Articles
Articles by BTI Co-directors
NOTE: These articles are copyrighted by their respective authors. You are welcome to download and read these articles, and pass them on to your colleagues. However, you may not reproduce them on other websites, or in print, without the specific permission of the copyright holder. All files are in PDF format. You’ll need Adobe Reader installed on your computer in order to view them.
Rick Rosen, MA, LMBT is the Founder and Co-Director of the Body Therapy Institute. Over the four decades he has worked in the massage therapy field, he has been a leader and advocate for consistent standards in regulation and education. Rick has a masters degree in humanistic psychology, and has developed innovative programs for manual therapists in the areas of mind-body relationships and body mechanics.
On Becoming a Profession: The Challenges and Choices that will Determine Our Future
This 2008 white paper provides a comprehensive overview of the massage therapy field, and identifies six key areas of development that must be in place for it to become a full-fledged profession. This paper offers specific policy recommendations for the major stakeholder organizations that shape and direct the evolution of the massage therapy field.The Structure of a Profession: Where Does Massage Therapy Stand Today?
Published in the December 2009 issue of Massage Today, this article is a follow-on to the White Paper. There is a specific focus on the basic structure of how professions tend to be organized, with a look at the developmental status of the massage therapy field as it compares to this matrix.Continuing Education in the Massage Therapy Field: Proposal for an Alternative to State and National Regulation
This white paper, published in February 2013, provides an in-depth examination of the way that continuing education approvals are handled by state boards and national organizations in the massage field.Model Regulations for Continuing Education in the Massage Therapy Field: A Simplified and Streamlined Approach for State Boards
This proposal follows the 2013 analysis of continuing education regulation, and provides a simpler and more streamlined approach to deal with CE that is required for the renewal of state licenses and national certifications.Working with the Body in the Educational Process
In body-oriented training programs such as massage therapy, what is the role of the body and somatic experience for both teachers and learners? This topic is explored in an excerpt from Rick’s chapter in Teaching Massage: Foundational Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors. © 2008 Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, reprinted with permission.
Carey Smith, MSC is Co-Director of the Body Therapy Institute, and Director of the Center for Embodied Education. She is a master teacher, trainer and somatic coach, and a pioneer in the development of training programs for educators in the fields of touch and movement therapies. She is the 2009 recipient of AMTA’s National Teacher of the Year Award, and is certified as a Master Somatic Coach by Strozzi Institute.
Embodied Presence: Cultivating Meaningful Connection with Self, Students, and Subject
Recording of a live 90-minute webinar held on November 13, 2019 by Sohnen-Moe Associates. “With a focus on present-centered experience, we will bring our attention, awareness and dedication to developing skills that are life-enhancing, sustainable, and generate more openhearted curiosity.”The Three Rivers of Teaching
This is a speech that Carey gave at the AMTA National Convention in September 2009, upon receipt of the Teacher of the Year award. She presents the themes of Lineage, the Present Moment, and the Vision of the Future as rivers that run constantly through all our lives and form the basis for living and learning.
* * *The following articles are adapted from Carey’s chapter in Teaching Massage: Foundational Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors:
The Cycles of Learning
This article provides an introduction to Carey’s unique model. She describes the process of classroom learning as it is shaped by two primary dimensions: The first is the Beginning, Middle and Ending Phases of the learning process. These Phases interact with the Aspects of a student’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual functions to determine the quality and outcome of the educational experience for student and teacher alike.Implementing the Cycles of Learning to Create Successful Outcomes
This article demonstrates how instructors can use the Cycles of Learning model to inspire and motivate students during each phase of the learning process. Carey discusses the teacher’s skills of observation, tracking and assessment, and provides practical examples on how to work with each student’s strengths and challenges that are based upon their particular place in the cycle.The Role of Motivation and Inspiration in Learning
Carey examines the meaning of education, and what it takes to create an environment that engenders positive attitudes for learning. She looks at the reciprocal relationship between Inspiration and Motivation, and how teachers can provide the spark that ignites their students’ passion for learning, growth and change.