JUDITH McKINNON, longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister, has worked tirelessly to gain recognition and respect for the somatic arts and touch therapy. Thanks in part to her efforts, massage is now viewed as a valued profession and a viable career option for those entering the healing arts.

Judith McKinnon is one of the pioneers of the modern holistic health movement and has worked tirelessly for over 30 years to professionalize the discipline of massage. Find this longtime OPEN EXCHANGE lister in our Schools & Certifications category.

The profession of massage has expanded and prospered with the contribution of each practitioner who has joined the field. Everyone's hopes, dreams, visions and ambitions have shaped their own career path and blazed new trails of opportunity for others to follow. The profession is growing by leaps and bounds and in multiple directions. Besides settings where massage has traditionally been found: chiropractic offices, gyms and spas; we now see massage being practiced in elder care facilities, hospice, hospitals and even dental offices.

Recently, I was approached by Debra Tucker, a recent graduate who shared that she came to massage very unexpectedly. Debra was an administrator in a dental office and one day began to massage the shoulders of the dentist's wife. The wife was so impressed with her natural ability that she offered to pay for her massage schooling. It so happens that this dental practice has a day spa adjacent to the office, offering a full menu of services. The dental office offers specials on teeth whitening for clients of the day spa and the spa in turn offers discounts to clients on dental services. And this is not such an isolated example. This spring in New York City there are complementary conferences occurring: a spa and resort conference in conjunction with a medical spa conference.

Another graduate, Carl Johns, offered massage as a volunteer at the Cerebral Palsy Center as part of their Wellness Program. His volunteer work led to a paid position. The Center staff saw such positive and unexpected results that the board was able to procure funding to pay Carl for his services one full day per week. Some of the changes reported by staff included increased participation and "the flowering of personality that wasn't there before." One client even began playing piano, which she had never prior. Another paid massage therapist there used touch to ease the stress related to swallowing, this crucial change allowed the client to get to the Center more regularly, thereby increasing her comfort and participation. These vital improvements in quality of life are easily available through massage, a treatment which is a joy to both therapist and client.

In 2002, I provided funding to begin a new project called Touch Health Association (THA). I knew we could make changes in society if we made changes in the early stages of life for infants. The group I wanted to support was made up of teen moms and their babies. By teaching the mothers touch and Healthy Hands-on Habits™, they forge the bond necessary to teach their children from an early age what healthy touch is. Selena Lee, Associate Director of McKinnon Institute, began the research necessary to implement the program. Selena and McKinnon graduate Eileen Amandes-McNally developed the curriculum and implemented the project in September 2003, at Oakland Technical High School. The program has been very successful and is expanding to offer another series of classes at Burke Academy sites this spring. There is currently talk of including Touch Health in a collaborative grant proposal. My goal is that Touch Health will become a tool for rooting out the violence we see in our young people before it ever takes hold.

Massage is a lucrative career path. It is important however to always be securing your profitability as a business. Where the dollar per hour rates are exceptionally good, it is important to always secure your profitability in the field. For some, this has been done through specific volunteer work which they find meaningful. Since there is always a demand for volunteer work, one must be careful to choose a facility which will benefit them in the pursuit of the service they love. It is important to keep records, documenting the results of your work and make them available to your supervisors. When an institution has quantitative results, they're better positioned to create funding. There are endless areas where YOU might be the force that activates funding for your particular area of interest. What you give comes back. Whether it be elderly, teen moms, disabled veterans or sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, massage is a vibrant and expanding profession. Perhaps your dreams and your career can contribute to its growth and your job satisfaction.

AB1388 did not move through the sunrise review in the Business and Professions Committee of the California Assembly due to overwhelming opposition to licensing of massage therapy. Because it did not move through even its first committee, AB1388 is dead. If the effort to propose massage legislation is continued, a new bill with a new number must be introduced. The earliest that could occur would be 2005. I still feel strongly that sponsors of a licensing bill in California will have a hard time showing need for licensing when there is no pattern of harm and given the state of California's economy.

—Judith McKinnon