Remedial Massage Courses Melbourne

Why study remedial massage?

Remedial massage therapy can be a satisfying career where you improve the quality of people’s lives. It requires specialist knowledge and a unique set of skills, with training that can include physiology, anatomy, and pathophysiology to properly understand how the body works. You also have a variety of areas to specialise in, including palliative care, chronic or terminal illness, sports and injury management, and allied health. These can be carried out in workplaces such as health and wellness clinics, hospitals, sports centers, and more. You can even start your own business.

As a remedial massage therapist, you’ll help to improve people’s lives by alleviating their pain, making them more comfortable, and improving their mobility. For someone recovering from an injury or illness, this can transform their quality of life and make them healthy again.

The Australian Government’s Job Outlook service estimates there to be over 19,000 massage therapists in the country. This is expected to grow by 15% in the next five years, with qualified remedial massage therapists earning up to $1,038 a week on average, which can quickly increase with experience.

To qualify, you’ll need to complete a Diploma of Remedial Massage, which we cover in more detail below.

What does a remedial massage therapist do?

Remedial massage therapists are highly skilled individuals who can identify physical and bio-mechanical problems in the body, and then resolve them through massage. This includes various techniques that use their thumbs, knuckles, elbows, applying various amounts of pressure to the muscles and connective tissues. This can provide immense relief to the patient.

A remedial massage therapist’s day can include any of the following common activities:

• Assess a client’s health history and current physical condition.
• Provide stretching and relaxation exercises to complete at home, to aid in their rehabilitation.
• Massage the client’s soft tissues, such as their tendons, muscles, and ligaments. This helps to alleviate pain, improve their physical function, and improve their mood.
• Use a variety of massage techniques to prevent future injury, and improve sports performance.
• Administer treatments that increase blood circulation, relieve muscle tensions, and promote relaxation.
• Identify and treat specific dysfunctions of the soft tissues.
• Provide complementary treatments such as wet compresses, heat or ice packs, infra-red lamps, mineral therapies, and essential oils.
• Keep secure and confidential patient records.
• Manage a small business, including marketing the practice.

Remedial massage courses in Melbourne

Remedial massage therapist workplaces

There’s a variety of workplaces available to remedial massage therapists. These are some of the most popular choices:

Health and wellness clinics

Health and wellness clinics are popular places to relax, unwind, and fix any nagging health issues you may have. As a remedial massage therapist, you’ll use a range of massage techniques (including those for relaxation) to provide a soothing experience to customers. You may also find yourself working alongside homeopaths, naturopaths, nutritionists, chiropractors, or osteopaths, who provide their own services to the clinic’s clients.

Medical settings

As a remedial massage therapist, you also have the opportunity to work in medical settings such as hospitals and aged care facilities, helping people through palliative care, or providing relief from a chronic illness. In these settings, you can help to relieve people’s stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and nausea.

Private practice

If you’re ready for a lot of hard work, you can start your own private practice and work for yourself. This will include running the financials, marketing, and other key aspects of the business, which is time-consuming but can be lucrative and highly rewarding. Many people love being their own boss!

It also helps to become a member of a professional association such as ours, to reap the many benefits.

Massage courses

To become a remedial massage therapist, you need to complete a Diploma of Remedial Massage through an RTO (registered training organisation). This also allows you to be an eligible health fund provider.

You can find accredited massage courses in Melbourne using our course finder, further up the page.

Diploma of Remedial Massage (HLT52015)

This course is a nationally recognised pathway to becoming a remedial massage therapist. It provides you with a deep level of understanding for massage and how it can help to heal the body.

Course duration: 12-18 months
Study mode: on campus and online learning
Entry requirements: Year 12 or equivalent
Units of study: According to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, Diploma of Remedial Massage courses are typically comprised of 21 units, which include 16 core units and five elective units (one of which must be from the Business Management group). Up to four elective units can also be from an endorsed Training Package or accredited course and must be relevant to the work outcome. Electives must also contribute to a valid, industry-supported vocational outcome.

Core units

• Establish and manage client relationships
• Work with diverse people
• Manage legal and ethical compliance
• Reflect on and improve own professional practice
• Engage with health professionals and the health system
• Analyse and respond to client health information
• Provide first aid
• Manage the prevention and control of infection
• Develop massage practice
• Assess client massage needs
• Perform remedial massage musculoskeletal assessments
• Provide massage treatments
• Provide remedial massage treatments
• Adapt remedial massage practice to meet specific needs
• Monitor and evaluate remedial massage treatments
• Manage work health and safety

Elective units – Business Management

• Market the small business
• Undertake small business planning
• Monitor and manage small business operations
• Manage small business finances

Elective units – Other

• Facilitate the empowerment of older people
• Address the needs of people with chronic disease
• Visit client residence
• Facilitate the empowerment of people with disability
• Work with people with mental health issues
• Research and apply evidence to practice
• Develop and maintain networks and collaborative partnerships
• Collaborate in professional practice
• Develop aromatherapy practice
• Source and prepare aromatherapy products
• Perform aromatherapy health assessments
• Provide therapeutic aromatherapy treatments
• Provide aromatherapy massage treatments
• Interpret and use information about nutrition and diet
• Adapt remedial massage practise for athletes
• Provide reflexology for relaxation
• Instruct exercise to young people aged 13 to 17 years
• Instruct exercise to older clients
• Implement injury prevention strategies
• Provide nutrition information to athletes
• Conduct advanced taping
• Instruct strength and conditioning techniques
• Develop strength and conditioning programs

Key skills for a remedial massage therapist

These are the key skills that you’ll need as a remedial massage therapist:

• Good people skills, and an ability to communicate with them effectively. This will allow you to understand clients’ needs.
• Solid organisational skills to manage your work.
• High emotional intelligence, which will allow you to empathise with patients and make them feel validated.
• A good understanding of biology, particularly for areas such as the body’s cells, functions, and soft tissues.
• To be good with your hands (bodily kinaesthetic intelligence), to provide quality massage.
• Clerical/office skills to organise your records.
• If you’re managing your own business, you’ll need a wide range of business skills such as sales, marketing, and finance.