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About the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA®)
AOBTA® Mission Statement
The American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA®) is a professional membership organization which promotes Asian Bodywork Therapy (ABT) and its practitioners while honoring a diversity of disciplines. AOBTA® serves its community of members by supporting appropriate credentialing, defining scope of practice and educational standards, and providing resources for training, professional development, and networking. AOBTA® advocates public policy to protect its members. AOBTA® also promotes public education on the benefits, ethics, and principles of ABT.
The American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia is a national not-for-profit professional association of practitioners of bodywork therapies of Asia.
All forms that are recognized by AOBTA® originally had their roots in China. Over the centuries China, Japan, Thailand, Korea and more recently, North America and Europe have changed and evolved these forms into separate and distinct modalities. The AOBTA® accepts all forms of Asian Bodywork Therapy that meet our professional curriculum standards. The following have AOBTA® definitions and recognition.
The AOBTA® was formed in 1989 with the coming together of a number of associations, which represented individual disciplines of Asian Bodywork Therapy. AOBTA® currently has about 1,500 active members in the U.S. and abroad. Member benefits include optional, low-cost professional liability insurance, disability insurance, a national membership newsletter, national and regional workshops, and a practitioner referral service through national headquarters and the internet.
Qualification for membership varies with the type and level of membership sought. Summarily AOBTA® requires documentation of training which conforms to its curriculum requirements for Certified Practitioner (minimum of 500 hours) and Associate (minimum of 150 hours). All training must either be delivered by an AOBTA® Certified Instructor, or reviewed and approved by an AOBTA® Certified Instructor with the use of an AOBTA® approved transcript.
Practitioners inquiring about membership in AOBTA®, please look in the Membership Info section. The Find A Member link will help you find an AOBTA® practitioner in your area, or you can call the AOBTA® national office for a referral, since not all members are listed here. You can learn more about bodywork therapies of Asia and their specific forms in the ABT Styles section. To learn about the capabilities of the practitioner you are considering, or to determine which level of membership you should apply, look at the Membership Education Requirements.
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AOBTA® is a registered trademark of American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia.
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