You have probably been seeing CE classes advertised as being a Certification that you receive upon completion of the class…maybe in Medical massage or Pregnancy massage to name a few. The reality is that they are not true certifications despite their claims to be. Here is what you need to know:
Certification vs certificate of completion.
The only Certifications in the massage therapy profession that I have seen are: Board Certification from NCBTMB. The NCBTMB is BCTMB®.. The Lymphology Association of North America has created LANA® CERTIFIED LYMPHEDEMA THERAPIST®. The Certification Board for Structural Integration℠ (CBSI) Certifies Structural Integration Practitioners. Many Organizations that develop certificate programs often incorrectly call them certification programs. Be an informed consumer and educate yourself about the important differences.
Professional certification is the voluntary process by which a non-governmental entity grants an often time-limited recognition and use of a credential to an individual after verifying that he or she has met predetermined and standardized criteria.
This means that true certification is issued by a third-party organization with an established body of knowledge . There is often an exam and/or significant project outside of coursework and continuing education requirements.
So for example: If there was a Certification in something called Medical Massage, it would be a test that is created by a third party organization that has done extensive research into the skills and knowledge that a Certified Medical Massage Therapist would need to know. Teachers would be able to have classes and teach the information and give a certificate of completion so the person could apply to take the Certification Test that would be given by the third party org that created it – (which we do not have).
Same for things like Pregnancy massage – no Certification program now. Sports Massage – No. Clinical Massage- No. (We did briefly have Specialty Certificates from the NCBTMB but they have been discontinued –not sure what that means for the people who completed them.) Organizations who are saying they have a Certification are inacurately saying that they are a Certification Board. A teacher/school cannot Certifiy. (There are many claiming to do so and they are misinformed.)
Structural Integration Certification: https://www.theiasi.net/about-cbsi
Institute for Credentialing Excellence: https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/Accreditation/New-to-Accreditation/Certificate-vs-Certification
LANA Certification : https://www.clt-lana.org/get-certified
Article from Whitney Lowe that explains the details:
https://www.ncbtmb.org/
NCBTMB is Certified too! https://www.facebook.com/NCBTMB/posts/4863113480468108
They are Certified by https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/
https://www.credentialingexcellence.org/Accreditation/New-to-Accreditation/Certificate-vs-Certification