by Jennifer Luers

Created on: October 24, 2008

What do you call a Professional Massage Therapist? Only a therapist knows the real answer to that question. With so many titles to choose from, Licensed (LMT), Certified (CMT), or Registered (RMT), it is difficult for the average person to know what to call their therapist let alone what each title means. Historically massage therapists were referred to as masseurs (masculine) and masseuses (feminine), however, in the massage therapy field today these terms are, in the therapist's eyes, associated with "happy endings". Unfortunately, those who do not work in the field of massage have no idea that they may be offending their therapist by calling them a masseur or masseuse, so it is best to refer to your therapist as a massage therapist. Another offending remark is to refer to their workplace as a massage parlor due to the sexual innuendo associated.

Now let's get into the complexities of licensure, certification, and registration. Most therapists will follow their name with LMT, CMT, or RMT on their business card or marketing materials, but who determines the difference between a therapist's licensure or certification? Each state has its own rules defining what a massage therapist is and what their title should be, others have no state definition at all and leave the decisions up to each individual city, and some states and cities really do not have any rules. In the states without any regulations, you can simply put up a shingle advertising massage without any formal training and it is perfectly o.k. Fortunately, no matter where you live, you can check out your therapist's credentials. Professional organizations such as the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) or the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) both have on-line directories of their members. You can see if your therapist is Licensed/Certified/Registered, the modalities they specialize in, how long they have been in practice, and where they completed their training.

So what is the actual difference between a LMT, CMT, and RMT? A Licensed therapist has taken and passed an examination given by a state, however, each state has its own set of requirements for which therapists may sit for the examination. Most states require a minimum of 500 hours of training, but others require 1,000. A therapist may have graduated from a massage therapy program and been licensed in one state; however, they may still not be able to take another state's examination because they do not meet the educational requirements. In this instance, the therapist will have to re-attend school in the new state. For this reason, massage therapy has to be one of the most difficult professions to be in if you ever plan on moving. A certified therapist has graduated from a massage therapy program and awarded a certificate upon their graduation without any formal examination required. Nationally certified therapists have passed one of the national examinations, but again, not every state recognizes the national certification. The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) is the national examination that has been around the longest, but The Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) is the new exam on the horizon. And, if you haven't been confused enough already, a registered therapist can either be certified or licensed depending on one's definition of registered, which again depends on geography.

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