Before you can begin an assessment of your professional ethics, it is important to define what ethics actually are. Santa Clara University defines ethics as “well-founded standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do.”i
The first standard of the NCBTMB is professionalism, which can be interpreted to mean that massage therapists must provide the highest quality care to clients. The NCBTMB Code of Ethics states that massage therapists are to “have a sincere commitment to provide the highest quality of care to those that seek their professional services.”ii The term ‘highest quality of care’ has a number of indications for a massage therapist.
Standard Two requires that massage therapists and professional bodywork practitioners follow all applicable laws regarding their profession, including local, state and federal.iii
The Standard for confidentiality is fairly straightforward. A massage therapist or bodywork professional must “respect the confidentiality of client information and safeguard all records.”iv
The fourth standard is concerned with how you handle your business as a massage therapist. As a professional, you must “practice with honesty, integrity, and lawfulness in the business of therapeutic massage and bodywork.”v
We will focus on standard five a bit more stringently than on the other standards. Ethical boundaries and the roles of client and therapist can be confusing, which makes it easier to commit violations of ethics inadvertently.
A massage therapist should not engage in a sexual relationship with a client for a minimum of six months after you have terminated the client/therapist relationship. An exception to this rule is if you were already sexually involved with the client prior to becoming their therapist.vi Refrain from sexual activity with coworkers, employees, trainees, or any other professional in your workplace in addition to clients.vii
A number of other concerns are covered in this section such as draping comfortably, clientele’s personal concerns, some controversial issues that may come up with clientele, and receiving gifts or benefits from clientele. A glossary of terms from the NCBTMB will also be covered.
References
i Santa Clara University, “What is Ethics,” http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html
ii NCBTMB, “Code of Ethics,” http://www.ncbtmb.org/about_code_of_ethics.php
iii NCBTMB, “Standards of Practice,” http://www.ncbtmb.org/about_standards_of_practice.php
iv Ibid.
v Ibid.
vi Ibid.
vii Ibid.
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