There are many aspects to conducting yourself professionally in the business world, and as students, the classroom setting gives you a perfect environment to begin your practice. Your ethics not only reflect you; they reflect on your training and your profession. Setting your standards high is good business and a sure way of gaining respect from your clients and your professional colleagues.
According to the Merrium-Webster dictionary, ethics is defined as “rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad.”
As a professional massage therapist you will be held to a code of ethics by the many Massage Therapy State Boards across this country. As well as professional organizations such as the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professional (ABMP), American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) and National Board Certification of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NBCTMB).
Much thought has been put into standards of conduct in order to establish clear boundaries between client and therapist. Such boundaries are set in place to create trust in you by the client and the profession in which you have chosen to work.
As you learn massage techniques in your educational experience, you will also receive training in proper ethical conduct. You will learn how to handle ethical matters such as:
- Quality of work
- Scope of practice
- Knowledge of indication and contraindication regarding the health of your client
- The value of conducting yourself with integrity and honesty not only professionally but also personally
- To respect client/therapist confidentiality
- To use proper draping of the client and correct body ergonomics
- Your right to refuse treating a client
- A client’s right to modify or terminate the massage session
- The impropriety and very real legal consequences of engaging in sexual misconduct
- To understand the inappropriateness and unacceptability of discrimination of clients and/or health professionals.
Comments: Please pick one of the following scenarios and let us know what YOU would do.
- A wife asking if her husband is getting a massage from you?
- Your client asks the name of a person they saw leaving your office as they were coming in because they think they know them from high school.
- Can you give away birthday massages?
- How would you handle a client leaving without paying?
- What would you do if a client completely misses an appointment?
Wow these are tough, when a client leaves without paying I would call them and say to them I think that they forgot to pay before they left and I will ask for their payment details, if they avoid my call I will send them an email.
I agree with Heidi all equally hard to answer. I will chose can you give away birthday massages? I say why not? That would be a great way to gain business. Hey it’s your birthday bring in your DL and you will recieve a free 15 minute session with me @ thewrighttouchforyou Massage Salon.
Agreed, tough situations. If a wife asks about her husband getting a massage from me I’d tell her politely that I’m only allowed to give out that type of information if an individual indicated on our forms that we can give that info to them. If not no info. Same as a doctors office.
If someone was to leave without paying I would attempt to catch them in the car park. If they had already left the premises I would call them immediately and tell them they had forgotten to pay. If I could not reach them by phone I would leave a brief message explaining that they had not paid. I would also send them a bill.
If a wife asked if her husband was getting massages from me I would politely tell her that I cannot give out any information without client approval first. That would hopefully show her that whether he is or isn’t that I am a professional in my business
If I had a client who completely missed their scheduled appointment I would call them to make sure they were ok and tell them they had missed the appointment. Hopefully, it would just have been a mistake and I would ask them if they wanted to schedule another appointment for a later time.