Articles tagged with 'ethics'

Gossiping with or about clients is always unethical. But there are limited scenarios where it is legally OK to violate confidentiality.

When we use the term emotional release, we create an agenda where none should exist.

What does acting and staying within your scope of practice look like, and when is a referral more appropriate?

Clients and therapists alike have the right of refusal. Don't be afraid to use it.

Simply going through the motions with a client rather than providing what they really need and deserve isn't fair to them and isn't effective.

Avoid asking personal questions that aren't relevant to the work you're doing, and avoid answering invasive questions about your personal life by turning the focus back to the client.

There are major differences between certifications, educational certificates, and CE certificates. It's important to assess which is best for you.

Coordinate with emergency officials before heading to a disaster area with the intention to help.

The holistic importance of massage therapy needs to be recognized as a key to relieving a client's pain.

Clients who repeatedly take advantage of you and disrespect your boundaries should be dismissed.

Seeking supervision with a professional clinician is wise when working with clients living with mental health conditions.

No matter where you are in your career, it's of utmost importance to go through the process of identifying what your values are and how those will translate to your business.

When the symptoms span a greater area, step back and consider what larger principle could explain it.

When we can see the clients as whole people, it makes room for us to bring compassion to the impact of the multiple traumatic experiences they have likely had with other health-care providers.

I often pose this question: "If you could have one thing different when you walk out that door, what do you want it to be?"

Next year, ABMP will advocate for reasonable legacy clauses in states that introduce legislation to enact massage licensure and those that place new requirements in existing laws.

Seek out one of many available solutions when language or communication barriers are an issue.

The skills of listening, noticing, and wondering help build the foundation of real, flexible, and ethical boundaries that allow us to connect meaningfully with our clients.

Don't complain about your obligations. Instead, own your career and show it through your professionalism.

Finding a solution doesn't always come from knowledge. Sometimes, practitioners have to go a little deeper to find wisdom.

A recent study is a step in the right direction toward quantifying the efficacy of massage therapy.

Carelessness can negatively impact your business and your reputation.

Legislatures across the country are returning to work in January—here's updated info about legislature focus to stop human trafficking as it's related to massage.

Avoid giving advice on personal problems and issues that may be out of your scope.

Networking with providers outside your field can benefit your client treatment process and add to your repertoire of valuable resources and referrals.

The proximity and interaction between client and MT can lead to a different interpretation by each.

Instead of giving advice to clients about their personal lives, have them actively participate in the session to keep their focus on the work.

A shift in perspective as an interviewee could result in a shift in the physical and emotional response you normally have heading into a job interview.

A truly superior therapist is client-centered and not caught up in their own ego.

It's important for MTs to remain in scope of practice and not diagnose.

Being forthcoming about their beliefs and values may help MTs avoid ethical conundrums down the road.

Neurodivergence describes a person whose brain functions differently from the majority of people; autism and social anxiety are neurodivergent conditions. There are a lot of undiagnosed and self-diagnosed neurodivergent people.

The massage profession continually deals with issues around sexual misconduct and harassment—from both therapists and clients. The Attention Button, produced by BEC Integrated Solutions, is an alarm system that can be used by therapists and clients to alert the front desk of an uncomfortable or dangerous situation.

When possible, respond quickly and politely to resolve negative online comments.

The nature of the massage therapist and client relationship is different than the relationship between the client and other health-care providers, but that doesn't mean it's less important.

It's important to understand the components and criteria that define what it means to demonstrate professionalism.

When you've gained enough experience as a bodyworker, it's time to turn the tables and help others and be a mentor.

When we engage with each other, we have an incredible opportunity to teach and learn. Use language kindly, mindfully, and with a spirit of connection.

Valuing the inherit worth, rights, and dignity of each individual includes other massage therapists.

What we do and who we are as massage therapists needs to be more accurately reflected in massage therapy research.

When a person is starved for physical intimacy, they may make an emotional leap in a massage setting, confusing physical intimacy with sexual intimacy. Strong, clear boundaries help create functional professional relationships that last.

Revealing personal information to clients can be useful if it pertains to the client's own issues, but self-disclosure should be used sparingly.

Many troublesome situations with clients, such as late arrivals and last-minute cancellations, can be prevented by letting your clients know upfront what your policies are.

The traditional and accepted processes of conducting and publishing research are deeply flawed. Researchers are dissuaded from being truly curious and are manipulated into publishing their findings in incomplete and misleading ways that don't serve honest inquiry and discovery.

All businesses must comply with Title III of the ADA. There is also an ethical consideration—it is good and right to do everything we can to make massage accessible to everyone, and that includes people with disabilities.

It's always best to respond in a professional manner. When a client is getting to you, take a deep breath before responding. Keep an even tone.

Impostor syndrome can be viewed through a wider lens that includes a pandemic and the systemic, intentional disenfranchisement of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. It's helpful to ask yourself a few questions.

What do you do when a client acts inappropriately? Do you ignore it, throw them out of the office, and/or blast it on social media?

As massage therapists, we have chosen to be a particular kind of human. The kind who puts the safety and health of the people we serve ahead of our own preferences and politics.

Those of us who are massage therapists get something we need out of our work . . . human connection and touch. But we can't do our best at helping others when we're not taking care of ourselves.

As massage therapists and bodyworkers, it's time to advocate for being more than people who rub.

Part two in this series from Ben Benjamin explores ways to communicate with clients and how to avoid violating client boundaries.

Boundaries—defining them, communicating them, and guarding them—can be tricky. All humans have a right to choose their boundaries. Sometimes this is easier said than done.

A frequent complaint from therapists who work as employees is that their employer is not supportive when it comes to maintaining ethical boundaries.

When we consider our communication, it's easy to see that we don't think much about how our assumptions and our culture influence the stories that take shape in our minds or how we hear things shared with us.

Every therapist I know sincerely wants to help their clients feel better, whether the treatment is geared toward relaxation or a specific injury or pain. Unfortunately, in my work as an expert witness, I have seen many cases of well-meaning therapists who have injured their clients. Here's how to prevent that.

For many therapists, The Money Pit movie is a good analogy for our relationship with money in our massage practice.

Massage therapists can fit perfectly into the emerging paradigm—community-based, collaborative care is the future we will be working in. This is the future of health care, even if massage therapists do nothing.

Grounding, breathwork, presence, intention—these are all tools in the bodyworker's toolkit, practices that often separate the satisfying session from the spectacular.

Maintaining your own boundaries is just as important as honoring client boundaries. And avoiding boundary burnout is key.

As health-care providers, one of the most important ways we can show up in this moment is to work toward ending inequity and racism in massage therapy.

If you've ever meandered through your membership package, you've likely seen the ABMP Code of Ethics. Reading through the ABMP Code of Ethics made me think about what I would put in my own code...

Many times, mistakes on our part, such as sloppy draping, are made due to carelessness, without any conscious intent to do something unprofessional. Clients who don't know us well may not know the difference between carelessness and intention.

To achieve repeat bookings, practitioners must (1) understand client goals, (2) deliver value for clients, and (3) design effective treatment plans.

Many autistic people do not see autism as a condition to be cured, but as an aspect of identity. Integrative health care and massage specifically have shown promising evidence of reducing autistic anx

Massage therapists aren't supposed to diagnose. There is some variety from state to state, but for the most part, we are allowed to "assess" but not to "diagnose."

Practitioners have to think critically about when and how to share what we know and must resist the temptation to guess.