Strategic Plan Sets the Path
The NCBTMB now has a clear future. Goals, objectives, and directives are part of a detailed document that will give the NCBTMB a big picture, future direction for the next several years.
The document, titled "Creating the Future-Strategic Plan of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork," was created with input from leaders from a variety of professions associated with massage therapy and bodywork, with the effort being driven by the NCBTMB Strategic Planning Task Force. For nearly three years, many individuals have participated in activities designed to help define goals to give the NCBTMB planned, directed objectives to achieve for the next several years.
The Strategic Planning Task Force members led the effort to develop and implement the Plan so as to create a process that will allow the NCBTMB to evaluate, assess, and budget NCBTMB activities on an annual basis. Marlene Cohen, a Nationally Certified practitioner based in Falls Church, VA, led the task force through the document's creation. "The Strategic Plan will allow the NCBTMB to be driven by something greater than any individual leader, and it will allow us to move forward regardless of the cycle of leadership," Cohen said.
She explained further that Nationally Certified practitioners from around the country will see more directly how National Certification impacts their profession, and their relationships with other health and wellness professionals. She said that the Strategic Plan will help the National Certification Program to become more "visible, recognizable and respected. I hope that will translate into jobs and money for Nationally Certified practitioners."

Background
Several factors led NCBTMB Board members to develop the Organizational Improvement Task Force (OITF), including a rapidly growing profession, a rapidly growing certification program, organizational changes, and the need for direction. During 1998, OITF members conducted a six-month study of the NCBTMB. They met in December of that year to develop recommendations to the Board based on the results of their study. The results of their work focused on the following areas of NCBMTB:
• Board development and leadership,
• Communication (internal and external),
• Committee function, and
• Leadership training.

The following month, the NCBTMB Board members adopted all of the OITF's recommendations.
After reviewing organizational operations, the NCBTMB Board members decided to better define their direction and role in the profession of massage therapy and bodywork. They turned to the Strategic Planning Task Force members to develop the draft document. In developing the Plan, the Strategic Planning Task Force members reviewed those OITF recommendations, interviewed committee chairs and members, studied feedback from surveys of the certificant population, conducted telephone interviews with various individuals regarding NCBTMB strategies, and communicated at great length with Board members. In May 1999, they invited about 90 leaders from the massage therapy and bodywork profession to a two-day summit to help formulate the framework of the Plan, and to gather information that helped the task force members to develop the goals and objectives for NCBTMB's future. The summit participants discussed issues surrounding the National Certification Program, the future of National Certification, and its impact on the massage therapy and bodywork profession overall. Participants in the industry summit included regulators, educators, board members, committee chairs, and leaders from related national organizations. "The group was a good cross-section of leaders in the stakeholder population. Discussion geared specifically toward NCBTMB issues," Cohen explained. "They were energetically and enthusiastically participating in the process of creating goals, direction, and a vision for National Certification and the profession." Certificants who responded to the surveys provided qualitative and quantitative data, and a great deal of feedback, which the task force incorporated into the Plan.
The task force members then gathered information about the NCBTMB's future and direction from various stakeholders and certificants. They conducted several data gathering activities including interviewing committee chairs and committee members, conducting telephone interviews, and quantitative and qualitative surveys of the certificant population. They based the draft document on factors such as:
• What certificants are doing today;
• What the different employment settings are for certificants;
• How certificants interact with other professions;
• Where the industry is headed tomorrow, both in reality and in the trends;
• What issues certificants are dealing with on a day-to-day basis; and
• What factors will drive and influence the future of practice.

Finally, in July 1999, the task force members completed the draft document and Board members approved it at their October 1999 meeting held in Seattle, WA.

Going Forward
Board members have prioritized the objectives of the Plan and have identified the activities that they will address first. In addition, the task force members and NCBTMB office staff are currently working to create a training program that will instruct committee chairs and members on how to create an action plan, or an action agenda. These committee action plans will help NCBTMB staff and committee members to specifically incorporate the goals and objectives of the Plan, as prioritized by the Board members. "This will give committees a clear direction of what they need to focus on in their committee work," Cohen said.
To fulfill the requirements of the Plan, committee members and office staff will hold face-to-face meetings before the May 2000 Board meeting, during which they will create their action agendas and define strategies toward those objectives. They will present their action plans to the Board members at the May meeting.
"The Strategic Plan is the big picture of the NCBTMB," Cohen explained. "Many times, we get lost and focused in the detail work. This plan will keep us focused on the big picture during the next 3-5 years."
Members of the Strategic Planning Task Force who worked on the development of the draft Plan include: Cate Bower, CAE, Facilitator; Marlene D. Cohen, NCTMB, Chair; Neal Cross, PhD, NCTMB; Nancy W. Dail, NCTMB; Cliff Korn, NCTMB; Pam Laubscher, DO; Ray Moriyasu, NCTMB; Christine Niero, PhD; Michael Pizzuto, NCTMB; and Jerry Weinert, NCTMB.

