Pacific University School of Massage Therapy is being proactive with the new application process for Certified Massage Therapists and Certified Massage Practitioners.  According to the California Massage Therapy Council, www.camtc.org, CMPs and CMTs are distinguished accordingly:

“A Certified Massage Therapist (CMT) holds the highest level of certification offered by the CAMTC, and indicates to the general public, to massage employers, and to your massage therapy clients and peers, that you have the equivalent of five hundred (500) or more hours of formal education and training in Massage Therapy. The CAMTC is mandated to gradually raise the standard of Massage Therapy education required for certification in California to match
the standard for Massage Therapy education in most other states. All other states that issue state licenses, registration or certification currently require at least 500 hours of Massage Therapy training.

KFor practical purposes, a Certified Massage Practitioner (CMP) can provide services according to training and experience that are similar to services provided by a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), and can benefit from all aspects of CAMTC Certification in the same way as a CMT. A CMP can work anywhere in California, just like a CMT (remember that a business license is still required if you own your own business, or if you are self-employed). Over time, it is probable
that Massage employers, Massage Therapy clients, and the general public will gradually associate better quality and training with the “Certified Massage Therapist” title. The “Certified Massage Practitioner” title will likely phase out completely as higher educational standards for Massage Therapy training are adopted in California.
It is important to note that the “Certified Massage Practitioner” (CMP) route for first-time applicants will completely disappear by the end of the year 2015. However, if you are still certified in good standing as a CMP by the end of the year 2015, then your CMP certification may continue indefinitely, so long as you renew your CMP certification in a timely manner every two years. If you allow your CMP certification to lapse for some reason after the year 2015, then your only option will be to acquire additional hours of education as needed, and apply for CMT certification.

If you have between 250 and 499 hours of Massage Therapy training from an Approved School(…), and if at least one hundred (100) of your hours of education were devoted to instruction addressing anatomy and physiology, contraindications, health and hygiene, and business and ethics, then you will likely qualify as a Certified Massage Practitioner (CMP). You can also obtain CMP certification with less than 250 hours of training if you supplement your application with proper documentation of your experience … Over time, you may wish to consider additional training to raise your certification to the level of Certified Massage Therapist (CMT).
If you have less than 500 hours of training, the CAMTC recommends that you apply now for CMP certification, and gradually move toward CMT certification as your time and resources allow.”