ABMP’s Annual School Issues Forum is designed specifically for massage school owners, administrators, and instructors providing an opportunity to network, educate, learn, inspire, and talk shop with peers about current massage school issues.
ABMP's 14th Annual School Issues Forum will be held Apr. 22-24, 2010 in Alexandria, VA at The Westin Alexandria. Registration will open early January.
Find out more about the Forum by exploring these links.
> Wrap-up: ABMP School Issues Forum 2009
> History of the Forum
> Forum Organization and Philosophy
> Past Forums Reports
Wrap-up: ABMP School Issues Forum 2009
ABMP’s 13th annual School Issues Forum took place March 25-27, 2009 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort and Spa. The invitation-only event included school owners, directors, and key members of the massage and bodywork community. Attendees enjoyed an opportunity to network, educate, inspire, and talk shop with peers about school issues. Fifty participants from across the country—representing approximately 130 schools—discussed issues impacting massage and bodywork schools, and enjoyed Santa Fe’s southwestern culture.
Handouts from the Forum sessions are accessible electronically.
The next ABMP School Issues Forum will be held in Alexandria, Virginia, April 22-24, 2010. For more information on attending or exhibiting, please contact Kathy Laskye (
kathy@abmp.com).
Read a complete overview of the ABMP School Issues Forum 2009.
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History of the Forum
In 1996, a school owner stopped by the ABMP offices for a visit in order to question the staff. She needed guidance on a few issues, but found there was no one she knew in the massage education community who could provide the support she was looking for. ABMP decided to solve this problem with an interactive gathering designed specifically for owners, administrators, and instructors of massage schools. By providing participants with an opportunity to network and share ideas we found that people became both learner and educator. Today the School Issues Forum has evolved into a unique and inspiring meeting of massage school professionals where everyone has the chance to contribute and build the knowledge base of the massage education community.
2010 Alexandria, Virginia
2009 Santa Fe, New Mexico
2008 Boulder, Colorado
2007 Boston, Massachusetts
2006 San Francisco, California
2005 Denver, Colorado
2004 Atlanta, Georgia
2003 Santa Fe, New Mexico
2002 Boulder, Colorado
2001 Cleveland, Ohio
2000 Portland, Oregon
1999 Boulder, Colorado
1998 Nashville, Tennessee
1997 Breckenridge, Colorado
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Forum Organization and Philosophy
The Forum program is organized into various sessions that include a panel format, an interactive scenario format, and occasional presentations by participants, with plenty of time for comment from the floor. What participants do not find at this meeting are presentations on particular massage techniques, room for participants to just sit and quietly listen, or internal politics. Many participants have a role in leading, facilitating, or serving as a panelist on at least one topic. The operative words are
sharing and
exchanging ideas. Because participants are from all around the country, sharing feels comfortable in a way that would be much more difficult in a local forum with owners of programs who compete for students. While topic sessions are thoughtfully organized, the environment is decidedly informal.
The Forum philosophy is that each participant has something to teach and each participant has something to learn, and that teaching and learning are more fun in beautiful surroundings where excellent food abounds. To facilitate this philosophy, the Forum is held in interesting locations, at charming boutique hotels, with an eye towards serving a tantalizing menu to ensure participants are satisfied.
Panel Format: In the panel format, panel moderators open the session and frame the topic, ask panelists pre-prepared questions, add detail to an answer when appropriate, summarize the session findings, and close the session. Panelists prepare answers to pre-planned questions. They comment on other questions, or to comments from the floor, when appropriate. After the panelist has given input on the question, the discussion is opened up for comment from the floor. The aim is to involve everyone in each session, and get a wide variety of views on each topic.
Interactive Scenario Format: Interactive scenarios are based on the feedback our education staff receives while visiting schools across the country. A scenario is presented and participants are broken into groups to discuss the situation. When the groups are ready, they share their findings. At the 2008 Forum held in Boulder, Colorado, for example, participants grappled with scenarios such as “Who Owns the Curriculum?” where attendees explored the perspectives of a teacher and a school owner about ownership of classroom materials. In “The Outsider,” participants discussed ways to increase the inclusiveness on campus and ensure that no student is left out of activities. A scenario about Gen Y students addressed the challenges facing younger students and the instructors who teach them.
Presentation Format: Occasionally a participant with expertise in a particular area will present a topic of relevance to the group or share a new massage development of importance. At the Boulder, Colorado, Forum in 2008, ABMP President, Les Sweeney presented information about recent liability claims to help illustrate how schools might reduce liability risks on campus. In 2006, at the San Francisco Forum, marketing expert, Irene Block shared massage metrics and marketing tips for reaching new potential student groups. Plenty of time is left for participants to add to the collective knowledge base with their personal experiences about a given topic.
The next ABMP School Issues Forum will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 25-27, 2009. For more information, please contact Kathy Laskye (800-458-2267 ext. 649, or
kathy@abmp.com).
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Past Forum Reports
Find out more about ABMP’s School Issues Forum by reading reports from past Forums.
> Boulder, Colorado, 2008
> Boston, Massachusetts, 2007
School Issues Forum--Boulder, Colorado, 2008
Fifty-five participants from across the country took part in ABMP’s 12th annual School Issues Forum. Held in Boulder, Colorado, at the St. Julien Hotel & Spa, the event provided an opportunity for school owners, administrators, instructors, and massage professionals to share ideas, best practices, opinions, and innovations. Nestled at the foot of the Flatiron Mountains, the environment of the St. Julien boasts sunshine, views of the stunning Colorado landscape, and access to the lively nightlife of Boulder.
