Official Announcement

AMTA in the rear view mirror! What happens when you ask too many questions?

As of yesterday, I am no longer an AMTA member. If you have been following my work and my story, I have always found them to be a troubling organization. When I first started my career back in 1989, they were working on creating the National Certification Exam and Board. There was so much confusion and misinformation going on back then (before email/internet!) and there were many who were working to fight what they were doing — namely Robert Calvert and his Head, Heart and Hands group.

I was a member I think for a few years when I started but mainly because they were the only one in business. I quickly changed when ABMP came into being.

In 2011 or so I went to my AMTA-WA Chapter to get help with the problem of insurance carriers reducing our allowable fees quite significantly. I asked for three years and finally got the answer — if there was something we could do, we would be doing it. So a group of us left AMTA and started the WA State Massage Therapy Association (www.mywsmta.org) to try to work on the issues that we had with the insurance carriers.

In about 2018 I left that group and had also worked with a few groups trying to start a medical massage therapy association that never came into being. The issues kept increasing. Covid Happened. The problem of illicit businesses got my attention and I bought the website www.lookbeforeyoubookamassage.com to work on the issues.

In 2023 I decided to give AMTA one more chance. I was attending the AMTA WA Convention where a new president was elected and at the luncheon she was asking for volunteers. For some crazy reason, I stepped up and worked on their website and then ran for a Board Position that I held for 2 years and then became the GR chair for the chapter. If you know how AMTA works, the chapters are the heart and sole of this organization, working for free to monitor and create legislation, give input to the Board of Massage and many other things.

I apparently asked too many questions — asked for help with ordinances, asked for what they stand for to give input to the Board of Massage on education'/CE, asked for them to track and preserve history more carefully, asked them to start a human trafficking committee or task force to study the problem and provide best practices in dealing with this problem.

I got the letter. You are doing something wrong, but we won’t tell you what so pleas stop or you will be removed. Huh? Yes indeed. It is very common. After a few of my friends got that letter before me, I actually requested a bylaws change to correct that and was told it was a legal thing and couldn’t be changed. Here is the story on all that.

When Asking Questions Becomes a Problem

For years, I have dedicated thousands of hours to researching the massage therapy profession. I’ve read legislation, compared state laws, analyzed organizational documents, followed regulatory meetings, interviewed people, and tried to make complicated issues understandable for massage therapists.

I don’t claim to know everything. I don’t claim to be right about everything.

What I do claim is this: I care deeply about getting the facts right.

Whenever I write, I work from publicly available documents whenever possible. I cite legislation. I compare original source materials. I distinguish between facts, interpretations, and my own opinions. And when I discover that I have made a factual mistake, I correct it.

Yesterday, however, I received a letter from an attorney representing AMTA accusing me of spreading “false statements,” “lies,” and “misinformation.” It was also cc’d to the other CEO and GR Chair for AMTA National. (Stegink, Flom, Specker)

What struck me most wasn’t the accusation itself.

It was what was missing.

The letter did not identify which specific statements were supposedly false.

As someone committed to accuracy, I welcome correction. If I have published an incorrect factual statement, I want to know exactly what it is. Tell me where I got it wrong. Show me the evidence. I’ll review it carefully and correct any verified error.

That’s how honest discussion works.

But disagreement is not the same as misinformation.

People can look at the same legislation, the same meeting minutes, the same public statements, and reach different conclusions. That is especially true when discussing public policy, organizational governance, legislative strategy, and the future of a profession.

Healthy professions should encourage those conversations—not discourage them.

Throughout my work, I have asked massage therapists to do something very simple:

Don’t believe me. Don’t believe AMTA. Don’t believe anyone without looking at the evidence.

Read the legislation.

Read the meeting minutes.

Read the position statements.

Read the original documents.

Then decide for yourself.

That has always been the purpose of Massage Therapy Nexus.

I have no interest in attacking individuals. My goal has never been to create division for the sake of division. My goal is to encourage transparency, accountability, and informed discussion about issues that affect every massage therapist.

The massage profession deserves organizations that welcome thoughtful questions, explain their decisions openly, and engage respectfully with members who hold different views.

We should never confuse criticism with disloyalty.

Nor should we confuse disagreement with misinformation.

Progress depends on our willingness to ask difficult questions, examine the evidence honestly, and continue learning—even when the answers make us uncomfortable.

That is the standard I intend to continue following. I will be continuing to ask the questions. I hope you will too.

Sincerely, Julie Onofrio, LMT

A Note About My Writing

The views expressed on this website and my social media platforms are my own. My commentary is intended to encourage discussion about issues affecting the massage therapy profession and is based on publicly available documents, legislative records, organizational publications, and other source materials.

When I express an opinion, it is my opinion. When I state factual information, I strive to ensure it is accurate and supported by reliable sources. If I become aware of a factual error, I will promptly review the evidence and make any appropriate corrections.

I welcome respectful dialogue and evidence-based discussion. If you believe I have made a factual error, please contact me with the specific information and supporting documentation so I can review it. Thanks for your continuing support! Julie Onofrio LMT