President’s Message – March 2024
Welcome!
The last one…and it’s filled to the brim with gratitude, excitement, and anticipation. The last four years have been packed with amazing events and people…There are many to thank; and I’ll do my best not to miss anyone…
AMTA National – The events, training, and staff that are all available to us have been incredible. I am personally deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow alongside this Association.
National GR – James and Christine; thank you for the continuing education, guidance, and support as we work towards the most beneficial solution for the needs of all California Massage Therapists.
Chapter Relations – Mark, Chris, and Andrew; we are deeply grateful for your tireless efforts and continued support as we define the direction of the Chapter. Your wisdom, knowledge, and patience have made it easy for us to find our footing; much appreciation for your ability to keep us on the straight and narrow.
Volunteer Engagement – Angela, you and your team have been an incredible resource. Thank you for helping us start the Community Committees; I’m excited to see how they grow and evolve!
Northern California and Southern California Community Committee Members – Thank you for taking a step forward to bolster the volunteer ranks within the Chapter. I will enjoy watching you all grow within your roles and ensure a strong and stable future for the Chapter.
Chapter Board – So many good times and memories. Thank you all for working diligently to provide the Chapter Members with incredible opportunities. I’ve appreciated your dedication and passion and I feel privileged to have served with you all.
Okay…now that I’m done signing the yearbook…let’s really dive in to the amazing things heading our way! For the rest of 2024, all the virtual classes will be based around helping Therapists build their businesses. There will be topics from staying relevant during “lean” times of the year; utilizing social media and technology; finding and keeping clientele; building your brand, and so much more! There will be several of these workshops coming to a computer or technological device near you! Keep up to date by checking out the AMTA-CA Chapter Website at www.ca.amtamassage.org. A few additional in-person educational opportunities will be available as well! There is an effort to reach areas that don’t typically have in-person opportunities, so if you know of a space the AMTA CA Chapter and rent, let us know! We’re looking for venues in central CA.
The one event that is consuming the majority of our attention right now is the Annual CA Chapter Conference! We will be in San Jose this year and the Conference theme “Revive and Relieve: Empowering Massage Therapists in Chronic Pain Management” is going to give us all an incredible opportunity to learn how to step up as the non-pharmacological approach to pain management. The line-up of speakers is going to run the gamut from Traditional Chinese Medicine to cutting edge Pain Science. Here are just a few highlights:
Ruth Werner – Author of the Massage Therapists’ Guide to Pathology is going to be spending the entire weekend with us! You’ve read her books; maybe taken a few classes virtually; at conference the opportunity to meet her, learn from her in-person and virtually will be available! We’re excited that she will be talking about the most recent research around Pain Science and the opioid crisis.
Nicole Miller – 16-hours…yes, 16-hours of training to support the Veteran population in their continued battled with chronic pain and the biopsychosocial ramifications. It isn’t often that Nicole comes to the best coast; we recommend taking advantage of this incredible opportunity.
Gabriel Posner – Hanah Somatics incorporated into a bodywork session?! Well…yes; and Gabriel will be talking about the benefits of such an integration as well as teaching techniques to make this all possible.
Carolyn Tague – One of the most experienced Therapists in our region that works with medical centers, publishes articles, and instructs internationally will also be presenting virtually and in-person. How do we as Therapists maintain healthy relationships and boundaries especially when we’re assisting our patients with chronic pain management? I don’t have a great answer; and I can’t wait to hear what Carolyn has to say about it.
Gay Lee Gulbrandson is going to be introducing us to the world of Vodder Manual Lymphatic Drainage and we’re going to learn how inflammation can contribute to chronic pain.
That’s to name a few; there are still a few surprises up our sleeves that will be announced in the near future. Keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook to get the scoop! For the first time ever, the CA Conference will have an app to help enhance the overall experience. We’ll make an appropriate exciting and dramatic announcement when the app is launched! Being in San Jose, there’s the ability to visit Body Worlds: Decoded at the Tech Interactive! In fact…there might be a guided tour with one of the AMTA Past National Presidents…
Thank you all once again for contributing to the largest AMTA state chapter. Once again, I’m deeply appreciative of you all. Best wishes to all of you, your practices, and your patience! Go do great things in this world!
Phil Okazaki, CMT