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Emerging Standards Gets New Name
Starting with the Spring 2000 issue of this newsletter, the name will change from Emerging Standards to NCB InfoLine. The Communications Committee of the National Certification Board has been working diligently over the past several months to create a name that more accurately reflects the purpose of the newsletter.
The purpose of the Emerging Standards newsletter seeks to provide school instructors, students, industry regulators and other stakeholders with information about the National Certification Program and the NCBTMB.
The NCBTMB felt, and others agreed, that the name Emerging Standards conveyed an image that the board is setting the standards for the profession. In fact, the NCBTMB monitors and tracks what is happening in the industry and tries to support those emerging trends.

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From the Chair
In this message to the education population of NCBTMB, I'd like to share some of my hopes and visions for our ancient and emerging profession. First and foremost I want you to know that I am a full-time massage therapist licensed in New Hampshire. (The number of people who assume that directors and committee positions are paid positions constantly amazes me. With the exception of the headquarters staff in McLean, VA, all leadership positions are filled with volunteers!) I have a busy practice in Windham, NH, in a center I share with four other full-time therapists.
Prior to my start as a massage therapist in 1993, I was involved in telecommunications sales and marketing for twenty-two years. I also am a retired Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve. I have been a bodywork and massage client since April 1977!
I find it ironic that my first exposure to the National Certification Program was from former board member Tom Myers at a dinner table at a conference we were both attending. He asked what I thought about National Certification and I responded that I thought it had little meaning or value to me. I felt then that since the "hoop I had to jump through" to practice in New Hampshire was higher than NCB's “hoop,” that Certification wasn't necessary.
A good question for you to ask here is: How then did someone of this opinion ever get to be an NCB volunteer, much less the Chair of the Board of Directors? As my practice and the need to interact with and refer to therapists around the country grew, my awareness of the need for national credentialing became very clear. I quickly became a staunch supporter of the NCB's purpose of “fostering high standards of ethical and professional practice in the delivery of services through a recognized, credible credentialing program that assures the competency of practitioners of therapeutic massage and bodywork.” I soon felt the need to volunteer my services to help enhance the value of the unique, transportable credential we know as the NCTMB.
In my tenure as Chair of NCB's Continuing Education Provider Review Panel, I took a positive, personal step toward furthering the continued professionalism of NCB's certificants by directing the process of the review of applications for approval as continuing education providers. As a board member I have worked to be a positive and active force for ensuring the continuance of NCB's mission and goals. The National Certification Program continues to expand its significance in the consumer, employer, bodyworker, and legislative communities. I realize that this change, while being uncomfortable for some, offers new challenges for all.
My desire is to support beneficial growth by making these changes worthwhile to the diverse and eclectic members of our chosen field. I plan to continue supporting the integration of our profession's diversity by promoting inclusive actions.
NBC has also revisited our Strategic Plan (see article on front page) to insure that NCB's actions are meeting the needs and interests of stakeholders. We will continue visiting various stakeholder venues to educate and inform on the benefits of acquiring and retaining the NCTMB credential, as well as the benefits of hiring and referring to Nationally Certified practitioners!
Let me conclude by saying again that I fully support the NCB's purpose of fostering high standards of ethical and professional practice through a recognized credentialing program. To continue growing, the program must provide tangible, measurable benefits to those certifying or recertifying. It is my wish that all touch therapy professionals will personally benefit from the prominence of the National Certification Program. I hope that as you prepare your students to transition from the academic world into the massage and bodywork profession, you will support the benefits of National Certification and how it may help them as they travel down a new career path.
– Clifford Korn, NCTMB, Chair

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Approved Provider Corner
The NCBTMB has received many requests from schools and training institutions wanting to know how they can become a category A Approved Provider of continuing education. Educational programs that follow a systematic process of development, delivery, and evaluation tend to be of higher quality and produce better results than programs that do not follow a systematic process.
For this reason, NCBTMB has established specific criteria for continuing education providers to adhere to. Providers seeking approval will be evaluated on their compliance to these established criteria. The evaluation process takes 10-12 weeks from the date NCBTMB office receives the material. Staff will send a postcard indicating the date that the application will be reviewed by the panel. Please allow 7-10 days from the review date to receive your written notification of the outcome of the review.
Once a provider has been approved by the Continuing Education Provider Review Panel (CEPRP) the approval is granted for a period of two years. Providers may offer any program that meets the criteria and adheres to the NCBTMB definition of continuing education.

Tips for completing your application. These are the most common things providers don't do.
• Be sure to submit an application that has been typed. Many providers recreate the application on their computers and type the answers into the application. It is very difficult on the reviewers eyes to read handwritten applications.

