Our organizations offices and classrooms are on the first floor of the Papermill Commons building located at 6500 Papermill Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919.

Continuing Education is used to prove continued competency in order to renew your Massage Therapy License.  Today in the United States relative to the massage and bodywork profession, a 500 hour (or more) core curriculum of entry level education is delivered to teach basic anatomy, physiology, kinesiology and pathologies of the body’s systems. It also incorporates entry-level bodywork, stress management, business, ethics and other types of modalities to gain students’ interests about the holistic realm. Upon demonstrated mastery of this information, along with hands on skills, an entry level massage therapist is judged to be competent to safely administer full body massage.

This is simply the beginning of a therapist’s professional journey…a journey that must include some component of continued learning in both the educational and clinical (hands on) realms. In other words, an entry-level practitioner must do more to learn, retain and operationalize the necessary skills to maintain continued growth, awareness and professional competency, in addition to remaining vital and competitive within the profession.

Continuing education is one of the generally accepted methods which professionals and regulatory agencies use to ensure a therapist refines and builds on entry-level skills. It also is a means by which the larger health care and consumer communities can be assured that therapists maintain psychological, educational and professional high intentions in areas of ethical and operational excellence.

The purpose of continuing education is, more specifically, to:

• detour the development of bad habits
• acquire knowledge of more advanced skills and techniques
• learn effective new techniques
• increase massage therapists’ awareness of other holistic modalities
• continue to increase basic, intermediate and advanced skills
• develop successful business/marketing methods and tools
• refine massage therapists’ ethical behavior and standards of practice with clientele
• discourage burnout due to repetitive bodywork
• increase massage therapists’ knowledge of medical and holistic practices, psychology, science and massage therapy
• assist massage therapists’, through additional knowledge and strengthened techniques, in remaining relevant in the marketplace

You may register for courses online, by telephone by calling (865) 450-3330, by U.S. Mail or In-person at Arbor Continuing Education at 6500 Papermill Drive, Suite 100, Knoxville, Tennessee 37919.  Please note that discounts ONLY apply to registrations received online.

Once your order has been placed, you will need to contact the Director of Continuing Education, Ms. Tia Templeton to make any changes. Please call (865) 450-3330, Ext. 9, or email her at ">.

While we have helped thousands of massage therapist across the country and in all 50 states obtain their required continuing education, each states governing body has its own set of rules  and regulations regarding course approval so please check prior to registering for a course.  All of our courses are approved by the Tennessee Massage Licensure Board, as well as, the National Certification Board of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB).  If your state accepts NCBTMB courses, you can use Arbor’s courses to fulfill your continuing education requirements.

Arbor Continuing Education is a National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) continuing education Approved Provider. Every course offered by Arbor, in-person or online, is submitted for continuing education (CE) approval as required. This processes ensure that Arbor’s continuing education courses are rigorously vetted for quality standards.

Your course transcript/certificate will be available and distributed immediately after you have finished the course.

If you have registered as “Active” alumni by updating your personal information and paying your dues, you would have received a membership card with your personal membership code.  Your personal membership code should be used in the coupon discount area at checkout.  Your discount is only valid when you register for your course online.  If you have any questions regarding your alumni status, please go to the Alumni Website and log in to your account.  If you have problems logging in, please contact the Alumni Liaison.

No, each reservation can only use one discount code.  All reservations using a discount codes must be made online.  We cannot offer you a discount by other methods of registration.

The simple answer is “due to account security”.   Please check the card details on your reservation to make sure the information provided is correct. Pay attention to your card’s expiration date, billing address, and security code. You may find the security code on the back of your Visa/Mastercard.  Your card issuer may have declined your payment. Because they will not inform us of the reason for doing so, it is best to check with your card issuer for details.  Another common reason that payments are declined is that the card issuer system is down for some reason.  Again, it is best to check with your card issuer for details.

If you have trouble paying via credit card, please check the details of your card information to make sure they are correct, including the expiration date, cardholder name, security code on the back of your card as well as the billing address. Please ensure that you have not reached the card limit or if the card is currently being reviewed by your bank. In case your payment is still refused, we suggest you try a different card or payment method. If the above instructions fail please contact your bank.

For an authorized card, the payment will be taken immediately. You will receive an email notice then.  If the card is not authorized or under pre-authorization status, payment will not be taken. You may contact your bank or card issuer to authorize the payment.  Please remember that even if the payment isn’t authorized, it may still appear as though we have proceeded with the transactions. However, this occurs because some card issuers still hold the funds for a short period of time.

In most instances you will receive a confirmation of payment email immediately, however, it is possible that your card issuer does not immediately approve electronic payments.  In this case, you will receive the confirmation of payment email after your payment has been approved.   Please note that your confirmation of payment serves as a confirmation of your course reservation.   If you do not receive a confirmation email within 24-hours, pay special attention to your spam folder.  If after 48-hours, you still have not received a confirmation email, please contact Ms. Tia Templeton at (865) 450-3330, Ext. 9, or email her at " data-mce-fragment="1">.​

We accept all major credit cards:  Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and PayPal.

You can retrieve your password by clicking “forgot password?” and following the on-screen instructions.  Instruction on password retrieval will be sent to your email.

Yes! It is commonly misunderstood that a PayPal account is needed in order to make payments through PayPal. The truth is you DO NOT need one, although we strongly recommend you sign up to enjoy the added ease of use.

