The Certification Confusion: What Massage Therapists Need to Know Before Enrolling in CE Courses

If you're a licensed massage therapist, chances are you've seen courses advertised with phrases like “Become Certified in XYZ Technique” or “Earn Your XYZ Certification This Weekend.”

But here’s the truth: Most of those courses aren’t offering a true certification. They're offering a certificate of completion or attendance, not an official certification governed by a national accreditation board.

Let’s break down why this matters.

✅ What Is a Certification?

To be considered a legitimate certification, a program must:

• Be overseen by an independent accrediting or certifying body

• Require passing a standardized exam

• Often include renewal requirements like CE hours or retesting

• Be recognized industry wide as a measure of advanced professional competence

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In the massage world, there are only a few true certifications available to LMTs (besides your licensure exam via MBLEx or NCBTMB) are:

1. Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT) through the Lymphology Association of North America (LANA®). NOT Certified Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist (CMLDT). There is no "certification" at this level. You must complete 135 hrs. of training and pass the LANA Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT-LANA) examination. LANA® Certification is valid for six years. CLT- LANA therapists may attain recertification status through a combination of options reaching a minimum of 24-contact hours of continuing education.

   
   

2. Certified Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists (CMTPT) Eligible candidates who pass the Certification Examination for Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists are eligible to use the registered designation CMTPT after their names and will receive certificates from the CBMTPT. Certification is recognized for a period of five years at which time the candidate must retake and pass the current Certification Examination for Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists or meet such alternative requirements as are in effect at that time in order to retain certification.

   
   

3. The Certification Board for Structural Integration℠ (CBSI) Practitioners who display the BCSI credential have graduated from an IASI Recognized Basic Training and have passed the Certification Exam for Structural Integration℠. Recertification requires 24 CE in Structural Integration.

   
   

Courses that simply hand you a piece of paper after attendance—even if they say “certification”—do not carry the same weight, legal standing, or career impact.

🚨 Why This Hurts Massage Therapists

Many instructors, whether intentionally or not, mislead LMTs by advertising “certifications” that aren’t accredited or standardized. Here's why that’s a problem:

• 💸 It misguides your investment — You might spend hundreds or thousands on training thinking you’re gaining a credential that enhances your resume, when in reality, it’s just a non-regulated course.

• 🤔 It creates confusion for clients and employers — Claiming certification can imply clinical or medical-level authority you don’t actually hold, which can put you and your license at risk.

• 💼 It devalues real credentials — If everyone is “certified” in everything, then nothing really stands out anymore.

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🔍 How to Protect Yourself

• Ask questions before enrolling: Is this a certificate or a certification? Is it accredited by a governing body?

• Research the instructor and their credentials

• Read the fine print of the course marketing

There’s nothing wrong with continuing education that gives you a certificate of completion—many excellent courses do!

Just don’t confuse that with a regulated, tested certification.

At Pump Lymphatics, my CE courses are NCBTMB-approved, which means they count toward your license renewal. But I will never mislabel them as certifications—because language matters, and so does your trust.

For additional reading check out this article by Whitney Lowe

Certificate vs. Certification: Credentialing Terminology Matters