Advocacy for the Massage Therapy Profession
Why your voice matters.
The massage therapy profession has come so far from where we used to be. However, we have so far to go. I became a member of the American Massage Therapy Association (commonly referred to as AMTA) in 2020. AMTA is a huge reason why the state of Oklahoma has licensure for massage therapists. Having state licenses for the industry sets educational standards for our profession, which is essential to maintaining public safety. AMTA has moved the profession forward since 1943. They support massage therapists through advocacy, continuing education, and research.
In 2021 I decided to run for the Oklahoma AMTA delegate position. Delegates are a bridge between massage therapists in our state and AMTA's national board. We gather information from our industry and write proposed position statements (a statement you'd like the organization to endorse on a national level) and discussion topics. Our objective is to be in touch with the needs and goals of our fellow massage therapists and hopefully help fill the gaps by bringing attention to those areas. Delegates are required to attend the assembly of delegates (AOD) meeting every year. This meeting is always held the Wednesday before AMTA's national convention. At this meeting we discuss and vote on potential position statements and have discussions about the challenges our profession faces.
At times people and/or government officials try and do away with our licensure. Our license helps to ensure that your massage therapist is educated and competent. When this arrises it is essential to reach out to legislators and let them know the impact that massage therapy has had in your life. Below are links to find your senators information. An email or phone call can be invaluable to keeping our licensure if the need arises. If you would like to be on our email list please create a client account. I will send out emails with advocacy updates as needed.
