Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/766890
Once you've taken the ethics quiz on pages 34–35 in this issue, come back to check your answers. Questions #3 and #9 were already answered in the column and are not included here. Check back for Part 3 of this ethics challenge in the next issue. 1. Define the phrase conflict of interest as it relates to a therapeutic relationship. A. A conflict between a person's private interests and their public obligations. In a therapeutic relationship, the therapist has an obligation to provide the best possible care to the client. If therapists find themselves in a situation where they may benefit from influencing a client in a certain way, it is a conflict of interest and they should avoid the situation or step down from the therapist role. 2. Define the term kickback. A. A kickback in massage is any money, fee, commission, credit, gift gratuity, thing of value, or compensation of any kind provided for referral of clients. If a chiropractor sends a massage therapist a thank-you card containing $20 for every client the therapist sends the chiropractor, the therapist is accepting a kickback. This violates ethical standards. 4. List four therapist behaviors that demonstrate sexual impropriety that can lead to sexual harassment or sexual assault. A. Any immodest behavior, behavior that encourages immodesty in clients, draping loosely or not using a drape, using nicknames of a sexual or romantic nature with clients or allowing clients to use a nickname for the therapist, telling or allowing sexual jokes, requests for a date or accepting a request for a date, etc. 5. Define the term sexual abuse as it relates to a therapeutic relationship. A. Because the therapist has a power advantage over a client, any sexual misconduct, whether or not the client consents, is considered sexual abuse. 6. List two possible outcomes of sexual abuse allegations by clients. A. Jail time, payment of damages, loss of massage credentials and the ability to work, etc. 7. List three pieces of information you would find in an informed consent document. A. (1) A written description of massage, its scope, its limits, its benefits, indications, contraindications, and risks. (2) A written description of the business policies of the clinic or massage business, including fee schedules, returned check policy, late arrival or no-show policy, policy on draping, and expectations of therapist and client conduct. (3) And a written description of the rights of the client, including the right to terminate the session at any time, confidentiality, and the limits of confidentiality. 8. Define the term referral. A. When a therapist suggests that a client seek treatment from another massage therapist with more skills, or another health-care practitioner, for treatment outside the massage scope of practice. 10. Define the term boundaries. A. Conscious and subconscious imaginary lines that mark the limits of an individual's personal space or territory. 11. Explain the meaning of personal space. A. The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual space people "hold" around themselves. 12. Give one example of when to use each of these types of boundaries: permeable, semipermeable, impermeable. A. Use a permeable boundary with close friends and family, a semipermeable boundary with most clients, and an impermeable boundary with a client who is crossing therapist boundaries. 13. Describe these types of boundaries: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, sexual. A. Physical: boundaries we set around whom we share our bodies with (e.g., allow to hug us). Emotional: boundaries we set around whom we share our feelings with. Mental: boundaries we set around whom we share our thinking and ideas with. Spiritual: boundaries around whom we share our ideas of grace, spirit, life after death, and other beliefs with. Sexual: boundaries we set around whom we share our sexuality with. CLASSROOM TO CLIENT education What's Your Ethics IQ? Part 2: The Answers By Anne Williams and Karrie Osborn