Includes Swedish Massage, Lymphatic Massage, Chair Massage, Energy Balancing, Conscious Breathing, Reflexology, and the use of rhythmical movements in massage.
The massage classes will include the following topics: hygiene, draping, opening to touch sensitivity, respecting boundaries, body reading, client intake forms, client assessment, basic communication and interaction, morality, ethics, laws, the history and principal effects of Swedish massage, petrissage, effleurage, tapotement, percussion, vibration, stretching, remedial corrective exercise, massage table assessment and repair, massage oils and their properties, and the journalizing of massages received and given. We will discuss contraindications for massage. (Clinic hours are included in the above. All massages must be journalized and logged. The instructor will be available to assist students during clinic hours.)
a. Business Development
Students will learn how to identify employment opportunities and how to
build a
massage clientele.
b. First Aid and Communicable Disease
This class will cover basic First Aid and disease prevention as they relate
to massage therapy.
c. Local and State Law
Anatomy (30
hours)
Students will learn to name and locate each bone in the body, and will
also learn bony landmarks, origin and insertion points for all of the
major muscles, muscle actions, the structure and function of muscles and
bones, and organ location and functions.
Meditation and
Yoga (19 hours)
Covers a variety of yoga positions and meditations for therapeutic purposes;
includes the use of sound for healing, creative visualizations, use of
the breath, dream yoga, and asanas.
Physiology
(27 hours)
Students will learn the basic function of each of the human internal systems,
including the endocrine, lymphatic, circulatory, eliminatory, digestive,
and nervous systems.
Nutrition(17 hours) Teaches correct food combining, the elements needed to keep the human system in homeostasis, nutritional remedies for common ailments, and the benefits of vegetarianism.
Hydrotherapy
(16 hours)
Covers home hydrotherapy cures such as baths (hot, cold, tepid, warm,
etc.),
exfoliations, foot baths, ice therapy, the use of hot and cold packs,
heliotherapy, and mud packs.
Personal Growth
and Development (12 hours)
Covers journalization techniques, as well as the transformation of negative
thought patterns and the removal of mental and emotional obstacles to
success.
Lecture Hours - 142.5hrs
Practicum Hours (Student to Student) - 85.5hrs
Student Clinic Hours (General Public) - 22hrs
Mosby’s Fundamentals of Therapeutic Massage by Sandy Fritz, Nutrition: An Applied Approach by Thompson / Manore, Massage Therapy Review by Sandy Fritz , Human Anatomy & Physiology by Marieb / Hoehn, A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology by Werner, Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary by F.A. Davis, and Home Remedies by Agatha Thrash, M.D. (Texts, subject to change, are not included in the tuition fee and are available through the OSOM bookstore.)
As a part of the curriculum, students are given credit for practice hours. The practicum includes volunteer community outreach service (required for Level II students) and massages given to the general public (required for Level I and Level II students). Fees for the general public are $30 per one-hour massage or $140 for a package of five massages. (Professional massage therapy, by licensed therapists, is also available by appointment.)
Most schools of massage require their students to accumulate unguided clinic hours outside the school. A unique feature of our program is that each student has the benefit of working on site with instructor supervision for all of the required clinic hours.
At the end of each course, each student takes a practical exam. At graduation those students who have completed all course requirements are presented wit a certificate of completion.
