Guarantee Access to Reflexology in Florida
Allow Certified Reflexologists in the State of Florida to practice without a massage therapy license.
Why should Reflexologists be forced to go to massage school (which is costly and time-consuming) for training in a discipline they have no intention of practicing and is unnecessary for the service they provide.
Reflexology has its own history, educational standards, and scope of practice and techniques of application, which differ from massage therapy.
Twenty-seven States have already put an exemption in place knowing that Massage is not Reflexology.
The American Massage Therapy Association recommends that Reflexology (as well as other healing modalities) be exempt from state massage laws.
Reflexologists who have completed at least 200 hours of training and are certified by a recognized school of reflexology are now prevented, by the Florida Department of Health and the Massage Therapy Board from providing this natural, non-invasive therapy to the general public.
And to make matters worse, licensed massage therapists, with limited exposure to reflexology, are the only people permitted by law in this state to practice reflexology.
By signing this petition, you are letting Florida's elected and appointed officials know that they should allow you access to certified reflexologists who do not have a massage therapy license and that you are an informed, consenting adult with the right to make your own health care choices.
Allow Certified Reflexologists in the State of Florida to practice without a massage therapy license.
Why should Reflexologists be forced to go to massage school (which is costly and time-consuming) for training in a discipline they have no intention of practicing and is unnecessary for the service they provide.
Reflexology has its own history, educational standards, and scope of practice and techniques of application, which differ from massage therapy.
Twenty-seven States have already put an exemption in place knowing that Massage is not Reflexology.
The American Massage Therapy Association recommends that Reflexology (as well as other healing modalities) be exempt from state massage laws.
Reflexologists who have completed at least 200 hours of training and are certified by a recognized school of reflexology are now prevented, by the Florida Department of Health and the Massage Therapy Board from providing this natural, non-invasive therapy to the general public.
And to make matters worse, licensed massage therapists, with limited exposure to reflexology, are the only people permitted by law in this state to practice reflexology.
By signing this petition, you are letting Florida's elected and appointed officials know that they should allow you access to certified reflexologists who do not have a massage therapy license and that you are an informed, consenting adult with the right to make your own health care choices.
The state should not require you to have a Massage therapy license to preform reflexology. Besides massage therapy license briefly goes into Reflexology you end up having to find an alternate school that teaches it to get certified credits. If anything the State should have Reflexology listed as a specific license. Just like nails technician , or skin care technician.
I support reflexologists in their right to practice separate and apart from under the jurisdiction of the Florida State Board of Massage.
I fully support this petition as I have been utilizing reflexology for many years. I am perplexed as to why this requires this type of license. This requirement is overly burdensome and unnecessary as well as costly.
I believe also that someone who is trained in reflexology should not have to have a massage license also. Maybe these reflexologist do not want to massages. That is why they are trained in reflexology.
!!!
Caring for my own health needs is one thing I will not let anyone dictate to me. I support all your cause stands for. Certification is regulation who doesn’t understand that?
I am a graduate of Healing Mountain Massage School in Salt Lake City, UT with 720 hours of training and NOT YET an LMT. I learned Reflexology in school and find it very satisfying work and as a treatment brings relief and reduces stress very effectively.
Reflexology and massage are two distinct disciplines and should be treated as such. Florida needs to follow the many other states who have recognized this distinction.
As a Registered Nurse with 39 years of nursing experience and 15 years as a Vibrational Healer, I agree with the American Massage Therapy Association's position regarding this issue. Although they do not hold a specific position about reflexology, they do indicate, my interpretation of it anyway, that when someone is practicing within the scope of their license and not practicing massage, that the State massage boards would not have jurisdiction regarding licensure. Why the Florida Board of Massage feels the necessity to govern that which is outside the scope of massage is unclear to me. And for this reason, I support reflexologists in their right to practice separate and apart from under the jurisdiction of the Florida State Board of Massage. Thank you. Ilene Gottlieb, RN, CHTP
I am a licensed massage therapist in St. Louis, Missouri. We are required to have 500 hours of training on the entire body and its systems, as well as several different massage modalities, in order to apply for a license. Reflexologists have at least 200 hours of training- solely on the topic of reflexology! (pun intended). I'd say that makes them much more of an expert on the subject than I am- the reflexology training at my school consisted of a weekend course lasting about 10 hours. I wouldn't go to me for reflexology! Reflexologists already have their own schools and their own certifications, and I think they should be honored as experts in their own field- not ours (massage).
FREEDOM means having aALL choices available and NOT regulated by the government making the decisions as to my choices. It is not the governments job to keep me safe from my own decisions, good or bad. STOP LIMITING MY CHOICES.
Reflexology should not be licensed under any Board in Florida. It is a safe, non-invasive form of treatment that doea not raise to the level of harm required for licensure.
REFLEXOLOGISTS PERFORM HEALTH RESTORING PROCEDURES THAT ARE MOST HELPFUL AND TOTALLY SEPARATED FROM MASSAGE.
Reflexologists have nothing to do with massage. Their work is more similar to someone that performs accupunction than massage!
Reflexologists are not massage therapists! They don't want to learn soft tissue manipulation for the full body. Their technique is working specific points on the feets. Massage Therapists have less knowledge of these points than a reflexologist. I want to have access to reflexology from a trained person for my individual health care choice.
The practices of massage therapy and reflexology are two distinctly different disciplines. Enacting this recommendation would be short-sighted.
Reflexology & Massage are totally different modalities and should not be treated or regulated as one in the same. Please do the right thing and change this law so more people can benefit from this that can't and don't now.
I believe reflexology is an individual's choice to access this modality of therapy and should not be clustered under the massage therapy umbrella.
I am a licensed massage therapist, living in Florida, and I am disturbed at the impact that this licensing could have on people who want to practice Reflexology. This is an ancient practice, that is beneficial to many people who cannot have, or are not wanting Therapeutic Massage. It is relaxing, healing, and is performed on a fully clothed individual, and can be applied in non-clinical situations. Reflexology is NOT massage, as anyone can attest to that has had a 'foot rub'. Granted, Reflexology is a lot more specific than a foot rub, but It in no way resembles Therapeutic Massage; Nor should it be held to the same stringent laws and rules of massage. Reflexology is taught, and learned in courses that require so many hours to become 'certified' to practice. For decades and longer, this has been quite adequate. The current trend towards a 'medical model', both in massage, and other modalities, has everything to do with insurance, and less to do with concern for others. We need laws to protect Massage Therapists, and the public, from illegal usage of the Name in prostitution - and for assuring proof of adequate education on the part of the Practitioner. It is my opinion that this pending rule, is excessive and unfair to those trained in Reflexology, and for the many differently-abled individuals, who receive it. Please reconsider your thinking on this issue.
Jobs are scarce, this is no time to make it more difficult for people to earn a living.
Reflexologist's should be allowed to provide their services without being a licensed massage therapist. acertified reflexologist has a wealth of information and certification to provide reflexology, and it is totally separate from massage therapy. You must Allow Certified Reflexologists in the State of Florida to practice without a massage therapy license.
We need these people reflexology is healing process of its own!
