The Federation of Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Organizations is a forum for communication among non-profit professional organizations with related concerns. Participating organizations represent a broad spectrum of professions, including massage therapy, bodywork therapy, structural integration, somatic practices, movement education, and energy practices.

Each organization participating in the Federation has different regulatory needs. The Federation is not a unified entity, and does not take positions as a group on legislation. However, participating organizations agree to support each other’s regulatory goals and cooperate in legislative efforts whenever possible.

Because each of the professions represented by the participating organizations uses touch in some manner, regulators have sometimes reached the incorrect conclusion that all these professions should be regulated as massage therapy.

The Federation organizations work together to address our common goals:

  • to educate the public and legislators about each profession's distinct identity; and
  • to maintain each profession's autonomy.

To clarify, we would like to highlight the following paragraph from our Shared Visions:

As equal partners, Federation associations recognize and respect each other's distinct identities. Each group of practitioners has unique intentions and methods in supporting the well-being of its clients, spanning a wide range of systems and philosophies, and including differences in educational requirements for training, scope of practice, and the environment in which the practitioner works. Some employ touch as a therapeutic service, some use touch as part of an educational process. Some focus on physical dimensions of wellness, some on energetic. Some are regulated by massage laws; others are not.

To read more about each profession and organization that participates in the Federation, please visit our members page.

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Therapeutic Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Organizations
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