We offer a Christian based massage therapy certification program of exceptional quality in a spectacular rural environment in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota.
As healthcare has entered a new era of unprecedented integration of complementary and allopathic Western medicine, clients are seeing therapeutic massage as main stream healthcare. There is a wide range of opportunities for massage therapists.
We offer a 1000-hour program that provides for a superior and thorough education in the art and practice of massage. We also prepare you to take the NCETMB exam. Our school has a 100% passage rate for the NCETMB for 2007 and 2008.
Our program curriculum is designed to enable you to be proficient in all aspects of massage therapy and practice management.
You must be at least 18 years old and have a high school degree or equivalent to attend massage school.
We are currently accepting applications
for our next class which
starts September 8, 2009.
BHHEC School of Massage also offers continuing education courses in massage, hydrotherapy and bodywork, as well as student housing and meal plans.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
We are doing our part to help make education more affordable. The Black Hills Health & Education Center School of Massage is offering Economic Stimulus Scholarships to students who attend the Sept. 2009 Massage Therapy Certification Program.
Application
You can download an application here.
For more information or a catalog, please contact us:
Mail: BHHEC School of Massage,
PO Box 19, Hermosa, SD 57744
Email: carrie_beets@bhhec.org
Telephone: 1-605-255-4101 Ext. 23
Our Curriculum
Anatomy / Kinesiology I for Massage Therapists (100 hours)
This course is a concentrated study of the human musculoskeletal system (muscles, bones, and joints). Understanding the structure and function of this system is essential to safely and effectively performing many massage therapy techniques. Massage therapists need a thorough understanding of how the musculoskeletal system works, including biomechanical concepts of movement, and how muscle tightness and muscle weakness can affect biomechanics and your treatment plan.
We start our massage school classes with this course as it is the foundation/core component on which you will build your massage experience. The course is designed specially for massage students with special emphasis on issues related to massage.
Anatomy/Kinesiology II (35 hours)
Massage therapists are frequently asked by their clients for exercises they can do to help alleviate or prevent the repetitive sore and/or knotted muscles they are experiencing. Massage therapists need a thorough understanding of how the musculoskeletal system works; how to strengthen and/or stretch specific muscles or muscle groups; and how to prevent injuries. This class builds on knowledge learned in Anatomy/Kinesiology I through practical application of anatomy and kinesiology principles in living persons.
Physiology (100 hours)
This course is an in-depth overview of the structure and function of the human body, covering all major body systems except for musculoskeletal (covered in separate course), including the cardiovascular, integumentary, endocrine, lymphatic, immune, digestive, urinary, reproductive, respiratory, and nervous system. As we cover each system, we detail common diseases and disorders, indicating indications and contraindications for massage therapy. We include medical terminology, the physiological effects of stress and touch, and accessing and understanding supportive research. The course is designed specifically for massage students with special emphasis on issues related to massage.
Pathology (100 hours)
This course is a concentrated study of common pathologies affecting the human body, especially those pathologies common to the musculoskeletal system, and how they relate to a massage therapy practice working with various client populations, including HIV and AIDS.
This course will also provide an introduction to pharmacology and its impact on massage implications, from assessment to the type of massage strokes indicated, general effects of drug therapy on massage and general cautions and contraindications for drugs and massage therapy. We will look at the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacotherapeutics of classifications of drugs commonly encountered in the massage setting. Students will also learn to accurately take blood pressure and pulse readings, and to understand what constitutes normal and pathophysiologic ranges for both of these objective screenings.
Massage 1: Massage Theory & Principles (100 hours)
We cover the history, theory, principles of body massage, and practical application of techniques for this modality. We discuss the indications, contraindications, effects, and uses of techniques. You will learn how to collect information from a client, perform assessments, and, using clinical reasoning skills, create an effective treatment strategy. You will also learn how to document your findings, application of techniques, and client response. We cover proper draping practices, the use of appropriate equipment and supplies, standard/universal precautions, proper body mechanics, and self-care techniques.
Through demonstration and practice you will perform each of the primary massage strokes: touch, friction, kneading, joint movements, percussion, vibration, stroking, and stretching, as well as learning the physiological effects and therapeutic applications for each. Swedish massage is the most popular and well-known massage modality in the United States and Europe. While we teach Swedish massage, we set a foundation for exploring and practicing any bodywork modality, providing you with tools to either focus in Swedish as your technique of choice or branch out into other approaches.
Massage 2: Massage & Bodywork Modalities (100 hours)
This intensive class teaches a variety of massage and bodywork modalities designed to relieve muscular pain and achieve specific outcomes. This course includes Deep Tissue, Neuromuscular Therapy, Sports Massage, Pregnancy & Infant Massage, Positional Release Technique, as well as massage application for specific outcomes in the healthcare setting. Course may include visiting instructors.