• Be sure to submit an application that is properly bound. Do Not staple the pages together. Do Not paperclip the application. The application should be submitted in a binder, or be professionally bound, so that the pages can not come loose and the reviewers will be able to locate all sections of the application.

• Be sure to answer all questions thoroughly. If an answer doesn't apply to you, simply mark "not applicable" so that the committee knows that you did not inadvertently leave the question blank.

• Be sure that the classes you are submitting for approval have been offered at least two times in the past two years before you apply to become a Category A Approved Provider.

Please contact NCBTMB for an application handbook. You can also obtain one through NCB's web site, or on Fax-On-Demand. If you have any questions about the process once you have read the application packet, contact Kelly Koteen, Continuing Education Manager at 703-610-0215 or via e-mail: kkoteen@ncbtmb.com.

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Candidate Handbooks
The NCBTMB continues to fulfill requests for Candidate Handbooks on a weekly basis. In order to help us control our inventory and mailing costs, we ask that you only order enough Candidate Handbooks for 6 months worth of graduating students. Often, schools will order a quantity of handbooks for the entire year. The NCBTMB updates and reprints the Candidate Handbook twice per year and candidates are required to use the most current edition when applying. Many candidates have used older editions of the handbook and then are quite frustrated when they are denied eligibility for this reason and must fill out a new application. Don’t forget to visit the web site for the most current edition of the Candidate Handbook. You can download it for your use at a moments notice.
Please e-mail your requests for Candidate Handbooks to mdownes@ncbtmb.com or call her at 703-610-0238. Be sure to include the number of handbooks you need, a contact person, and the mailing address. Requests are filled weekly, so handbooks will arrive within two weeks of your request.

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How can you become Nationally Certified if you have not attended a formal training program?
IThe NCBTMB supports non-traditional alternative pathways to meet the established eligibility requirements for certification. In this effort, the NCBTMB offers two routes of eligibility to enter the National Certification Program - the Traditional Route (a minimum 500 hours) and the Portfolio Review Process (not 500 hours in 1 program).
The traditional route of eligibility requires that you have at least 500 hours of formal training from a formal educational program licensed to operate in your state. If you fall into this category, please contact the NCBTMB office for a copy of the Candidate Handbook.
The Portfolio Review Process allows candidates whose training was obtained from multiple training institutions and through professional experience to demonstrate it by building a portfolio. The portfolio must show that this training and professional experience would equal the training students receive through a formal training program. In order to help candidates determine how their training and experience match a formal education program, selection criteria and performance standards were adopted by the board. The following chart will help you evaluate where your training and experience belong as you build your portfolio.

Please contact the NCBTMB Eligibility Department for a copy of the Portfolio Review Handbook. Read it thoroughly. It will guide you in preparing your portfolio, and how to compile your education and training into the proper sections of selection criteria and performance standards.
There are several items that many candidates miss when filling out the application. Careful consideration of these items while preparing your portfolio will minimize the chance that your application will be deferred or denied.

1. Be sure to include three complete copies of the application and submit those with your original application (total of 4 applications). You may also want to make a copy for your records.

2. Candidates must include all official transcripts and notarized diplomas for all courses listed. Failure to submit official transcripts and notarized diplomas will automatically result in denial of your application.

3. Sections I and II must be in class clock hours at a school. Apprenticeship hours are not accepted under these sections. Apprenticeship is only accepted under Section III.

4. Section II must include either one 200-hour class or two 100-hour classes. If the classes are a series, and they total 100 or 200 hours than that is acceptable. The candidate must prove that the course is a series.

If you have additional questions about the Portfolio Review Process, please contact the NCBTMB Eligibility Department at 703-610-9015 or via e-mail at afrey@ncbtmb.com.

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What is National Certification? Why should I hold National Certification?
National Certification is a credential that practitioners of massage therapy and bodywork may obtain in order to demonstrate their special skills and knowledge to the public, employers, and other practitioners. It also reinforces the commitment that a practitioner makes to the profession. By holding the NCTMB credential, practitioners demonstrate they have:
• met the Eligibility Criteria;
• taken and passed the National Certification Examination;
• subscribed to a Code of Ethics; and
• agreed to be held accountable to the Complaints and Discipline Process.

Many people, both in the field and outside the field, think that certification ends once a practitioner passes the NCE. Not so. The certification program offered by the NCBTMB is much more than an examination. There is the Code of Ethics which a practitioner agrees to uphold, a recertification program that contains continuing education and professional practice requirements to maintain the credential, and also a locator service for finding Nationally Certified practitioners.
Both consumers and employers tend to be very interested in retaining the services of Nationally Certified practitioners because of the Code of Ethics and the Complaints and Discipline process.
The Code of Ethics is a document that outlines specific behaviors that a practitioner must adhere to, as well as other specific behaviors that a practitioner must refrain from engaging in. By upholding the Code of Ethics, a practitioner demonstrates greater accountability than those practitioners who do not hold certification -- it gives the public a level of certainty about the practitioner's credentials.
The Complaints and Discipline process works in concert with the Code of Ethics. This process allows a consumer or employer who has identified inappropriate behavior an avenue to pursue a formal complaint and receive resolution. Anyone who observes inappropriate behavior can file a complaint against a Nationally Certified practitioner. The Complaints and Discipline Committee investigates all complaints, and depending on the severity of the infraction, can impose a variety of sanctions which magnify the nature of the infraction.
An important aspect to maintaining certification is continuing education. Certified practitioners must demonstrate completion of at least 50 hours of continuing education and at least 200 hours of professional practice during the four-year certification period. The NCBTMB provides sources of educational courses to help you meet the continuing education requirement. (For more information about the Approved Provider program please contact Kelly Koteen at 703-610-0215 or kkoteen@ncbtmb.com)
By choosing to gain recognition through earning the NCTMB credential and keeping it, a practitioner incurs these benefits:
• Status and credibility of the profession;
• Public trust by upholding the Code of Ethics and the Complaints and Discipline process;
• More uniform standards of practice and ethical conduct;
• Selection by consumers and employers across the country; and
• Networking within their community and with other professionals in the industry.

A crucial aspect of the National Certification Program is its accreditation status. The NCBTMB National Certification Program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). The NCCA is an independent organization that helps to ensure the health, welfare, and safety of the public by determining that the certifying organization is operating in accordance with standards that emphasize objectivity, fairness and competence. They award accreditation status only to those organizations that can show, through documentation, that they are in compliance with these rigorous standards. For enhancement of the initial training, add other credentials by selecting a program that meets strict standards.
Certainly, those who hold the National Certification credential deserve recognition for their achievement. Contact the NCBTMB office at 703-610-9015 or via the web site at www.ncbtmb.com for an application.

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Survey Results
The NCBTMB would like to thank those who took a few minutes to complete the survey included in the last issue of Emerging Standards. Some very valuable information was collected from your responses. We will be using the ideas and suggestions provided to create articles about the topics you identified.
If you would like to see additional topics addressed in future issues of this newsletter, send them to the NCBTMB office. Please e-mail your topics to Beth Danner at
bdanner@ncbtmb.com, or you may fax them to 703-610-9005. We look forward to bringing you pertinent content in future issues of this newsletter!

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What Happens To My Application Once I Mail It?

First 2 Weeks
Application goes to the bank and NCB's accounting department.Then staff receives applications in batches from accounting.

Weeks 3-4
Staff mails applicant the receipt of application verification form on the same day they receive the application.

• Staff reviews each application and verifies all documentation. Approximately 25-35 applications are reviewed each day.

• Eligibility is determined and applicant information is entered in the database.

Weeks 4-6
Eligible Candidates:
• Applicants will receive a letter of eligibility containing the testing window and testing reservation information.

• Candidates will have 3 months to make test reservation and take the examination.

Denied Candidates:
Applicants will receive a letter of denial. The letter will state the items missing from the application or the reason the application was denied. If you receive a letter of denial, the process may be delayed beyond 4-6 weeks.

Tips To Follow To Minimizing Your Chance of Being Delayed
1. Send application, documentation and payment directly to the bank address.
2. Enclose official school transcript. (no photocopies)
3. Enclose notarized copy of your certificate or diploma.
4. Complete and sign the application form.

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Are You Current in the Database
The National Certification Board makes every effort to keep the most current mailing address of its stakeholders. However, we need your help to do so. The number of returned copies of this newsletter continues to drop, thanks to your assistance. We ask that you continue to notify us when your information changes. Don't forget to also update your phone, fax, e-mail, and web site information. Submit changes to Mary Downes at 703-610-0238 or by e-mail at mdownes@ncbtmb.com.

Important:
Please remind your graduates who have applied to NCBTMB to keep current information on file as NCBTMB receives many candidate eligibility letters back from the post office marked "undeliverable" or "moved - no forwarding information available." It is important for the candidate to keep us informed so they do not miss their eligibility window to test.

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Additional Copies Available
In the last issue of this newsletter, NCBTMB offered schools and training institutions the opportunity to receive multiple copies of the Emerging Standards newsletter. This opportunity was received well by the population. If you would like extra issues of the newsletter, contact Beth Danner by e-mail at bdanner@ncbtmb.com or via fax at 703-610-9005. Your request should include the number of copies needed, the mailing address, the contact information for person placing order, and note if this should be a standing request.

Topics on NCB Infoline!
Look for these and other great topics in the Spring issue of NCB InfoLine!

• National Certification and reciprocity between states

• School Accreditation

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Calendar of Events

NCBTMB
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