Additional Information
Students can expect to spend one to three years completing their education.
It depends on how much massage therapy experience the student has prior to
entering the program.
You must have some background in massage or physical therapy before attending
a training institute. In order to qualify to enter the program, students must
pass an entrance exam and have 50 practice hours of massage therapy under
their belt.
For those students who have not practiced as a massage therapist, the institute
offers an optional first unit which covers basic massage techniques, anatomy
and physiology. On completion of that unit, the student must then seek 50
hours of practice before sitting for the entrance exam.
Once students pass the entrance hurdle, they take training in bodywork
and rolfing. That's followed by training in the clinical aspects of the job,
which includes work with three different clients within the community.
Along with the hands-on training, students receive training in communication
skills to deal with the emotional and psychological aspects of dealing with
clients.
Users and practitioners say rolfing sometimes releases locked up emotions,
which means practitioners must be equipped to offer empathy and support, plus
be able to refer clients to other professionals.