Frequently Asked Questions

Where are you located?
In Rocky River, a western suburb of Cleveland, across from Westgate. Our building is situated between the Szabo Shoe Store building and the Sunoco station on the corner of Center Ridge Road and West 210th St (also called Wagar).

When are your open houses? Can I tour the school? Can I sit in on a class?
Every school day is a potential "open house". Prospective students are encouraged to visit and tour the school, sit in on a class, and speak with students. The best times to visit are during the mornings on normal school days. It is best to make an appointment to be certain not to visit on days that Midterm and Final exams are being held, since watching students taking exams is probably not all that interesting.

How large are your classes?
Our "usual" class size is around 15 students.

How well do your students do in passing their Medical Board examination?
Our history thus far is 97% of our graduates have passed the Medical Boards and received their licenses!

Why should I attend Harmony Path?
For many reasons: the quality of the instruction (since our students have done so well on passing the board examination and getting licenses), the integration of knowledge about anatomy and physiology with massage theory and application (since both are taught by the same person with a balanced background in these two subjects), the caring educational and learning atmosphere which the students, faculty and administrators work together to achieve, and so forth...

When do your classes start?
We start a new section twice a year, near the 3rd week of March and of September.

Are there any prerequisites before a student can apply to Harmony Path?
Yes, the Medical Board of Ohio requires that a student must have a high school diploma, or a GED before beginning any training.

How late can I apply to start at Harmony Path?
On rare occasions, we have permitted students to start their training with us even after a class section has begun - they need to make up the missed time and information. But we prefer that students be signed up for their class section about 2 weeks before we start that section.

Do I have to wait until the next class section to start at Harmony Path?
No, with the new, December 2005, change in program mandated by the Medical Board, we now have a class in Medical Terminology that can be started by the student before the actual start of the new term. Students can now enroll and begin to earn hours toward graduation while they wait for the next term to start. Contact us for details of how this is done.

Do you have evening classes?
No. In the past, we have offered evening classes. However, we never had sufficient applications and enrollment to actually begin an evening class section, so we have discontinued offering them. Students have shared with me that they prefer to drive to class only once a week, and enjoy learning both the sciences and massage on the same day, to better integrate this information.

Do you have financial aid?
We do not have, nor have we ever sought, the national acccreditation necessary to offer financial aid. However, we do offer a monthly payment plan, to spread the cost of the tuition out over the months of the training. See the details in the application packet for the monthly payment plan. Our school is also seeking approval for student loan programs from other sources. Details will be posted as they become available.

Does your program prepare me to sit for the State Boards in Massage Therapy?
Yes, successful completion of the massage therapy program meets the criteria established by the Medical Board of the State of Ohio as a requirement for application to their examination.

What’s the difference between the Practitioner program and the Therapy program?
The training given during the first semester of the therapy program is identical to that given in the practitioner program - participants attend the same classes. The practitioner program takes 6 months, while the therapy program currently takes 24 months - please note that the Medical Board has now put into force new rules that increase the number of hours required by therapy programs. We increased the time to 24 months because a poll that we took with our students and our potential students indicated that they would prefer that we keep the one-day-a-week attendance format, allowing them to keep working their normal jobs, rather than shifting to requiring more days per week in attendance.

Can a student finish the therapy program in less than 18 months?
Yes, after the first 6 months, a student can try to finish the training sooner by attending more than 1 day of class per week. This usually requires the student to have a strong aptitude for anatomy and physiology, and the student needs to be able to attend during the days when the necessary classes are held.

What can I do with a Practitioner’s certificate?
You can give full-body, relaxation massages (otherwise known as stress-reduction massages) to people who have no contraindications for receiving such massages - that is, these individuals need to have NO disorders in their body. You cannot, however, perform massage therapy and treat any disorders of the human body.

What can I do with the Massage Therapy diploma?
You can sit for the medical board examination in massage therapy that is offered by the Medical Board. If you pass that examination, you are granted a license in massage therapy. This allows you to perform any massage procedures that are within the scope of practice established by the Medical Board, and that are not contraindicated in case-by-case situations when working with clients. You can perform massage therapy to treat disorders of the human body, and also perform relaxation massages (otherwise known as stress-reduction massages).

Does Harmony Path have a clinic where people can receive a massage from the students?
Yes, see the "Public Clinic" link on our main page.

Is Harmony Path approved for the training of veterans?
Yes, GI Bill Educational Benefits may be used at Harmony Path.

What is a "competency certificate"?
If anyone fails the Medical Board examination 3 times, the Medical Board now requires them to receive additional schooling before they can try again. Harmony Path is currently not offering such additional schooling. Please see the "competency" link on our main page.

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