Massage 3: Clinical Practicum (66 hours)
This course affords the student the opportunity for hands-on practice with a variety of clients in two very different clinical settings. Following completion of 160 hours of massage training, and 250 hours of our sciences component, students will begin this clinical segment. Students will perform massage on real clients in both our Student Community Clinic and in a Medical Clinic setting.
Our Student Community Clinic draws clients from the surrounding area, as well as out-of-town visitors to our main campus. The Student Community Clinic offers massages and spa treatments to clients of various body types and sizes. Clients give written feedback evaluation on the student's performance on every massage, which is kept on file to assist the student in their learning process.
Because our massage school is affiliated with a Lifestyle Wellness Clinic, students are afforded the additional exposure of performing massage in an actual healthcare setting where outcome-specific massage goals has been prescribed by a physician. This setting permits students to interact with clients with various pathologies, a broad range of ages, and states of health. Students are able to learn first hand about how massage can improve medical problems such as migraine headaches, carpal tunnel issues, fibromyalgia pain and more.
The Clinic Practicum provides the opportunity for students to apply occupational theory, skills and concepts they have learned in class as they incorporate massage skills and techniques to provide real clients with professional massages. Focus is on the application of integrating different modalities and advanced techniques with ongoing supervision and case management by clinical faculty members. All hands-on sessions require daily SOAP notes for all clients.
Massage 4: Community Service (27 hours)
In this course the student continues to obtain valuable experience by providing volunteer seated chair massage, comfort touch, and table massage in a variety of community outreach opportunities and corporate settings. Recipient groups such as senior citizen centers, nursing homes, corporations, hospital employees, and various organizations provide a backdrop for student exposure to real life hands-on massage therapy. While gaining supervised experience in a variety of traditional and not-so-traditional settings, the community service experience permits students to help individuals as well as help educate the public about the benefits of massage therapy.
Hydrotherapy (100 hours)
Water, in all its forms (solid, liquid, and vapor), has tremendous healing capabilities. This course demonstrates how various hot and cold hydrotherapy techniques (including hot and cold packs, immersion baths, and ice massage) can be integrated into a therapeutic massage practice.
We will cover the history, theory, and practical application of techniques for this modality. We discuss the indications, contraindications, effects, and uses of techniques. In addition to learning the theory and principles of clinical hydrotherapy as well as spa treatments, students will practice the application of techniques, and learn how to document their findings and client response. Students will then perform hydrotherapy on actual clients both in a medical wellness clinic setting, under the direction of a physician, and in the Student Community Clinic.
Hygiene Syllabus (100 hours)
Hygiene encompasses the science and practice of maintaining and restoring health. This course will look at lifestyle practices as they affect and provide for health and well-being. Knowledge of other natural healing modalities helps to supplement a massage therapist's awareness, knowledge base, and practice. We provide this introduction to holistic nutrition, basic herbs, the eight documented natural remedies, and the principles and practices of infection and disease control principles, guiding you (and, in turn, your clients) toward improved health and healing. You will gain a greater insight of the importance and practice of positive lifestyle habits from preventative, therapeutic, and educational perspectives as these relate to a wellness model concept.
Health Service Management (102 hours)
This course will look at the practice of massage therapy from the viewpoint of professional ethics standards and practice management skills for a successful career.
The course will include 30 hours of ethics in which the student will gain an understanding of the legalities of massage, and a professional code of ethics and standards for operating a legitimate therapeutic practice. Students will also gain management techniques on how to create a safe working environment for client and therapist, including keeping ethically appropriate boundaries, communication and conflict resolution skills, and helpful approaches to common ethical issues; prevention of sexual misconduct; and how to appropriately and professionally react to a client's emotional response to bodywork. The remaining 72 hours of the course will provide detailed information on how to start and maintain a successful massage therapy practice, whether you choose to work independently or for/with others. We highlight career planning, job-seeking skills, marketing strategies, and practice-building skills, preparing you to explore the many options that will await you upon graduation. This course will include visiting several active, successful massage therapy practices, and assessing the components contributing to their success.
Professional Oral Communications (48 hours)
Effective Communication is a learned skill. The principles of effective professional communication are essential for effective practice management. Interview skills are an important part of assessing the client's needs. Due to the intimate nature of massage therapy, clients often confide items of a personal nature to their therapist. This course is designed to help the student to develop communication skills which will assist the student in professional and interpersonal relationships, to develop an awareness of the role of listening and nonverbal behavior in all types of oral communication situations; and to develop an awareness of establishing and maintaining boundaries in helping relationships.
CPR Certification (4 hours)
This course covers the knowledge, competencies, issues and concerns of health care providers regarding basic life support. Success completion leads to BLS-Healthcare Providers certification by the American Heart Association.
Exam Review (12 hours)
In this class, we review previously covered material to prepare you for both our program's comprehensive final exam and the National Certification Exam in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCETMB).
Contact us to see if the Massage School at Black Hills Health & Education Center is the right massage school for you.
