ABMP Launches Free Student Life Network
In an effort to help massage and bodywork students get the most out of their education, Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP) is offering the free ABMP Student Life network.
ABMP Student Life gives students 36 online resource pages, each containing a helpful feature like “Time Management for Busy Students” or “Easier Ways to Learn the Muscles,” study forms and checklists, and “Take 5” lifestyle tips. In addition, members of ABMP’s education team created 36 videos demonstrating their favorite massage techniques and advice.
Any massage and bodywork student can sign up for the free program at www.abmp.com/students; ABMP Student members and ABMP Exam Coach subscribers have automatic access to ABMP Student Life.
2015 Successful Hands Grant Program Winners Announced
Biofreeze, Massage Envy Spa, and Bon Vital’ announced the winners of their second annual Successful Hands Grant Program. The program supports professional massage therapy students in their educational pursuits. Applicants were asked to complete a 200-word essay on the topic, “What being a successful massage therapist means to me.” Each winner received a $1,000 grant, and each winner’s school received a $1,000 grant package.
The winners are:
• Kelly Berry, Body Therapy Institute, Siler City, NC
• Melissa Furtado, SpaTech Institute, Plymouth, MA
• Brittney Hawk, Cortiva Institute of Massage Therapy, Scottsdale, AZ
• Sarah Huseby, Minnesota School of Business, Blaine, MN
• Tyler Kragerud, East West College of the Healing Arts, Portland, OR
• Bailey Leighton, Madison College, Madison, WI
• Stacy Siddle, Cuyahoga Community College, Highland Hills, OH
• Bridget Todd, College of Southern Maryland, La Plata, MD
For more information, or to learn about next year’s program, visit www.successfulhandsgrants.com.
Reiki Program for Veterans with PTSD Receives State Funding
A Seattle-based reiki program received funds from Washington State’s Department of Veterans Affairs to provide military veterans with free reiki training and treatments. The 9–12 month program teaches veterans how to soothe themselves using the harmonizing power of energy work, as well as strategies for turning the skill into a vocation through which they can help others and their communities.
Founded in 2003 by Eileen Dey Wurst, MA, LMHC, the Reiki Training Program is the only state-licensed vocational school of reiki. According to Wurst, the new partnership with Washington’s Department of Veterans Affairs will enable veterans “to receive assistance from certified educational providers in ways to cope with problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder.”
“Veterans who have taken the training have come back to say how helpful this simple yet profound modality has been in assisting healing, centering, and focusing,” Wurst says.
Wurst’s program has taught more than 1,000 students from more than 20 countries and launched the Reiki Fellowship alumni organization to support the efforts of other masters and practitioners.
For more information, visit www.reikitrainingprogram.com.