Available Grants

Australian Massage Research Foundation Announced.  Read the press release here.

Massage Therapy Foundation receives $50,000 donation from the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).  Read the press release here.

Announcing the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice (IJTMB)

IJTMB - Call For Manuscripts

2007 Practitioner Case Report Contest Winners Press Release

Massage Therapy Foundation receives $10,000 donation from Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) - view ABMP press release and photo

View the 2006 Annual Report

View 2006 Strategic Planning Initiatives

View the 2007 Grant Recipients

View a slideshow of our activities at the 2007 AMTA Convention in Cincinnati, OH

2008 Post-Convention Workshop

Meet the Foundation's 2007-2008 Advisory Council

2007 Student Case Report Contest Winners Press Release (.pdf file)

The Foundation In the News:

Read the article "Bodywork For The Homeless" by Cynthia Price published in the Spring 2008 issue of the Washington Massage Journal.  This article is about a 2007 Community Service grant that was awarded to Alternative Healthcare Access Campaign in Seattle, WA.

Listen to an interview of Diana L. Thompson, LMP, Foundation President, for Massage Therapy Radio

2006 Student Case Report Contest Gold Award Winner, Lindsey Phipps Eisensmith, article published in Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (JBMT)

2006 Student Case Report Contest Silver Award Winner, Meg Russell, article published in Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (JBMT)

Read "Connecting Passion and Community Service" by Jean Ives - an article published in the Fall 2007 issue of mtj on several past Foundation community service grant recipients.

2007 Student Case Report Honorable Mention, Eric Mathis, published in Massage Therapy Practice Magazine at www.massagetherapypractice.com

2006 Student Case Report Contest Honorable Mention, Peggi Honig, published in Massage Today.

Diana L. Thompson, LMP, Foundation President featured in Cortiva's June, 2006 e-newsletter, Deep: Massage Therapy Review.

News Archive

Research Related News

____________________________________________________________

Massage Therapy Foundation 2008 Post-Convention Workshop

Sunday, September 21, 12:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Monday, September 22, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm

You are invited to participate in this year's post-convention workshop, which will take place at the Hyatt Regency Phoenix following the National Convention. All proceeds from the workshop registration fees benefit the Foundation, so you have the opportunity to learn an important skill and make a substantial donation at the same time.

Upledger Institute Lymph Drainage Therapy Workshop
Lymph Drainage Therapy (LDT) is a hands-on method of lymph drainage developed by Bruno Chikly, MD, DO (hon). Using the LDT approach, trained therapists are able to detect the rhythm, direction, depth and quality of lymph flow over the entire body. The subtle maneuvers taught in this class help recirculate the lymphatic flow, activate fluid circulation, and stimulate the functioning of the immune and parasympathetic nervous systems. Participants will learn the gentle wave-like techniques that bring about the proper functioning of the lymphatic system, as well as how and why LDT plays a crucial role in recovering from disease and improving health. 12 CE Hours.

Instructor: Mya Gayle Breman
Mya Gayle Breman, LMT, LCSW, CST-D, of The Upledger Institute, Inc.®, is an international teacher and lecturer specializing in Lymph Drainage Therapy, CranioSacral Therapy and Somato Emotional Release. She is an experienced member of The Upledger Clinic staff, where she provides private sessions and is instrumental in the success of the clinic’s highly regarded one- and two-week Intensive Programs.

To register*, please visit www.amtamassage.org/forms/RegForm_NatConv08.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Nora Brunner
Public Relations
800-458-2267, ext. 647
nora@abmp.com
 

ASSOCIATED BODYWORK & MASSAGE PROFESSIONALS MARKS 61,000 MEMBERS

 AND 20 YEARS SERVING PROFESSION WITH $20,000 IN DONATIONS

 TO MASSAGE THERAPY ORGANIZATIONS

(Evergreen, Colo., Oct. 23) - To commemorate its 20 years of service to the massage therapy profession, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) has given $20,000 to non-profit massage therapy organizations in support of an improved profession-entry test instrument and a program encouraging the spread of massage research literacy. The recipients of two $10,000 gifts are the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) of Overland Park, Kan. and the Massage Therapy Foundation of Evanston, Ill.

“ABMP recognizes that others share our desire to improve the profession and some of those institutions deserve financial as well as volunteer support,” said Les Sweeney, NCTM, and ABMP’s president. The gifts were made Friday at ABMP’s 11th School Issues Forum in Boston, a pioneering event that serves owners and directors of massage training schools.

“The FSMTB recently launched its Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEx) after a swift but thorough effort to create a nationally verified entry-level assessment instrument for the profession,” Sweeney said. The Federation was founded in 2005 to ensure massage therapy is provided to the public in a safe and effective manner.

“Now it’s time to take the story of that development effort to state massage therapy boards to persuade them to champion the exam as a clearly focused licensing examination for the profession,” he said. The ABMP contribution helps cover travel costs for the campaign.

The Massage Therapy Foundation gift is designated for the Student Case Report Contest, a program founded in 2005 for massage therapy students to conduct client research case studies and summarize them in clinical case reports. The contest works with massage therapy school programs to develop research literacy and evidence-based practice habits in massage therapists. The Massage Therapy Foundation’s mission is to advance the knowledge and practice of massage by supporting scientific research, education and community service.

“The massage therapy profession needs to home-grow researchers rather than depend on the work of physicians and other allied health practitioners to demonstrate the health benefits of massage,” Sweeney said.

The commemorative gifts are made as ABMP celebrates two decades serving massage therapists and reaching its 61,000-member mark, making it the largest massage membership association in the nation.

            “Leadership in membership calls out for leadership in advancing the profession,” Sweeney said. Debra Persinger of FSMTB and Diana Thompson of the Massage Therapy Foundation accepted the awards at the Forum event.

ABMP also launched a comprehensive initiative in August to strengthen the educational experience and skills of massage school students nationwide, inspired by 1,800 ABMP staff visits over a decade that highlighted a need to better prepare massage therapy students for practice.

Headquartered in Evergreen, Colo., ABMP’s mission is to serve the massage, bodywork and somatic therapy profession and to promote ethical practices, foster acceptance of the profession and protect the rights of legitimate massage and bodywork practitioners.

Photo Caption: Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) marked its 20th anniversarys and 61,000-member mark with gifts to two massage therapy organizations. From left to right, Bob Benson, ABMP board chair; Diana Thompson, Massage Therapy Foundation President; Debra Persinger, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards; and Les Sweeney, NCTM, and ABMP’s president.