At the School Issues Forum, attendees are encouraged to participate fully by sharing perspectives during panel discussions and interactive scenarios. This year, attendees explored a number of different topics including:
Compare and Contrast: You vs. Other Massage Schools. This session discussed the criteria by which a school can judge itself as thriving or struggling and looked at standards a school can use to compare itself to other schools and identify strengths and weaknesses.
Successful Orientation. Panel members discussed ways to create a great beginning for new students and prepare them for the challenges of massage school while promoting bonding with classmates, teachers, and staff.
Classroom Liability. “Claims do happen,” noted ABMP President Les Sweeney, who shared some real-life examples of massage school claims to highlight ways to manage risk on a massage campus.
Managing Instructors. This attendee panel shared ideas for evaluating and coaching instructors to help them reach their full potential as educators.
Diversity in Massage. Attendees discussed why the field of massage is not as diverse as it might be, and explored ways to reach out to new prospective student populations to build greater campus diversity.
The Student Clinic: Balancing Business with Learning. In this session, the panel looked at the reasons why some student clinics provide wonderful learning opportunities for students while others offer little in the way of developmental education. Attendees shared ideas for how schools can balance the financial benefit or necessity of a successful clinic against student needs.
Teaching Massage: The rapid growth of the massage school industry has led to a marked shortage of well-seasoned massage instructors. Massage textbook publisher Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins has teamed up with ABMP to create a new resource for schools and massage program instructors. Anne Williams, ABMP’s Education Program Director, introduced attendees to the textbook launching in August 2008 called
Teaching Massage: Fundamental Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors. The project brings together an extraordinary group of 17 respected teachers. Many of these educators--like Mary Ann Foster, Mary Kathleen Rose, Rick Rosen, Carey Smith, Diana Thompson, and Ruth Werner, who were present at the forum--shared stories about their chapters and educational experiences.
While attendees always enjoy the chance to communicate their thoughts about massage school issues, they also enjoy the great food and opportunity to build new connections and friendships. On Thursday night, ABMP hosted a reception and dinner. Breaks this year were sponsored by Massage Envy and Elements Therapeutic Massage and featured a yogurt, fruit, and granola parfait to die for. On Friday night, attendees enjoyed the happy hour sponsored by Books of Discovery (publisher of
Trail Guide to the Body by Andrew Biel) at Bacaro’s Venetian Taverna, where they delighted in grilled artichokes with basil aioli, and spinach and ricotta dumplings. One Forum attendee said, “I consider the Forum ‘spirit food,’” while another noted, “I always come for the food.” Whether you want great ideas, to network with great people, or to enjoy great food in a great location, the Forum delivers a healthy serving of inspiration. To partake in the 2009 ABMP School Issues Forum held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa on March 25-27, contact Kathy Laskye via email (
kathy@abmp.com) or phone (800-458-2267, ext. 649).
School Issues Forum--Boston, Massachusetts, 2007
The eleventh annual ABMP School Issues Forum was held in Boston on October 18-20, 2007. The forum promotes an environment where attendees offer insights, experience, and knowledge. The goal: interactive dialogue. A moderator prepares questions for panelists, then allows participants to drive each session. School owners and administrators participated in sessions including “Building Resilience and Persistence in Massage Students,” “Operating an Ethical Program,” and “The Leadership Role at Your School.” Details of a forum session on using the arts in massage classrooms are provided in
The ABMP School Connection (Volume 5, Number 4).
Dawnette Cabalona of the Steiner Education Group of schools moderated a discussion on generating leads. Should a school work every lead, no matter the quality? Some said yes, others no. Objectors noted the staff time required for follow-up and the importance of focusing on leads likely to enroll. Lead generation ideas included online marketing, school open house events, high school career fairs, graduate referral programs, and activities that increase the school’s community profile. One participant highlighted that “school personnel are the school’s best ambassadors.” Finally, participants discussed methods to track leads and whether to track how many leads convert to applications, enrolled students, or program graduates.
ABMP President Les Sweeney reported on trends impacting schools and the massage profession, based on data from ABMP surveys. One finding notes that 52 massage schools have closed over the past two years; a total of approximately 1,596 massage programs currently operate nationally.
Debra Persinger, executive director of the
Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (
FSMTB) shared results from the FSMTB Career Patterns Survey. The survey looked at the loyalty and satisfaction professionals have toward their field. Another survey, the FSMTB’s Job Task Analysis, provides the most comprehensive insight to date into the activities performed by massage professionals; it is available for review at
www.fsmtb.org. Persinger also discussed the FSMTB’s Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx), launched on October 1, 2007.
Diana Thompson, president of the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF;
www.massagetherapyfoundation.org), moderated a session of research literacy in massage schools, featuring panelists Andrew Biel and Cliff Korn. Fresh from the Fascia Research Congress, held October 4–5, 2007, in Boston, Thompson shared research that may change thinking about the body in the massage profession. She provided an overview of research literacy and shared the Massage Therapy Foundation’s mission to advance “the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education, and community service.” Discussion focused on how to improve the quality of curricula with evidence-based materials.
Participants were also treated to a bit of fun: the Boston Duck Tour, sponsored by Natural Healers and ABMP. Participants boarded a renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicle for a tour through Boston’s streets and a dynamic splash into the Charles River.
On the final day of the forum, ABMP Chairman Bob Benson presented $20,000 in honor of ABMP’s 20th anniversary, with $10,000 checks going to both the FSMTB and the MTF to support their efforts.
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