Today we’d like to introduce you to Randall Clark. He and his team share their story with us below:
In July of 2011, the Center for Neurosomatic Studies (CNS) was founded under the ownership of Randall Clark in response to a local and national need for manual therapists with Neurosomatic therapy training.
A group of investors was engaged in April 2012 to help support the delivery of the CNS program at the high level of academic standards and to help advance the practice of soft tissue therapy as a vital component of healthcare.
CNS combines massage therapy, Neurosomatic therapy, and personal training into one program, preparing students for licensure and certification. When students graduate, they are certified as Neurosomatic Specialists (CNS). To practice, our students sit for the Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) boards known as the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEX), and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) exam through National Association of Sports Medicine (NASM)
Recognizing that massage therapy and exercise are an important part of the restorative health process, CNS integrates structural analysis with these other modalities like personal training and corrective exercise, so the successful practitioner can incorporate them effectively, treating the whole patient.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As with most businesses, there were some bumps in the road along the way.
Regulation for schools is intense and multi-layered. When starting a school as unique as ours we often found it difficult fitting into the boxes set by the regulators. Despite the obstacles we’ve met the many challenges along the way and are always ready to hurdle the new ones as they arise.
Additionally, running a school as rich with hands-on material as ours, during a pandemic, has proven challenging to a level we never imagined possible. Our faculty and staff, pulled together, however, quickly implementing the changes needed to educate our students and continued to adapt as regulations and safety demanded.
With a little bit of luck, flexibility, and teamwork we made it through and feel we’re stronger for it.
We’ve been impressed with The Center for Neurosomatic Studies, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Center for Neurosomatic Studies (CNS) was designed to take students from any walk of life and equip them with the skills and tools they need to become competent and successful practitioners in the field of Neurosomatic Therapy (NST). Some of our students come to school with only a high school diploma eager to learn.
By the end of their 18 months these same students are getting results for patients, some with complicated health issues. Our program specializes in training and education, tailoring each term to the needs of the students to provide an environment for maximum growth.
Students who have a passion for helping others are the ones we see excel the most. To us, that desire to make a difference is the most critical piece setting our students apart. It gives them the edge they need to overcome the challenges they’ll face while in school, and the one element of success we can’t teach.
We are often mistaken for a massage school because we are accredited through the Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation (COMTA). Our students have a pass rate of 100% for the Massage & Bodywork Licensing Exam (MBLEX), so it’s understandable why we might be misunderstood as massage is certainly the most recognizable piece of our program. However, to think that’s where it stops would be to miss out on the largest pieces of the CNS education, Neurosomatic Therapy.
We certainly use massage techniques, and we use them every day but it’s the Neurosomatic element, the postural analysis, the anatomical expertise of origin, insertion, innervation, and the thought process that separates NST from other modalities. Despite the impact NST practitioners are having on the health care field, right now there is only one place in the world to get this kind of training.
Over the last ten years since the school started, we’ve seen a huge influx of people moving to Florida, and just as much so to the Tampa Bay area.
The school is located in Clearwater, Florida inside the St. John-Clark Pain Treatment Center building at the Icot Center off Ulmerton Rd. Students coming from out of state have numerous options when it comes to education, and they choose CNS because they recognize the future of health care is moving towards complementary and structural-based therapies.
With the boom we’re seeing here in the state, and particularly Clearwater, there is ample housing, beach activity, and Florida culture available to make anyone feel right at home, as students prepare for their new careers. The world needs NST and it needs more NST practitioners. Our student clinic and both St. John-Clark professional clinics stay busy year-round. Sometimes we struggle just to keep up with demand.
So much so, most of our students are being recruited by other professional clinics sometimes 6 months before they even graduate. Other students go on to open up their own clinics after graduation, many moving back home to their original states to do so. We keep tuition low and accessible to everyone while still providing the newest adaptations for the classroom.
As a fully accredited school, financial aid is available for the students who qualify, and we’ve seen a big uptick in our veteran student count since we started utilizing the various benefits available to them. To sum it up we’re a unique program teaching something the world needs right now that you can’t get anywhere else.
I’ve been teaching and practicing NST for over 20 years side by side with the founder of NST Paul St. John, and while we both have quite a lot of experience to draw from, I believe the greatest NST practitioner is still waiting to be discovered.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
We recognized our hands-on program does not translate well to zoom. It’s a lot like teaching someone to give a haircut over the phone.
Pricing:
- $100 Application Fee
- $400 Linen Fee
- $8000 per term
- $24,500 Total for the 18 months
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CNS.edu
- Instagram: @centerforneurosomaticstudies
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/CNStudies
- Twitter: @CNStudies
- Youtube: @CNStudies
