A Career in massage therapy
In the past 20 years, the massage therapy industry has grown from an "alternative' therapy enjoyed by a few to a worldwide, billion dollar industry accepted by mainstream healthfunds.
This incredible growth has seen professionlisation of the industry and as a result, massage therapy training has become increasingly scrutinised and massage therapy training schools subject to quality measures.
Our practically based massage training courses teach many dynamic styles of ancient bodywork that focus on the 'whole' person by taking a holistic approach that incorporates business principles and medical science while emphasising the emotional, spiritual and intuitive aspects of life. We also teach remedial massage, deep tissue massage, relaxation massage and Swedish massage techniques so that our massage therapists are multi-skilled and ready for any clinic enviroment before they graduate.
This ensures graduates will 'stand out in the crowd' as they are not just on par with the average massage therapist, but that they are the very best massage therapist they can be.
Our massage therapy training therefore finds the balance through combining the very best of "modern knowledge and ancient wisdom".
Our massage therapy training encourages students to reflect on their own experiences and health to understand the impact touch can have on client's physically, emotionally and energetically. As i have learnt from the many years of teachingmassage during the past decade, this is a crucial step in making the leap from ordinary to extraordinary in offering clients the very best treatment and opportunites for growth.
My life's teachers who have shared their wisdom, knowledge and gifts form the heart have been the inspiration for founding the Academy of Therapeutic Arts so that such heartfelt knowledge can be passed on to the next generation of massage therapists.
Founder and Director
ATA Information
The Academy of Therapeutic Arts came into being in 2004 built on the foundation of many years of acclaimed industry massage therapy training conducted by its founder and Director, Andrew Barnes. andrew@therapeuticarts.edu.au
The previously successful training programs in Balinese massage, Hawaiian Ka Huna massage, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage and Thai Yoga Massage were recognised by the QAMT and as providing professional education training school in massage and related body therapies. This led to a recommendation by several key industry representatives and employers that the courses be documented to national standards and put forward for accreditation by the Department of Employment and Training, Queensland. Accreditation was granted in June 2004.
The Academy applied for Registration in December 2004.
As far as possible, we structure all learning so that it replicates work in industry conditions and to industry standards. This can be through the running of workshops and retreats where you get ‘hands-on’ contact with clients or through setting assessment tasks that allow you to apply the theory to situations that you might face in your own practice.
ATA is proud of its teaching standards which are based on the principles of flexibility and accelerated learning. Life does not set exams, nor do we. We give you problems to solve, everyday tasks to perform and opportunities to practice skills so that you learn ‘the language of the body’. It is this realism that accelerates your learning and gives you a foundation for adapting your work skills to new environments and new situations.
Our programs are ‘student-centred’ and as user-friendly as possible. The programs have been designed and written by practitioners who are also training professionals. Many components of the program can be studied in your own environment and can be completed in time spans and sequences that fit in with the demands of your own life.
However, this style of learning places a great deal of responsibility on the learner, which is why we provide support to help you ‘learn to learn’ and assistance to keep you ‘on track’.
External study programs have been structured so that you learn effectively by building skills through sequenced learning strategies and learning threads. We teach you the ‘how to’ for the assessment tasks, as well as the ‘what to’ in model situations. For example, you will learn a set of skills in one module and apply them to different work situations in another.
We have endeavoured to make our learning as relevant and effective as possible.
ATA understands that we al lead busy lives and that we need to value our time and resources with great care. We are committed to the concept of creating a flexible learning environment where students can maximise their time and energy in the most efficient way. For this reason we have developed courses so that all the theory components can be studied in the comfort of your own home, anywhere, anytime in Australia or from around the world. We have no semesters so you can start studying whenever you like.
With this, you are given two choices in how you would like to complete your studies; we can either send you the study guides via Australia Post or you can use our E-Learning option where the study materials are emailed to you or completed online. We recommend E-Learning as the best option as firstly it is better for the enviroment as it saves more trees and secondly all of your assessment material can be emailed back which will save you time and money in postage and handling.
ATA's practical training has been developed to be as efficient as possible, so we run our practical training by what we call intensive experintial training. Experiential training develops your skills in your chosen therapy stream quickly and gives you direct experience of working with clients in industry conditions. Training is run throughout the year so you can plan your attendance to suit your needs. Students will also be kept informed of any special training opportunities and seminars that may be held at ATA from time to time.
ATA's natioanlly recognised qualifications enable you to:
- Ensure clients of your professional standards
- Apply for membership of professional associations
- Access to quality assured training programs which meet natioanl and enterprise standards
- Access to qualified and experienced industry professionals who are willing to paas on their expertise to you
- Experiential learning programs that make learning more effective and more relevant to work and business
- Hands-on experience through residential intensives and practical workshops to give you confidence in working with clients
- Fast-track training options through Mutual Recognition, credit transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
- Flexible programs that allow you to build qualifications through a series of short courses
- Flexible training resources that allow you to study theory components in your own time and at your own pace
- Support and mentoring for students with special needs
- Youth Study, Austudy/Abstudy Approved training
All training can be undertaken in a Certificate IV or Diploma qualification or as single subjects or professional post graduate training.
Massage Therapy training courses are run reguarly, if you would like to know about upcoming course dates go to the Massage Therapy training course calendar.