If it is necessary to terminate the client, therapists should ensure it is done when they have sufficient time to discuss the subject fully. Massage therapists should take the time to respond to any questions the client may have, and give the client sufficient time to react to the news, respond to it, and regain composure. Massage therapists should try to leave the client with positive feelings about them and the practice of massage therapy. In addition, therapists can provide referrals to other massage practitioners or healthcare professionals, as appropriate (Giroud, 2014).
Self-Assessment Quiz Question #3 Before terminating a client, a therapist should do all of the following except: a. Compare their understanding of the therapeutic relationship with the client’s b. Give sufficient time to discuss the subject fully c. Consult supervising personnel while ignoring the rules of confidentiality d. Provide referrals to other healthcare practitioners for the client
SEXUALITY AND MASSAGE
with the session until the client agrees to this customary procedure (Fritz & Fritz, 2020). Therapists should explain to clients what can and cannot be removed or left on without impeding access to parts of the body that will receive therapeutic attention. Therapists should reassure the client that it is not necessary to remove any more clothing than personal comfort or modesty will allow. In addition, therapists should request that clients wait to undress until after they have left the room. Therapists should never allow the client to dress or undress in their presence. Before they begin, therapists should inform the client of what areas they will focus on and ask permission to proceed. Therapists should expose and work on only one area of the body at a time and cover the exposed part before moving on to another area (Fritz & Fritz, 2020). Massage therapists should avoid ambiguity or the appearance of impropriety in their words and manner. For instance, therapists should dress appropriately in a professional manner, avoiding any outfit that could be construed as revealing or provocative. The therapist’s demeanor should approximate that of other professional healthcare personnel. In addition, massage therapists should use appropriate language and avoid cursing or indelicate comments. When referring to physical conditions or parts of the body, therapists should use appropriate medical terminology. Therapists should never discuss sexual topics with or in front of the client, joke about sexual matters, make sexual remarks or jokes, or use sexual innuendo (Fritz & Fritz, 2020). Several precautionary measures can help massage therapists to maintain a comfortable and professional environment. Massage therapists should avoid meeting new clients at unknown locations, at hotels, or in the client’s home, where personal safety may be at greater risk. If therapists meet a client on-site, they should set up the massage table in a neutral location rather than a bedroom. Therapists can encourage relaxation through the client’s visual, auditory, and olfactory senses but should keep the look and smell of the environment subdued and professional, avoiding creation of an overly perfumed, romantic, or sensual atmosphere. Therapists should also remember that a client may be allergic to certain odors, have strong negative reactions to certain smells, or associate a given odor with an unpleasant memory or incident. Music should also be soothing, subtle, and played only after therapists have asked the client about a preference for music or silence during the massage (Fritz & Fritz, 2020).
Sexual misconduct, one of the most egregious examples of inappropriate behavior, refers to any sexual activity between the massage therapist and client. While women are less likely than men to be accused of sexual misconduct, they are not immune to such allegations. Some practitioners employ strategies of avoidance, ignoring the issue of sexuality entirely, either consciously or unconsciously, due to their own embarrassment or discomfort with the topic. While this approach may save an awkward moment or two, an inability or refusal to address the subject when necessary (ignoring signs of sexual arousal, for example) may not only be inappropriate but professionally irresponsible and a breach of ethical conduct. Strategies for client safety The emotional, financial, and legal consequences of professional misconduct for both the client and professional community are profound. Preventive policies should include an educational component that explains power dynamics in the therapeutic session, what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate conduct with individuals of the same and opposite genders, and strategies for speaking and acting in ways that delineate and reinforce appropriate boundaries (Fritz & Fritz, 2020). For massage therapists to ensure clients’ safety, they must actively and consciously desexualize the experience of massage; that is, make something with potential sexuality no longer sexual, de-emphasizing that dimension. Desexualizing massage is a process of deconstructing the massage experience into its component parts, acknowledging human sexuality as a given, and accepting the practitioner and client as sexual beings (Fritz & Fritz, 2020). It is natural for clients to feel some degree of anxiety or insecurity related to the process of disrobing and draping. Massage therapists can minimize anxiety or concern by stating and/or providing written information regarding disrobing. Before the client undresses, therapists should state that a draping procedure is required for purposes of modesty and physical comfort. Therapists can also mention or have a written notice that explains draping; that it will cover all parts of the client’s body except the specific area receiving attention. Once therapists finish work in that area, they will re-cover it and move to the next area. Massage therapists can tell clients to let them know if they have a question or concern or feel uncomfortable in any way. If therapists encounter a client who prefers not to be draped, therapists should explain that they are unable to proceed
PROTECTING THE PRACTICE AND PROFESSION
Whether the professional is a veteran or novice, questions will arise in a practice that could have serious implications for the practice and the profession. It is up to the professional to seek answers to their questions from the
appropriate source and suspend their practice until they have resolved the situation and can be confident that they are providing the best care for the client based on the foundations of ethical practice.
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Book Code: MMD0926
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