Massage therapists often ask for survival tips for growing a practice in oncology massage therapy. Here, we offer the first of occasional “Featured Teacher” posts about successful OMT practitioners among our instructors and colleagues. Erika Slocum has been teaching oncology massage therapy with us since 2011. She co-owns an expanding practice, BlueFern Massage Therapy, with […]
Little Details Make Big Connections in Oncology Massage
In oncology massage, we know that the little details matter. How you gently tuck the draping so a client’s shoulders stay warm. The way you offer to massage a client’s scalp after hair loss. The way you hit exactly the right spot on your client’s foot, without too much pressure, in the infusion room. The […]
My Silver Anniversary: 25 Moments in Massage Therapy
Last month I celebrated 25 years in formal massage therapy practice. I’ve been in the same office the whole time, with the same appointment times and the same furniture. Little has changed here over the years, which is good, because I’m not so wild about change. My profession and I have stuck by each other […]
How a Nurse Navigator Could Promote Your Oncology Massage Practice
For massage therapists wanting to build a private practice without being in a spotlight, Joan Rau is a great role model. Joan is an oncology massage therapist (OMT) with a busy practice of 19 years near Atlanta. She is a quiet, thoughtful networker with a strong oncology massage base, and her practice is her livelihood. […]
Teaching and the Worst Form of Love
I was worried. Really worried. How could I teach effectively online, where I couldn’t see my students’ faces? How would we connect as a group if we were scattered so widely? Would online sessions ever feel like a living classroom? The warm kind of classroom, with padded seats and honest conversations and a beating heart? […]
On Laundry and Getting Help
I remember the moment when I could no longer face my massage linens. It had been a long, tired battle between me and my laundry. The laundry—a menacing pile of flannel and terrycloth—was winning. That was 20+ years ago. I saw 18-20 clients per week, a dozen in my private practice. Although they were all […]