Experienced Practitioners’ Beliefs Utilized to Create a Successful Massage Therapist Conceptual Model: a Qualitative Investigation

Anne B. Kennedy; Niki Munk

doi:10.3822/ijtmb.v10i2.367

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Experienced Practitioners’ Beliefs Utilized to Create a Successful Massage Therapist Conceptual Model: a Qualitative Investigation

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Experienced Practitioners’ Beliefs Utilized to Create a Successful Massage Therapist Conceptual Model: a Qualitative Investigation

Anne B. Kennedy and Niki Munk

International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork, Vol.10(2), pp.9-19

29/06/2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3822/ijtmb.v10i2.367

PMCID: PMC5495388

PMID: 28690704

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Abstract

analytic induction

career development

career longevity

massage therapy profession

Practice

Super’s theory

Background: The massage therapy profession in the United States has grown exponentially, with 35% of the profession’s practitioners in practice for three years or less. Investigating personal and social factors with regard to the massage therapy profession could help to identify constructs needed to be successful in the field. Purpose: This data-gathering exercise explores massage therapists’ perceptions on what makes a successful massage therapist that will provide guidance for future research. Success is defined as supporting oneself and practice solely through massage therapy and related, revenue-generating field activity. Participants and Setting: Ten successful massage therapy practitioners from around the United States who have a minimum of five years of experience. Research Design: Semi structured qualitative interviews were used in an analytic induction framework; index cards with preidentified concepts printed on them were utilized to enhance conversation. An iterative process of interview coding and analysis was used to determine themes and subthemes. Results: Based on the participants input, the categories in which therapists needed to be successful were organized into four main themes: effectively establish therapeutic relationships, develop massage therapy business acumen, seek valuable learning environments and opportunities, and cultivate strong social ties and networks. The four themes operate within specific contexts (e.g., regulation and licensing requirements in the therapists’ state), which may also influence the success of the massage therapist. Conclusions: The model needs to be tested to explore which constructs explain variability in success and attrition rate. Limitations and future research implications are discussed.

Details

Title: Experienced Practitioners’ Beliefs Utilized to Create a Successful Massage Therapist Conceptual Model: a Qualitative Investigation
Creators: Anne B. Kennedy - University of South Carolina
Niki Munk - Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis
Publication Details: International journal of therapeutic massage & bodywork, Vol.10(2), pp.9-19
Publisher: Massage Therapy Foundation
Identifiers: 991013036335402368
Copyright: Copyright (c) 2017 International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
Academic Unit: National Centre for Naturopathic Medicine
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

Experienced Practitioners’ Beliefs Utilized to Create a Successful Massage Therapist Conceptual Model: a Qualitative Investigation

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