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On August 16, 1943, the postgraduate class of the College of Swedish
Massage in Chicago met in an open forum and decided to form a new
professional association. At that meeting, the purpose of the new
association was created as a Pledge, which was signed by 29 Charter
Members. The basis of the Pledge was a commitment to service, ethical
practice, and the massage therapy profession. Dues of 50 cents were
collected.
By 1946, the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses (AAMM) had
grown to 68 members, and a more formal organization was developed. A
constitution and bylaws were adopted at the first AAMM National
Convention held in August 1946 in Kansas City, Missouri. The document
stated, “The purpose of this association is to foster the spirit of
cooperation, the exchange of ideas and techniques among its members, and
to advance the science of massage so as to merit the respect and
confidence of all people, and benefit mankind.”
About this time association membership adopted an emblem consisting of
the initials AAMM separated by a cross and enclosed in a circle. In
1949, this emblem was made available to members on a decal, designed to
be placed in a window to identify professional massage therapists. There
was also a newsletter, The Masseur, published from 1945 to 1962, which
contained information about association activities and educational
articles.
Association Changes as Profession Advances
In 1958, the name of the association was changed to the American Massage
& Therapy Association (AM&TA). The change was seen as desirable to give
a new and more professional image to the association. To symbolize the
change, a new emblem was designed which depicts hands upholding the
torch of wisdom and understanding, the flame of service, the shield of
strength and integrity, and white signifying the purity of our hearts,
our ideals and our aims. The basic elements of the emblem make up our
trademarked logo today.
The AM&TA was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1960. A Code
of Ethics was developed in 1960, and the Massage Journal replaced The
Masseur as the official AM&TA publication in 1962. In the late 1960s,
requirements for approval of massage training schools were strengthened.
The name of the association was changed again in 1983 to the American
Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). Removal of the “&” supported the
practice of massage therapy as a legitimate professional field unto
itself, separate from physical therapy and focused on the art and
science of health and healing through human touch.
After 24 years as the Massage Journal, the official publication of AMTA
changed to the Massage Therapy Journal (MTJ) in 1986. MTJ was to be
primarily devoted to broad professional issues such as the efficacy of
massage, techniques and business management. In spring 2006, the name officially changed to
mtj and a new design was launched. The member newsletter,
Hands On, began in 1985 to concentrate on information about the
association, its members, chapters and member schools.
Professional Development of the ‘80s and ‘90s
During the 1980s, the groundwork also was laid to move both the field of
massage therapy and AMTA into a period of major professional
development. This was reflected in the adoption of a revised mission
statement in 1988. In 2004, the mission statement was again updated to reflect the focus of the association – “The mission of the American Massage Therapy Association is to serve AMTA members while advancing the art, science and practice of massage therapy.”
AMTA’s growth in membership was profound in the 1980s and ‘90s. In 1980,
AMTA had only 1,400 members, but grew to 8,500 by 1990. Today,
AMTA has
56,000 members.
The level of administrative support for the association has matured as
well. An office in Chicago was opened in 1989 and the first AMTA
Executive Director was hired in October 1990. That same year, a
networked computer system was installed to improve member services,
communications and record keeping.The AMTA National Office was relocated to Evanston, IL in 1992 and to
its current quarters in 2004. AMTA has a paid, professional staff to support member services and the volunteer
leadership, and to carry out direction determined by the Board of Directors.
Massage Advocacy Laws, Regulation & Licensing
From 1949 to 1950, the association officially began its efforts to help
legitimize massage therapy through state laws. AMTA volunteer leadership
formulated the Massage Registration Act as a model law for states to
register legitimate massage therapists. Those efforts were strengthened
with the establishment of the Legislation Fund in 1972 and continue
today under the AMTA Law & Legislative Assistance Program (LLAP). In
1991, AMTA was a founding member of the Federation of Therapeutic
Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Organizations, to support
cooperation between not-for-profit organizations representing these
practices.
The number of states that regulate massage took major leaps forward in
the 1980s and 90s. Up to 1980, only 9 states passed laws regulating the
profession. Between 1980 and 1989, 3 more states voted to regulate
massage therapy. From 1990 through 1999, another 16 states and
Washington, D.C. took the step. And, since 2000, Mississippi, Illinois,
Kentucky and Arizona have passed regulatory legislation.
AMTA’s Board of Directors voted in 2001 to more clearly define the
association’s support for regulation of massage by stating that
regulation of the practice of massage therapy, through state licensure,
is the most desirable means of meeting the needs of the public and the
profession. In 2006, AMTA centralized its government relations program and focused it to advocate fair and consistent
licensure in all U.S. states. The goal of the government relations program is to eventually achieve portability of practice
between states.
Education & Standards
AMTA has always emphasized setting standards of education for
massage
therapy practitioners. From the beginning of the association, Active
(now Professional Active) members had to meet certain
criteria for admittance into the association.