Without a PayPal account, all you need is any Debit/Credit card that is supported by PayPal.  By using PayPal, we can process and confirm your reservation in a shorter time. PayPal is the easiest and most secure way to make payments online. No account is needed.  For more details, click here to see how PayPal works for you.

Yes! Your personal information is treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

If you are cold-natured, you may want to bring a sweater or jacket.  Unless otherwise specified in the course description, massage tables will be provided by Arbor Continuing Education.  For most hands-on massage courses, you will need to bring the following for each day of class:

• One set of clean sheets (including a face-cradle cover, for your personal use on the table)
• One Large bath towels
• One hand towel
• Flip Flops, Crocs, or other slide-on footwear
• Massage Lotion or Cream (in a spill-proof container)
• Blanket (optional)

Nothing!  Unless otherwise noted in the course description, Arbor Continuing Education will provide everything you need.  If you like to take detailed notes, you may wish to bring a notebook.  If you are cold-natured, you may want to bring a sweater or jacket.

To get a replacement of your transcript/certificate of attendance, please email and request a digital copy for free.  Please list your full name, massage license number, course title, and the date the course was taken. If you would like a physical paper copy mailed to you via the United States Postal Service, you should call (865) 450-3330 and request a replacement copy.  There will a $10.00 charge for a physical paper copy.

Yes, all courses must be paid in full upon registration.  Our system is not setup for billing or installment payments.  If space permits, you may register at the door, however there is a late registration fee of $25.

If you experience an emergency and cannot attend the course you registered for, please contact the Continuing Education Manager, Ms. Tia Templeton by calling (865) 450-3330, Ext. 9, or email her at ">. Under certain circumstances, a voucher may be issued so that you can register for another course. All vouchers expire at the end of the Continuing Education cycle in which they were issued.

Yes.  Cancellations may be made by contacting the Continuing Education Manager, by calling (865) 450-3330, Ext. 9, or email her at ">.. Cancellations received 14-days or more before the course will receive a credit voucher for 100% of the course value.  Cancellations received less than 14-days but greater than 7-days will receive a voucher for 75% of the course value.  Cancellations received less than 7-days but greater than 48-hours will receive a voucher for 50% of the course value. If a participant fails to attend or attempts to cancel less than 48-hours before the course, no voucher will be issued. If the participant would like to apply for special circumstances they may contact the Continuing Education Manager using the contact information listed above.  Any changes made to reservations, with few exceptions, will incur a $50 administrative charge.

All vouchers expire at the end of the Continuing Education cycle in which they were issued.

Due to the nature of the continuing education business we are unable to refund a reservation. All reservations are final.  If you must cancel or change your reservation, in some cases a credit voucher may be issued, please contact the Director of Continuing Education, Mr. Jeryd Greer at (865) 450-3330 or by emailing .

Continuing Education requirements vary significantly from state to state.  In the State of Tennessee, the Continuing Education Cycle begins on January 1 of the odd year and ends on December 31 of the even year.  The current CE Cycle is from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022.

Emergency situations rarely occur, but they are generally outside our control when they do.  Arbor has made every provision possible to circumvent and safeguard most usual situations. Notifications of postponements due to emergencies may often occur with little to no advanced warning.  Courses that must be postponed will be rescheduled with sufficient time (30 days or greater) to allow individuals that are registered for the course to make arrangements to attend the rescheduled course.  Your registration will be automatically transferred to the rescheduled course unless you notify us otherwise within seven business days of the postponement notice.  If you are unable to attend the rescheduled course, we will issue you a credit voucher for the total amount to provide you with the opportunity to attend another course of equal value.

License renewal requirements vary greatly from state to state.  You should check the specific requirements in your state.  In the State of Tennessee, Licensed Massage Therapists renew their licenses every two years, based on the year of birth (odd or even).  To renew your license go to the LARS (Licensure and Regulatory System) and create an account.  Therapists must have 24-hours of approved continuing education every CE cycle as proof of continued competency to renew their massage license.  Therapists that fail to obtain the required number of continuing education hours cannot renew their license.  See Tennessee Massage Licensure Board policy “Continuing Education Violations“.

We’re now offering exclusive discounts when you enroll as a group of four or more. Get our expertly-crafted courses at an even better price!  To access your group discount, please Ms. Tia Templeton at (865) 450-3330 Ext. 9 or by email at .

Arbor Continuing Education offers many classes that are suitable for the public, however hands-on massage courses are strictly reserved for Licensed or Student Massage Therapist. 

The answer is perhaps.  As an NCBTMB Approved Provider, this organization offers advanced practice courses that contain content that goes beyond a Massage Therapist’s Scope of Practice but may be conducive to understanding different body systems more in-depth. Participation and continuing education hours awarded for completing the course are strictly for the advanced development and understanding of interdisciplinary practices. Massage therapists are only allowed to practice within their professional Scope of Practice, and any skills learned in these courses are for further development purposes and should not be practiced professionally. Massage therapists who wish to take these courses may, with the understanding that the information was approved by NCBTMB, strengthen the therapist’s knowledge of human science. As a massage therapist, please know that if you practice advanced modalities or advise clients in practices that are outside your Scope of Practice, you may lose your NCBTMB Board Certification and massage therapy license.  To practice the information learned within this course, a massage therapist may need to take additional education and earn a degree in the subject matter.

Contact Information

Arbor Continuing Education
6500 Papermill Drive, First Floor
Knoxville, Tennessee 37919
Main:  (865) 450-3330
Fax:   (865) 588-0909
General Email: 
Continuing Education Manager: