2007 Catalogue, Volume 1

Welcome

The School of Massage Therapy at Texas Healing Arts Institute (THAI) provides professional massage therapy training with a knowledgeable, compassionate, personalized touch. Our exceptional faculty is dedicated to providing pragmatic and energetic instruction to individuals pursuing their education in the healing arts of massage and bodywork. Small classes afford us the opportunity to make a commitment to a superior education for each student by allowing us to give individualized attention to each student's needs.

The faculty and staff at THAI are committed to the success of our students and to providing the utmost support for a quality, holistic education in therapeutic massage. To encourage success and to provide support, we foster long-term relationships with our students. These relationships are nurtured through continuing education courses, reading and study groups, fieldwork, counseling, and employment assistance.

THAI offers continuing education to assist our students after they complete the State certified 500-Hour program. Our graduates use our advanced courses for enhancing their body of knowledge on the latest developments and advances in bodywork technique. Graduates can also use our advanced courses to increase marketability, meet continuing education requirements, and work toward national certification. If you are working toward national certification we let you create your own second semester. You can select only the courses you need and create a schedule that works for you. Additionally, study groups and advanced courses present a venue for networking with other therapists in the bodywork community.

The directors offer one-on-one counseling for each student. During their 500-hour training and after graduation, students may set up an appointment with either of us to discuss vocational goals and planning. In addition to career counseling, we encourage our students and graduates to use the directors and instructors as resources for staying in touch with the growing field of bodywork.

At THAI, we also create opportunities for employment. Students have arrived at our door with degrees in acupuncture and Asian medicine, proficiency in yoga and qigong, skills in Reiki and energy work, and expertise in office and administrative work. Some of these skilled and talented students have enriched THAI by becoming instructors and staff at the institute. Other opportunities for employment have arisen out of our numerous connections with the massage community and outreach talks to special interest groups in the larger Austin community.

As founding directors of THAI, we created our school based on the model of a small liberal arts campus. We received our doctoral degrees and taught in universities, both large and small. Learning the best these academies had to offer their students, we implemented warm, friendly, personal classes, taught by well-informed and devoted instructors, in an atmosphere of dynamic community.

Welcome to our academy. We hope to help you find your way along the path of healing arts.

Eri Weinstein, PhD and Kirsten Kern, PhD

Location, Facilities,and Equipment

THAI's School of Massage campus is located in a central Austin neighborhood on 1.25 tree covered acres.

The school is housed in a newly renovated produce warehouse originally built in 1950. The school has two large open classrooms, administrative offices, private clinics, a small supply store, and is surrounded by pecan trees and green space.

THAI is equipped with massage tables of several makes and models, and students do not need to purchase a table while attending school. Next to their hands, therapists' tables are their most important tools. We believe a therapist should work on a variety of tables and develop a style of massage before making this important purchase.

The school is furnished with massage chairs, whirlpools, hydrocollator hot packs, paraffin baths, full-sized skeletons, an anatomical torso,and wall charts including trigger points, muscular, skeletal and reflexology. THAI also houses an ever-growing reference library of massage and bodywork texts, DVDs and videos.

Directors, Faculty, and Staff

The School of Massage is owned by Texas Healing Arts Institute and is managed and directed by Eri Weinstein, PhD, MTI, and Kirsten Kern, PhD, MTI.

At THAI we are proud of our instructors and staff. They keep the school and office running with their administrative competence, dedication to teaching, love of massage, and excellent senses of humor.

Our staff is encouraged to take part in local, national, and international continuing education seminars and workshops. These seminars provide a means for our teachers to broaden their knowledge of massage and bodywork techniques, to enhance their teaching methods, to establish professional contacts, and to maintain awareness of current innovations in the massage and bodywork field.

For more information about THAI's faculty and staff, click the link on the navigation bar.

Swedish Massage Therapy Program Course Descriptions

The State of Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) requires that an individual complete a 500 hour program in massage therapy to be eligible to take the state board examination.

For the Swedish portion of our program, our teacher to student ratio is maintained at 1:20 (one instructor to 20 students or less) in order to provide attentive guidance and instruction. Generally, THAI closes enrollment for a class around 16 students.

In accordance with TDSHS regulations, THAI's 500-Hour Swedish Massage Therapy Program is divided into the following sections:

Registration and Affiliations

The School of Massage THAI is registered by the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) Professional Licensing and Certification Division, Massage Therapy Registration Program. THAI is affiliated with Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. In addition, THAI is a member of the Texas Coalition of Massage Schools and Instructors and the Texas Association of Massage Therapists.

Schedule of Classes

THAI offers intensive day class schedules for the 500-hour Swedish Massage Program. The day classes run about 16 weeks. The 500-hour program includes 450 classroom hours plus 50 hours of internship. Internship immediately follows or is incorporated into the classroom instruction depending on the schedule. THAI allows a minimum of three weeks and maximum of eight weeks to complete internship. For the current class schedule, click on the class schedules link in the navigation bar.

School Calendar

Vacation days and holidays include Easter; first two days of Passover and the following weekend if it has contiguous days; Memorial Day; Independence Day; Labor Day; two days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the following weekend if it has contiguous days; Wednesday through Sunday of Thanksgiving, at least two days before Christmas through January 4th. Our normal hours of operation are: Office: 9:30am - 5pm Monday-Thursday, 9:30am - 4pm on Fridays. School: When classes are scheduled.*

*Note: All days and hours of operation for the office and school are subject to change. We advise calling ahead, especially around holidays.

Admission Requirements *

The School of Massage Therapy at THAI uses subjective and objective criteria to determine enrollment eligibility. There is no prerequisite training for the 500-hour Swedish Massage Therapy program. To be admitted to The School of Massage Therapy at THAI an individual must:

Be 18 years old or older.
Exhibit sufficient emotional maturity and stability to progress through the course.
Possess sufficient financial stability to complete the course.
Possess desire, motivation, and study skills to satisfactorily pursue massage therapy training.

*A student is ineligible for State Registration if he/she has been:

a)convicted of or entered a plea of nolo contendere to, or found guilty of, or received deferred adjudication for crimes or offenses involving prostitution or sexual offenses; or

b)convicted of a violation of the Act set forth in Chapter 141.19 of the Texas Massage Therapy Registration Laws within the past 5 years.

The School of Massage Therapy at Texas Healing Arts Institute does not discriminate against any person on the basis of sex, race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation in the admissions process or in the administration of school policies or procedures.

Enrollment Procedure

Enrollment consists of a four step process:

Meet with the Admission Director Admissions Director for a tour of the school and career guidance counseling.
Complete an Enrollment Application and submit with a $100.00 application fee by mail or at the meeting with the Admissions Director.
Receive approval for enrollment from the School Directors.
Complete the enrollment process with the Admissions Director by submitting the enrollment paperwork. At this time you will need to select a tuition payment method:
- Pay tuition in full.
- Apply for Student Loan Financing. Contact Admission Director for details.
- Set up a monthly payment plan and pay a tuition deposit of $450.00 ($200.00 at the time of enrollment, and $250.00 at least two weeks prior to the start date of class).

THAI accepts MasterCard, VISA, cash and checks.

2007 Catalogue, Volume 1

Table of Contents

Welcome

Enrollment Procedure