Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage
Yumiko Horigome fulfilled a dream she’d held since a teenager when she walked across the stage to receive her Bachelor of Therapeutic and Sports Massage from SIT last year, and she is now building a flourishing career.
Originally from Japan, Yumiko moved to New Zealand in 2010, settling in Invercargill in 2012. Although she has Bachelor in Psychology from Japan, Yumiko realised she needed to have NZ qualifications to work. “My Japanese qualifications were not recognised in the NZ education system, “ she explains.
Yumiko researched courses on the internet and originally enrolled in the Diploma in Relaxation Massage in 2019, which staircased into the degree. “SIT was the best option to get a qualification from home. I preferred face-to-face study, as I feel comfortable asking questions in person.”
While studying part-time during her second year, Yumiko went from mother-of-three to mother-of-four, when she had her fourth child during the first Covid lock-down. “I studied part-time over five years to get a bachelor's degree, but it was a great option to have a good balance of my family commitments and study,” she says.
Yumiko’s first year covered Relaxation massage, Therapeutic massage, Human anatomy, Professional study, and Physiology. Year 2 delved into Remedial massage, Pathology, Neuromuscular techniques and Research skills.
In the third year Yumiko had the opportunity to specialise and learn in-depth about a certain area of massage therapy; “I chose pregnancy massage,” she said, and completed a “very interesting” community placement while she conducted her research on Postnatal depression and massage therapy.
Recalling how much she valued the other students in her year, Yumiko says having good classmates was awesome. “It was great to have [them] to study together!”, She also acknowledged her “amazing” tutors. “They are knowledgeable, and they support students in their learning.” Yumiko shared she had excellent support from the SIT librarians for research resources, and discovered the convenience of ebooks for reading and learning.
Yumiko enjoyed campus events, such as Matariki, where invited family and friends of students were welcome to attend. “It was great to show my children where I studied and share the fun with others.” The “lovely” and quite popular campus cat, Scooter, gets a mention also, because he made Yumiko feel calm.
The toughest assignment for Yumiko was in the third-year research paper. “I felt defeated by [it]. I doubted my ability to finish this assignment. I lost my confidence to do it, and I felt I reached my limit and I could not do it better.” she admits. However, a friend (a former classmate and massage therapist who finished her studies the year before), encouraged Yumiko to continue and finish the assignment. “If she had not been there, I would not have accomplished this course.”
Studying with the SIT Zero Fees Scheme was another big help. “It is an amazing opportunity to get a bachelor's degree in massage therapy with Zero Fees. I think no student loan to pay off is a great deal.”
Yumiko summed up the whole three years of study have taught her how to be a professional massage therapist. “Knowledge of evidence-based massage, anatomy and physiology is important to provide beneficial massage therapy in the best interest of clients,” she says.
She told herself “if I don’t give up learning new knowledge, and listening to advice from others to be better at [this], I could develop my ability and knowledge the most.” This helped Yumiko accomplish her belief “dreams can come true with hard work”.
A long-held dream “since I was a teenager” to have the full graduation experience was realised when Yumiko walked across the stage at the SIT Graduation in her gown and trencher - the distinctive graduation hat. “My Japanese uni did not have a trencher for graduation, unfortunately.”
Yumiko is currently a contractor massage therapist with roles in a few different locations. She appreciates working in the well-established clinic, Dynamic Health (Winton), as the owner is an excellent, experienced massage therapist. Yumiko started her professional career there, when she responded to a job vacancy her SIT tutor had emailed to students; she provides relaxation massage, pregnancy massage, remedial massage, and sports massage.
Yumiko provides therapeutic massage at Silverfern Farms Kennington once a week, and is so pleased to work at this freezing work site, as it’s a great example of how massage therapy can be integrated into physical work environments. As well as this, she visits a few workplaces with her massage chair for 10-20 minute workplace massages, and takes some private massage clients.
Yumiko has a clear goal to provide affordable massage therapy for mothers with postnatal depression in the Invercargill community. “It would be fantastic if massage therapy were accessible for mothers with depression without worrying about the cost...” explaining there are many benefits; it’s a proven treatment for depression and to improve quality of life. “A nurturing touch of massage can help to build healthy bonds between mother and baby as well,” she adds. Yumiko intends to offer her knowledge and skills in massage therapy to support wellness in the community.