OUR VISION
“To support, promote, develop, and endorse the Myotherapy profession and maintain the highest standards of practice for our members and their clientele”.

The first Myotherapy course was instigated in 1989 by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) (Vic). In that year a group of Myotherapy students and graduates saw the need for an Association to represent the growing number of students and graduates with Myotherapy qualifications. With great foresight, they formed an Association to help promote and encourage the growth of Myotherapy as a new Australian Allied Health Profession.

The Myotherapy Association Australia began life as Myotherapy Association of Victoria. It evolved to become the Australian Association of Myotherapists Inc and then reformed as the National Institute of Myotherapists of Australia Inc (NRMA). In the 1989 it changed names again to the Institute of Registered Myotherapists of Australia (IRMA). In 2015 the current name Myotherapy Association Australia was adopted, consistent with naming conventions used by other allied health associations. We remain a ‘not-for-profit' Incorporated Association registered nationally.

The Association was run by a volunteer Board and the Administration was carried out by volunteers for a number of years. In 1998, with a membership in the order of 130, a decision was made by the Board to employ a part-time Administrator. The position was advertised in the Association's newsletter and Iris Cass was appointed. Iris worked from home with IRMA's computer, printer and phone with the days increasing over the years as the membership base grew.

In 1999 IRMA began organising workshops for members and the Professional Development Program was born. The Board recognised the need for Myotherapists to participate in ongoing professional development. Toni Moynihan and Samantha Couzin-Wood (Board members for many years), worked hard to organise workshops each year on a range of topics. In 1992, the Rules of Association, Code of Ethics and Code of Practice were developed.

In 2007, with the Administrator now full-time, the decision was made to move the office to a new location which provided for future growth of the Association. Eight years later, in 2015 MA's inaugural CEO was appointed and the Association now employs four office staff and a book-keeper. Membership has grown steadily across the five membership categories of Full, Interim, New Graduate, Student and Affiliate.

In 2008 the rules pertaining to health funds were amended by Government changing the way health funds recognise providers. As a result of these changes, practitioner's were required to belong to a professional organisation which complied with the Private Health Insurance Accreditation Rules in order to be eligible for rebates. As part of this process, IRMA (now MA) underwent a strict registration process for all funds which included the establishment of a monthly reporting system of practicing members' information.

The Myotherapy Association Australia remains Australia's only association dedicated solely to the needs of Myotherapists and Myotherapy profession.