How To Join

In order for a candidate to be accepted into membership, the application must be approved in accordance with the consensus process used by the Federation. Taken into account in making this decision will be the extent to which the applicant meets the eligibility requirements established by the Federation, and whether it is the consensus of the Federation members that approving the application will further the shared purposes and vision of the Federation members.

An organization is eligible to apply for membership in the Federation if it fulfills all eight of the following requirements:

1. A significant part of the profession or practice represented by the organization involves a structured system of touch. Training in the given profession or practice involves education in principles and practice of that structured system of touch.
2. The organization is a major representative of its profession or practice in the fields of therapeutic massage, bodywork or somatic practices. Factors to be taken into account include the following (Not every item below needs to be fulfilled in every case; these are the kinds of indications that are used in our assessment.):

   The organization:

   • Has an adequate administrative structure
   • Has an authorization process for those who practice their profession (e.g., certification process, registry, etc.)
   • Is a coalition of several groups in representing some aspect of therapeutic massage, bodywork or somatic practice
   • Has an established office
   • Has an impact in the field
   • Has longevity (length of time in existence)
   • Is member-driven; responsive to member's needs
   • Has a membership, which includes a significant percentage of practitioners of the profession
   • Oversees the educational criteria and programs that train teachers and practitioners in the profession or practice
   • Has ownership or right to use professional service mark or certification mark
   • Fosters positive mentions of the profession in the media and/or academic citations
   • Has proximity to or lineal descent from the founder
   • Has a scope of practice that is potentially affected by massage laws
   • Supports research in the field
   • Works to advance the body of knowledge relating to the profession
   • Has a scope of practice in the profession, the major part of which involves one-on-one work with an individual client
   
    
3. The organization is established as a non-profit 501(c) membership organization, or its equivalent, with a national or international scope.
4. The organization has adopted a standard of a minimum of 500 hours of in-class instruction, within a structured program taught over a minimum of six months.
5. The organization possesses the ability and commitment to constructively contribute to the goals of the Federation.
6. The organization is willing to endorse and abide by the Federation Shared Visions (Mission Statement and Values).
7. The organization has developed Professional Standards of Practice and expects its members to comply with such standards.
8. Has adopted a Code of Ethics and an effective procedure to enforce compliance with the Code.

Application Process

The Federation Application Process can be downloaded here.

In order to download and read the Federation Application Packet, you will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, which can be downloaded at no cost.

Viewing .pdf files requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you need to download the reader please use the link below.

Click to download the Federation Application Process.