Massage is a profession and a skill which deals with the client’s health and this is achieved by dealing with their bodies. Whenever human body and their health is involved, the skill requires code of professional ethics. These ethics forms the basis of Manipulative therapies. The key rules and regulations which are to be followed by a therapist are as follows:
Comfortable Zone:
- In the massage profession it is essential for the professionals to realize that he/she is responsible for providing & finding a comfortable zone for the client.
- One should know and learn his/her own personal boundaries by looking honest & keeping away his own fear and frustration (to keep patient in a comfortable zone)
- Anything that interferes with our ability in being respectful & judgmental like color, body, attitude, gender must be considered.
- Make sure to bring the client in the comfortable zone before starting the massage manipulations.
Right of refusal:
- Clients have the right to refuse massage. When the request is made during the treatments by the client, the therapist should obey the request.
- Maintain the right to refuse to treat any person in order to protect mental, physical, emotional, professional boundaries & safety of practitioner.
- At the same time the therapist can also refuse to administer massage by giving some suitable cause.
- The client can be provided with some reference with his choice or the therapist can disclose all this personal detail to make the client convenient.
Informed consent-
Client needs information to make choice about
- Whom they want to administer the service,
- What they want the therapist to accomplish,
- How the session should progress.
- Keep the client well informed of the procedure and method that will be employed during session.
- The therapist should take role of a teacher and should explain the massage procedure and about the session.
Boundaries
- A respect for personal boundaries starts by staying at an arm length away until invited to come close.
- The therapist has to maintain his personal space. The personal space can be defined by placing an arm directly in front of the body and turning a circle & the area within the space is called personal area.
- It is also important that client should also understand the professional boundaries of the therapist.
- Respect the client’s physical, emotional, social boundaries with regard to privacy, discloser, emotional expression, beliefs and client’s reasonable expectation of behavior.
Confidentiality
It means that the client’s information is private and it is unethical for therapist to discuss anything about the client to anyone other than the client.
Sexual misconduct & massage intimacy
- A statement about appearance may be considered as a complement or may be interpreted as sexual remark so acceptable behavior should be followed in profession.
- The work of massage is sensory stimulation. The body stimulation can be sensual, thus the massage professionals must be aware of physiological aspect of massage and should explain that how massage reduces stress and promote relaxation along with sensory stimulation.
Correct use of the terms:
In speaking about massage & its applications, always be careful to use correct terms to know about anatomical part and its term like outline of the bone location, blood vessels, principle muscle group, etc.
Good health
The person who administers massage should have perfect health, follow good diet, sleep, rest, exercise, body mechanics, should have good life style. Person should be always cheerful and a good communication should be maintained during massage. This also results from good health. The person should not smoke or take drugs or if taken should administer massage after 12 hrs.