Foundation of Ethics 

Sexual Issues

 

In the profession of Massage Therapy, we have been plagued with a historical stigma of a sexual nature.  There are several things that compound this issue.  1. The fact that our clients are disrobed (although draped) during our sessions 2. We are a touch centered profession 3. The term massage is often misused and mislabeled by illegal professions to skirt by under the umbrella of legality. Because of this many people are still unclear about what it is that we do and are intimidated by our profession.  We have come a long way, but it is our job as professionals to educate the public and work diligently to undo the unfair stigmas and restore and expand the therapeutic reputation of our work.

 

All of that being said, let’s just get to the point shall we…

It is unacceptable for a therapist in any profession (especially massage therapy) to have sexual contact with his or her client.

The therapeutic nature of our relationship with our clients would be completely compromised if we ever did do such a thing.  Our sole purpose as therapists is to meet the therapeutic needs of the client through our work, in trade for monetary payment.

Outside of the massage room all consenting adults are free to make their choices and fulfill their needs, including sexual ones.  This freedom is not applicable in the massage room. It is our job to meet the needs our clients within our scope of practice and in congruency with our own personal and professional boundaries.  It is not our place in any circumstance to portray our needs on to our clients. 

There is a natural imbalance of power in the massage room. The client is vulnerable.  They come with a specific need from you, and as a therapist, you present a potential solution and authority. For this reason, many times if a client becomes uncomfortable for some reason, they are afraid to question or direct the therapist.  Most likely they will remain quiet and unfortunately for the therapist they will not likely rebook another session.  Many times because of the primary focus on the client’s needs and the power imbalance, the client can idealize the therapist and transference (as previously discussed) may occur.

If you find yourself troubled by a clients expressed needs or your needs, further action is required.  Here are a few things you can do to help yourself deal with these scenarios:

 

• refer the client to work with another therapist

• consult with a trusted peer or mentor

• identify any unmet needs of your own and focus on meeting them outside the therapy room (or your clients)

• make sure that you are clear with the client about the therapeutic purpose of our work

• stick to your boundaries and refrain from treating a client as “a special case.”

• do not create a dual relationship

• if we decide to exceed the professional boundaries, end the therapeutic relationship and after a period of time,(six months)

• terminate the relationship if the client insists on exceptional or special treatment