Course Descriptions:

Canton School of Massage is authorized by the Georgia Nonpublic Post Secondary Education Commission, the Georgia Board of Massage and the NCBTMB.

Massage Therapy Theory and Practice – 200 Hours, Instructor Allison Naples, Mary Abernathy .  

During this course, Students will learn the history of and people who influenced massage, benefits of massage, massage techniques and tools, and have supervised hands on experience of massage. This course will also discuss the safety and hygiene of both tools and person, as well as self-care as a therapist.                                                                                                                                                                                  

Massage Clinic, Hands-on practice – 60 Hours, Instructor Allison Naples, Mary Abernathy.

During this interactive course students will observe an instructor give a massage while verbally instructing them on the basics of theory and practice. The student will also be closely monitored while practicing skills on one another and edventually the public, while receiving constructive feedback, given any needed corrections, and being given the time to ask questions for understanding. Students will need to demonstrate proper draping, proper body mechanics, tableside manners and be open to any criticism that is geared toward helping students improve. Before graduating, students will have the ability to work on the public with instructor check-ins, giving them the confidence to work independantly once licensed.

Business and Ethics – 10 Hours, Allison Naples, Mary Abernathy                                                                                

This course will teach students the insurance and laws governing Massage Therapist and their practices. National, State, and County laws will be reviewed. Situations that may need medical release or a referral to another medical professional will be discussed. 6 hours will be dedicated to students learning how to market themselves while setting up professional boundaries and habits. Ethical practices in routine, behavior, and business-related situations will be focused upon.  

Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology – 125 Hours, Allison Naples, Mary Abernathy 

Students study body functions and mechanics, along with the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems. The immune systems and endocrine systems are studied, as well as the emotional system in relating to fight or flight and stress management. Students at the end of the course will be able to communicate how massage affects these systems. Medical terminology is taught so that the student can relate to other medical professionals.

Clinical Pathology and Contraindications – 165 Hours, Allison Naples                 

Students will be taught the importance of contraindications to massage and what to look for in a client. Topics such as skin issues, immune issues, lymphatic issues, diseases that can need medical release for massage, and basic allergies will be covered. In this course students will learn how to assess clients and properly approach issues in a professional manner.

Allied Modalities – 20 hours, Allison Naples, Mary Abernathy                                                         

This course will include techniques and procedures within types of massage. Students will learn how to assess the muscle through touch and passive stretch, as well as learn draping techniques needed. Areas of focus will be upon postural analysis, neuromuscular therapy, and myofascial release within massage. Massage types may include Medical massage, Lymphatic massage, Reflexology, Sports massage, Shiatsu, Deep tissue, Swedish massage, Prenatal massage, as well as Craniosacral massage. Techniques such as kneading, tapping, effleurage, petrissage, trigger point, friction and vibration will be studied and demonstrated.

What is the Canton School of Massage routine?

• Monday and Tuesday: This school is run as an independent learning entity; meaning you go at your own pace. Some topic sections you may cruise through while others you may need more time on. This is perfectly fine since you are not relying on the pace of other students to hold you back or push you too fast.
• Every section of each textbook has questions and answer sheets to fill out as you go along. Videos are suggested throughout the sections to reinforce what you have been learning and give you another perspective on the topic at hand.
• Instructors are there to encourage, guide, and help when confusion and questions arise. Using other students to bounce questions off, and quiz together will help reinforce information being learned as well.
• Thursday and Friday: Clinic days are taught together as a group. Hands on learning on the topic of the week will come with topic sheets, question and answer sheets, activity sheets, as well as physical manipulation of the area of study on one another.
• Daily Review Questions: You are required to answer the review questions each day, even if you have already answered them the previous day. This ensures continuous practice and reinforcement of the material. It also gets you acclimated to the structure and layout of the MBLEx board test.
• Grading: The textbooks have study notes created for them that you will fill out as you go along. This is a participation grade. There are also activities at the end of each section, such as matching, crossword, fill-in the blank. These grades are averaged together as your grade. The mock MBLEx questions at the end of each section act as your quiz. Should there be a grade below an 80 on a quiz, the instructor will review the section and mock test with the student, ensuring proper understanding of the material, and the quiz will be given again. The new grade is the one recorded.
• All Students: The students are encouraged to ask for guidance on any topic they need more information on. They may also feel free to ask for more hands-on, more technique assistance, more support with areas they may be struggling in.
• Program Time: The school is set up on a 6-7 months’ timeline, depending on holidays. Should you need more time, that is perfectly fine. The Georgia Board of Massage requires you complete the 580 hours in-house, but if more time is needed for clarity, or due to schedule issue, we can accommodate that.
• While the school can not guarantee job placement, we have an opportunities board with many companies looking to expand their business with massage!

Meet the Owner and Instructors:

Allison Naples has 31 years of teaching experience, including 10 in massage therapy, where she runs Canton Massage Bliss and the Canton School of Massage. She focuses on nurturing therapists and adapting her teaching to student needs, while creating an environment where students can earn their transcript while living a life with family and work. Her goal is to get students ready to pass the MBLEX by employing educated instructors with real-world experience and giving them hands on experience with the public.

Mary Abernathy is an employed instructor at the school with 30 years of massage experience under her belt. She specializes in deep tissue, neuromuscular and meta cupping. She has 10 years of instructing CE courses for other therapist within the US as well as internationally, and has much to offer in Western and Eastern modalities for upcoming massage therapist.