The Institute for Massage and Bodywork Therapy in Fayetteville, NC held its first commencement ceremony for its first-ever graduating class, presenting diplomas for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Additionally it was the first ceremony assembled by Brenda J. Howell, LMBT and Director of the Institute, which is also the first of its kind in Fayetteville. Director Howell said this about the milestone, “It’s been a labor of love for our profession. We have a great graduating class of massage therapists who are first and foremost, good, caring people. They worked very hard and it showed, as they all had success with their final case study clients. We’re very proud of our first graduating class.”
The Institute provides education ranging from Anatomy and Physiology to Ethics, Pathology and Business. It augments technical skills with the caring and attentiveness needed to uncover the origins of pain so treatment will be more effective and a program of prevention can ensue.
IMBT educators also focus on medical massage techniques for lymphatic drainage, pre and post natal, sports injuries, disorders of the musculo-skeletal systems and more. IMBT
students have the benefit of whole-brain learning, with classroom sessions for the left hemisphere and hands on clinics for the right. Then they have the advantage of refining that learning by attending to paying customers, under the tutelage of highly experienced therapists like Kaitlin Brewer, LMBT.
Also, because Director Howell successfully expanded her own medical massage practice, which she began seven years ago, the IMBT curriculum provides a very useful arch toward a job career in the massage field or becoming an entrepreneur. Either way, the students graduate with the skills and knowledge to choose their own path to a career that will follow them wherever they go.
The keynote address was delivered by graduate Nailah Victoria Davis. She began with a light-hearted mini-roast of her class and their collective eating habits during the year. She then provided a moving commentary on the unique position of being the number one graduating class and the duty she felt they had going forward.
She believes it to be imperative for the first graduating class to demonstrate that what they learned was not just technique, but also the touch that creates the therapy. This allows them to provide relief from pain, help the body heal a disorder or both.
Davis spoke to the present class and future students about their pursuit of a degree in the medical massage industry, “Massage is evolving. It is not stagnant. It is time to do away with those old ideas of slapping oil on bodies and move into an era of seeing this profession as worth changing the lives of so many, and because we believe in the power of this profession, we as a class encourage you all to find a massage therapist that works for you in the same way you found your primary care doctor.”
Davis finished her fervent message by encouraging her classmates and showing appreciation for the support she felt along the way, “So to my class, own your oneness and not only do the massage, but be the massage therapist you want to become. We did it! Thank you to everyone who got us here!”
Commenting on the first year class and the keynote address, Carolyn Bowe, IMBT Director of Education said, “Watching our first class of students progress through their education to graduation day was monumental. Each student worked diligently to not just complete their requirements, but to make their learning their own, and it paid off – all the graduates passed the MBLEx (Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam) on their first time! Congratulations IMBT graduates!”
Applications are currently being accepted for the full time curriculum beginning September 12, 2022 and the part time program starting January 16, 2023. Applicants are encouraged to visit the website at www.imbtnc.com to obtain the paperwork and review the Institute’s course catalogs
Location Info:
Institute for Massage and Bodywork Therapy
806 Stamper Rd Ste 202, Fayetteville, NC 28303, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28303
(910) 920-9477