California Certification Partially Available

A Letter to California ABMP Members from Bob Benson, ABMP Chairman August 25, 2009 Dear ABMP California Member: I had hoped to be in a position this week to inform you that statewide certification as a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) or a Certified Massage Practitioner (CMP) would be fully ready on September 1. I still anticipate that will be the case sometime in mid-September, at which time ABMP will send by regular mail to all California practicing massage members a formal announcement, an application form, and accompanying instructions. What is available at this time is about two-thirds of a loaf for those of you who desire to get started on the process. You may link to www.camtc.org and click on “Application for Certification,” which will permit you to download an application form and instructions. You then will be able to fill out the form, arrange for your massage school(s) to send in official copies of your transcripts, gather other supporting documents, and transmit that material to the California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) along with payment. What is missing at this point is the Live Scan fingerprinting process, which will provide the basis for a criminal background check, a helpful safeguard to distinguish you from others trying to pose as massage therapists. In charge of Live Scan procedures is the California Department of Justice (DOJ). CAMTC staff filed a preliminary application with DOJ on April 29. CAMTC filed the final required information with DOJ on July 21. On August 21 DOJ suddenly determined that it needs to make a computer programming change to accommodate CAMTC processing requirements. DOJ now says the “earliest” possible date to activate Live Scan will be September 8, with no guarantee it won’t take longer. When all systems are go, ABMP will post that fact here on www.abmp.com. CAMTC certification is voluntary. The design is to allow someone to continue practicing massage therapy (following local city and county ordinances) without securing CAMTC certification. Some municipalities are, however, electing to step away from massage licensing activities, instead requiring individuals to secure CAMTC certification. Please check with your own city or county if you are planning not to obtain CAMTC certification. Reasons to Certify Even where it remains voluntary, there are excellent reasons to seek CAMTC certification:

• Cost: A single $150 fee (plus an estimated one-time $80-$95 charge for live-scan fingerprinting and related ID costs) covers you for an initial 24 months; renewal for the next 24 months will cost only $125 (with no need to repeat fingerprinting);
• Pre-emption: While you still will need to secure a local government business license if you have your own practice, possession of CAMTC certification will exempt you from local government massage licensing requirements and fees;
• Portability: With CAMTC certification, you can practice anywhere in the state;
• Title Protection: Only individuals holding CAMTC certification will be permitted to use within California the titles “Certified Massage Therapist” or “Certified Massage Practitioner” or similar wording or abbreviations¹;
• Visibility: Consumers will be able to verify on a website who is or isn’t certified; over time, consumers may begin to establish a preference for certified individuals.

Helpful Hints Most applicants will be able straightforwardly to qualify for certification simply by having their massage school supply an official transcript to CAMTC. If, however, the school you attended no longer is in operation, don’t despair. Gather what evidence of attendance and program completion you possess. If all you have is a copy of a graduation certificate, supplement that with additional evidence of participation in the program when you send in your application (e.g. a copy of a cancelled check evidencing tuition payment, a graded final exam, class notes, or a statement from a former instructor confirming your program completion). If you have 250 or more massage education hours, but not that many at a single approved school, you still probably can qualify for CMP certification. This is also the case if you have the total hours, but not at least 100 of those hours in specified curriculum areas. In both cases, apply for “Conditional Massage Practitioner” certification. Once CAMTC examines your full record, they will likely see you are immediately eligible for full certification. If you have at least 100 massage education hours, but not 250, check out Pathways B and C on the “Overview of Pathways to CAMTC Certification” chart near the end of the instructions posted on www.camtc.org; you may possess sufficient experience hours to qualify for CMP status through these grandfathering education + experience routes. Cautions … and a Request for Patience The application form and supporting documentation requests are thorough, necessarily so. As you are painfully aware, for decades certain individuals offering other personal services have tried to pose as massage therapists. Cities and counties adopted restrictive massage therapy regulations, thinking that would curb prostitution. Having secured back an opportunity to regulate our own profession, it is important that CAMTC certification requirements and disciplinary processes be thorough so that we earn the trust of local government officials. Most cities appear ready to give CAMTC an opportunity to be successful. A few cities have indicated they may resist the new CAMTC massage therapy regulations and instead try to apply local ordinances to all therapists practicing within their boundaries. Both ABMP and CAMTC disagree with those cities’ legal positions and have pledged to work to alter the stance those cities are now taking. As we become aware of a city taking such a position, we will notify ABMP members residing in that jurisdiction. A few other cities, notably Santa Monica, are intending to accept pre-emption, but are making noises about requiring everyone to have CAMTC certification in place by September 1, 2009 – a physical impossibility even if DOJ was not behind schedule. CAMTC will attempt to reason with Santa Monica officials, but can make no promises of success. In closing, I ask you to be patient with CAMTC staff these coming months. Certification criteria and procedures are still being refined. Every CAMTC staff member processing applications is a rookie, because the organization is just getting started. None of us know whether initial application flow will be a trickle or a rush of many thousands at once. If interest is high, it may take weeks to catch up. My advice: if statewide CAMTC certification is appealing to you, initiate the application process at least a couple months in advance of the expiration of your current local government permit or license. To learn more about CAMTC certification, please visit www.camtc.org. If after exploring that website, including the Frequently Asked Questions section, you require additional information, you can talk to a CAMTC staff member at (916) 669-5336. While ABMP staff is less versed in the details of the new program, we of course also welcome your calls or e-mails. Sincerely, Bob Benson Chairman __________ ¹If you are an ABMP Certified Massage Therapist, ABMP Certified Bodywork Therapist, or ABMP Certified Somatic Therapist, you will be required to obtain CAMTC certification to continue being permitted to use those ABMP titles within California. We anticipate that a reasonable CAMTC grace period will be provided before this limitation is enforced. Beginning January 1, 2010, ABMP plans to limit both new and renewal ABMP Certified level memberships to those California residents who have obtained CAMTC certification. Any Californian who currently holds an ABMP Certified level membership who elects not to become CAMTC certified may alternatively switch to ABMP Professional level membership.