The Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) Stewards recently announced the appointment of Chip Hines, MS, LMT, as the Project Manager for the definition phase of the MTBOK project.

Hines is a former senior federal government project manager and PMI-certified project management professional. He brings with him a wealth of experience in managing large-scale projects that [...]]]> The Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) Stewards recently announced the appointment of Chip Hines, MS, LMT, as the Project Manager for the definition phase of the MTBOK project.

Hines is a former senior federal government project manager and PMI-certified project management professional. He brings with him a wealth of experience in managing large-scale projects that require consensus building within a diverse community. Chip is also a Licensed Massage Therapist (Maryland) who is NCBTMB certified and has taught advanced bodywork at the Baltimore School of Massage.

As project manager, Chip will direct and manage efforts of the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge Task Force, to ensure its members successfully produce the desired outcomes within the time and resource constraints; serve as a public liaison for the Task Force; and act as a conduit to MTBOK Stewards. The taskforce, made up of subject matter experts in the field—practitioners, educators and researchers—will be seated in July 2009 to define, develop, and articulate the MTBOK. Foundational elements of the MTBOK project consist of:

• Definition of massage therapy (scope of practice, terminology, describing the field);
• Definition of the competencies of an entry-level massage therapist, in terms of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs).

Chip will serve a twelve-month contract and report directly to the MTBOK Stewards. The MTBOK Stewards consist of representatives from the American Massage Therapy Association, AMTA Council of Schools, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, Massage Therapy Foundation, and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork.

For more information and ongoing updates on the Body of Knowledge Project, please visit www.mtbok.org.

Sourced from: Associated Massage & Bodywork Professionals

Each of the MTBOK Task Force members were [...]]]> The Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge (MTBOK) Stewards are pleased to announce the volunteer MTBOK Task Force member selections have been made. Every attempt has been made to select a dynamic group of individuals who together represent what may be considered the broadly defined field of massage therapy.

Each of the MTBOK Task Force members were chosen for their experience, credentials and expertise as well as having a working understanding of at least one of the major areas impacting the current and future growth of the Massage Therapy profession. The members of the MTBOK Task Force are:

• Megan Lavery
• Kevin Pierce
• Susan Salvo
• Michael Shea
• Steve Schenkman
• Dawn Schmidt
• Nancy Schmitt
• JoEllen Sefton

The Task Force is responsible for initiating a profession-wide and unifying effort to articulate a common body of knowledge for the profession. Under the guidance of Chip Hines, a PMI certified Project Manager Professional, the Task Force members will begin work on the foundational elements of the MTBOK project in July, 2009. These foundational elements include:

• Definition of massage therapy
  • Describing the Field (primarily to enhance understanding and appreciation of the profession by those outside the profession)
  • Scope of Practice
  • Terminology
• Competencies of an entry-level massage therapist (knowledge, skills, abilities)

The MTBOK project is expected to complete the foundational elements phase of the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge initiative in approximately one year.

Six organizations have agreed to jointly steward the MTBOK initiative. They are American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), AMTA Council of Schools, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP), Massage Therapy Foundation, Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) and National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork (NCBTMB).

All stakeholders in Massage Therapy are encouraged to follow the progress of the project, and to provide comments, suggestions and make contributions. Specific instructions will be forthcoming as the project gets started this summer. Task Force bios and other MTBOK updates are available at www.mtbok.org.

Sourced from: Associated Massage & Bodywork Professionals