Center for Natural Wellness

Overview
Founded in 1995, the goal of the Center for Natural Wellness was to provide surrounding communities with quality alternatives to medical treatment through massage therapy, acupuncture, and natural medicine. Recognizing a growing need for competent, caring professional massage therapists, it created the Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy (CNWSMT) in 1998, offering high-standard education for students seeking a career in therapeutic massage and bodywork. CNWSMT was relocated to a new 14,000-square-foot facility in Albany, NY, in 2003 to better serve the needs of its student body. Through its specialized, comprehensive program, the school has graduated myriad cadres of confident, dedicated professional massage therapists.

Student Appeal
CNWSMT offers three program options to better fit enrollees' schedules: Full-time, part-time morning, or part-time evening, all covering a variety of different massage theories and techniques. Students have the opportunity to provide massage at local medical sites as well as eight planned sporting events, including the Women's 5K National Championship and the Lake Placid Ironman Competition. The comprehensive curriculum has led to an outstanding State Exam result of 90% passing rate, as opposed to the average 77%.

Financial
Federal Student Aid is available to those who qualify, as well as private education loans and several tuition payment options to meet the unique needs of prospective students.

Programs Offered:

• Massage Therapy; Full-Time Day ProgramMassage Therapy; Full-Time Day Program
  This program is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of massage therapy, then progress up to the more advanced techniques applied by professionals. Classes of the morning session are devoted primarily to instruction in the sciences of the body, while the afternoon classes focus on the theory and hands-on mechanics of therapeutic massage, as well as professional and personal development courses. This curriculum is comprised of 1,020 hours of classroom instruction within a nine-month time frame, with clinic hours in addition.
• Massage Therapy; Part-Time Day ProgramMassage Therapy; Part-Time Day Program
  Identical to the Full-Time Day program, this stretches out the courses over 14 months instead of 9, at one session per day, Monday to Friday from 9:00am-12:30pm and one Saturday per month.
• Massage Therapy; Part-Time Evening ProgramMassage Therapy; Part-Time Evening Program
  Students of this program convene for instruction three evening per week from 6:00pm-9:30pm and one Saturday per month. The courses run 21 months from start to completion.