapists in California over Bill 1822 was answered when more than 2000 therapists e-mailed their legislators in less than 48 hours, causing the bill to be favorably amended. The same happened in Cook County, IL a few months ago when therapists protested loudly about a detrimental zoning proposition that would have limited massage therapists to practicing in areas zoned for heavy industry and taverns. I’m glad people in the massage community are finally rising to the occasion. Complacency is not a good thing.

On the “moving backward” front last week, Delaware’s proposed action to do away with tiered licensing and raise the standard to 500 hours across the board was vetoed, in spite of the fact that the plan included a three-year grandfathering period for bringing everyone up to snuff. In the past month, we’ve also had to deal with the Al Gore controversy, the nincompoops on The View giving massage a bad name, and the unfortunate circumstances leading to the demise of one of the providers of liability insurance to massage therapists.

Like any other industry or profession, we have our share of problems. I think the key is to keep on plugging away until we have regulation in every state, and have educated every member of the public to what massage therapy is really all about.  In spite of the fact that massage has been documented in cave drawings and in the pyramids, we’re far from the point of being able to rest on our laurels.

A number of our state regulatory boards are still in their youth, and are too busy dealing with the business of getting established to conduct effective public education campaigns.  And it’s not just the general public who has to be educated, it’s the legislators. While our professional associations all have government relations representatives, they can’t go everywhere and they can’t be everywhere at one time. There’s only a few of them, but there’s 250,000 or so of us. It’s up to us. The call to action in CA and IL and the subsequent outcry is the proof that enough therapists rising up can stop detrimental legislation in its tracks.

A lot of therapists are oblivious to what goes on in their own state, and that’s a shame. Board meetings are open to the public. In addition, when any proposed law is anywhere is on the horizon, there is a public comment period and we all need to take advantage of the opportunity to express an opinion.

I’m into social networking, and whenever the Al Gore and The View incidents happened, there were literally thousands of comments posted from therapists everywhere in response on FB, Twitter, and LinkedIn. If that same number of therapists would contact their legislators to educate them about therapeutic massage and tell them how they feel when something that is unfair or not in the best interests of the profession is coming down the pike, we could put an end to detrimental legislation altogether. It’s time for moving forward. There’s no room to move back.