Harpers Ferry School of Massage

Welcome to our School of Massage

667 Huyett Rd Charles Town, WV 25414
304-207-0828

Curriculum

Home . The Curriculum

The Curriculum

The Harpers Ferry School of Massage curriculum was developed with one question in mind: How should students spend their time to be the most confident, competent, and resoursefull massage therapists on their very first day at work?

Muscles, Bones, and Movement

First 10 Weeks

You’ll be able to:

  • Name and locate the bones on a diagram
  • Name and locate the muscles on a diagram
  • Know the attachments and actions for each muscle
  • Understand the structure and action of each joint
  • Understand how muscles activate
  • Understand how the muscular and nervous systems interact
  • Understand the properties of myofascia

Palpation and Basic Skills

First 10 Weeks

You will:

  • Learn and practice basic client/therapist on-table communication and informed consent
  • Understand the elements and importance of therapist hygiene
  • Understand the elements and importance of massage room sanitation
  • Learn and practice draping for modesty, comfort, and compliance with the law and code of ethics
  • Develop a confident therapeutic touch
  • Learn to identify individual muscles by location and action
  • Learn to communicate with the client to activate the desired muscles
  • Practice locating bony landmarks
  • Practice locating specific muscles

Self Care for the Massage Therapist

First 2 Weeks

You’ll learn about:

  • Conditioning and cross training for massage
  • Warming up physically for a day of massage
  • Meditating to enable presence and clarity
  • Rest and nutrition
  • Body Mechanics
  • Injury prevention
  • Practitioner safety and PPE
  • "Energetic" and Emotional protection
  • Maintaining principles

General Anatomy and Physiology

Weeks 3 -10

You will be familiar with the composition, structure, and function of:

  • Cells
  • The nervous system
  • The endocrine system
  • The circulatory system
  • The respiratory system
  • The digestive system
  • Bones
  • Skeletal muscles
  • Fascia and connective tissue

Benefits and Limitations of Massage

Weeks 11-14

You’ll understand how massage effects:

  • Muscle tissue
  • Proprioceptors
  • Connective tissue
  • Fascia of all types
  • The endocrine system
  • The circulatory system, including lymph
  • Nerves
  • The central nervous system
  • Thoughts and emotions

Technique and Skill Development

Weeks 11-18

You’ll practice:

  • Effleurage
  • Petrissage
  • Tapotement
  • Holding
  • Stretching
  • Body mechanics
  • Communicating with the client
  • Guided engagement
  • Receiving massage
  • The common modalities (Swedish, deep tissue, mofascial, sports, chair)

Assessment and Planning

Weeks 15-19

You’ll learn how to:

  • Visually assess posture, gait, and skin and circulatory condition
  • Assess the condition of muscles through palpation
  • Assess the condition of circulation through palpation
  • Perform active and passive range of motion assessment
  • Perform a verbal and written intake and history
  • Understand how and when to treat special populations
  • Set appropriate goals for each massage session
  • Set appropriate goals for longer term massage relationship
  • Formulate strategies to achieve those goals
  • Evaluate the response to previous treatment and adjust strategies and goals accordingly

Pathology and Contraindications

Weeks 11-15

You’ll understand:

  • An overview of Pathology
  • Types of medication
  • General contraindications
  • Local contraindications
  • Pathological contraindications
  • Contraindications to certain applications, special populations, and certain tools
  • Medications that contraindicate or caution massage
  • Areas of caution

Communication

This course contains essential topics that will be learned and assessed in other courses.

You’ll learn about:

  • The art of a great intake
  • Taking an appropriate clinical history
  • Professional communication and vocabulary
  • Boundaries
  • Confidentiality
  • Managing expectations
  • Robust informed consent
  • Body language
  • Non-verbal cues
  • Effective interfacing with the central nervous system

Tools and Lubrication

Week 11

You’ll be familiar with using:

  • Heat
  • Cold
  • Cups
  • Vibration
  • Scraping
  • Sticks, balls, rollers, and other manual aids
  • Different types of lubricant

Ethics and WV Law for LMT's

Weeks 16-19

You’ll understand:

  • The scope of practice of massage therapy
  • The massage therapists' code of ethics
  • Avoiding sexual misconduct
  • Handling sexual misconduct
  • Professional ethics
  • Professional boundaries
  • The therapeutic relationship
  • Responsibility and safety
  • Laws applying to massage therapists in West Virginia
  • The requirements and procedures for gaining and maintaining licensure

Adjunctive, Auxilary, and Specialized

Weeks 19-21

You’ll explore areas like:

  • Thai massage
  • Reflexology
  • Acupressure
  • Ashiatsu
  • Craniosacral therapy
  • Assisted stretching
  • Aromatherapy
  • Energy work
  • Breath work, guided meditation, and hypnotherapy
  • Homework and prescriptive stretching

Massage Therapy Business

Weeks 25-27

You’ll understand:

  • Business planning
  • Strategic planning
  • Office management
  • Marketing
  • Hiring and interviewing
  • Client records
  • Business records
  • Setting up a professional massage space

Massage in Context

Weeks 20-24

You will:

  • Be familiar with the history of massage traditions around the world.
  • Understand the role and perceptions of massage in the field of health care.

MBLEx Test Preparation

Weeks 28-31

You’ll review all the topics covered by the MBLEx and practice test taking.

Supervised Clinical Practice

Weeks 22-30

You’ll gain confidence with:

  • Intake
  • Planning
  • Draping
  • Table manners
  • Performing the foundational modalities
  • Sanitation
  • Communication
  • Timing

Get in touch, we want to meet you!

The first step to enrolling is to schedule a meeting with our staff.

Schedule a Meeting