As membership skyrocketed and public acceptance of massage grew in the
1990s, the association made great strides forward in developing
structures to reflect its values of competency in massage education, as
well as integrity and ethics. AMTA established the National
Certification Program for Massage Therapists (now independently
incorporated as the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage
and Bodywork), the AMTA Commission on Massage Training Accreditation &
Approval (now the independently-incorporated Commission on Massage
Therapy Accreditation), the AMTA Foundation (now called the Massage
Therapy Foundation), a revised AMTA Code of
Ethics, a Standards of Practice document, the AMTA Government Relations Program, and the Law & Legislation Assistance Program (LLAP).
AMTA Governance
Significant governance changes have taken place in response to AMTA’s
dynamic growth and changing times. A Special Committee’s design for
internal reorganization was approved in 1989, instituted in the early
‘90s, then further developed by a Governance Special Committee. A
Strategic Plan was first established in 1992 to guide AMTA’s direction,
and the volunteer leadership has updated it frequently to keep plans
current with rapidly-changing issues in the profession. In the mid-90s
AMTA began surveying members regularly about their member benefits,
their professional needs and what they expect from the association.
In 1992 AMTA Bylaws also were reformed and streamlined, and in 1996 a
Policy Manual was developed. In 2006/07 Bylaws were reviewed and streamlined again to ensure efficient operations. Election of national
officers by mail ballot was instituted in 1996, allowing for greater member participation in choosing leaders. And, a Chapter Relations
Program was established in 1992 to support chapter officers, by providing them with information, training and other services. Since 2002, AMTA has held an annual Chapter Volunteer Orientation Program (CVOP) near the National Office to train chapter leaders on their volunteer responsibilities. A Volunteer Development Program was begun in 2005 to match the skills and time commitments of potential volunteers with work AMTA needs at the national and chapter levels.
Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of both national and chapter volunteers took a leap forward in 2006 as job descriptions for
volunteer positions began to be developed and approved by the national board. The association also began requiring volunteers to sign a code of conduct
agreement to protect the volunteers and the association from legal risks, and to affirm that volunteers carry out their duties and responsibilities with care,
loyalty and obedience.
Image and Public Awareness of Massage
AMTA communications and public relations efforts accelerated with the
growth of the association and are one of the reasons for greater public
understanding and acceptance of massage. Since 1996, PR and media
relations efforts have continually increased, resulting in a tripling of
the annual newspaper and magazine coverage of massage in just 6 years.
Beginning in 1997, AMTA began promoting National Massage Therapy
Awareness Week as a means to better inform the news media and the
public about the efficacy of massage and the professionalism of
AMTA
massage therapists. That same year, AMTA commissioned the first annual
consumer survey on attitudes and usage of massage therapy. The results
of the survey are used during National Massage Therapy Awareness Week
(NMTAW) to further educate the public about the growth and acceptance of
the profession. In 2000, the Home Depot Building Better Health program became the first corporate supporter of NMTAW and promoted massage for its employees.
In 2005, AMTA began occasional advertising on major internet search engines Google.com and Yahoo.com. The following year, the board of directors voted to expand
advertising to consumers through major national magazine ads and websites and search engines. AMTA now has ongoing advertising on Google.com. The advertising program
immediately boosted users of AMTA’s Find a Massage Therapist national locator service by 73 percent and members began to hear from new clients who had seen AMTA’s ads.
Communications took on a dramatically new dimension in 1997 with the
launch of AMTA’s Web site. The award-winning Web site offers special
sections for members, including the opportunity to renew membership and
order AMTA products. It also has become a significant source of
information about massage for the public and for the
news media,
attracting more than two hundred thousand visits per month in 2007.
Expanding Relations with Healthcare Communities
As interest in complementary and alternative therapies exploded in the
1990s, AMTA saw the need to be an ever more important voice to protect
the interests of massage therapists and to ensure protection of the
public. In recent years the association has become involved in national
coalitions and organizations striving for recognition of the value of
their disciplines.
AMTA has become an influential force advocating for and representing the
massage therapy profession. Governmental bodies, leaders in healthcare
and national and local news media turn to AMTA as the resource on
massage and as the organization that represents the profession. We are
developing ongoing contacts with and, in some cases, fruitful
relationships with medical associations (including the American Medical
Association and the American Veterinary Medicine Association), and many
governmental agencies. AMTA provided testimony to national presidential
and congressional bodies that gathered information on the efficacy of
massage and the standards for the profession. AMTA will continue these
contacts as a voice for those members who want to be part of medical and
insurance processes and to protect members from those who would restrict
their right to practice.
Future Directions: Improving Today for Tomorrow
AMTA is committed to strengthening the stature of massage and of the
massage therapy profession. Based on its bylaws and its legal structure
as an association, AMTA is continuing its leadership and promotion of
the profession.
AMTA seeks to create demand for
massage therapy so it is viewed as a
routine part of society’s health and well-being. We want AMTA members
to be viewed as synonymous with high quality massage, and for consumers to prefer AMTA members for their massage. We want the
name of AMTA and what it stands for to be well-known and well-respected
among massage therapists. AMTA is committed to providing leading-edge
products, programs and services to its members and continuing to be the
leader of the profession.
AMTA is guided by Strategic Principles developed by its Board of
Directors and develops a Strategic Plan based on input from members and
knowledge-based decision-making. The future of AMTA and the
massage
therapy profession promises to be a time of further creativity, growth
and achievement.
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American Massage Therapy Association®
