Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1496639
L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 53 CREATING SAFETY FOR YOUR CLIENTS The Attention Button does three important things never done systematically before: It protects clients from predator therapists, protects therapists from inappropriate clients, and provides lifesaving reaction time in cases of a medical emergency. If you work in a spa or clinic, have the conversation about the Attention Button with your employer. It is of utmost importance that the massage treatment room is a safe place for all who are present. Note 1. Rainn.org, "About Sexual Assault," accessed March 2023, www.rainn.org/about-sexual-assault. Dr. Ben E. Benjamin has done much pioneering work in the areas of ethics and communication, writing articles on professional, sexual, and business ethics. He is the co- author of The Ethics of Touch, a textbook used in schools throughout North America to teach ethics and boundaries to massage therapists and other hands-on health-care professionals. He has been an expert witness in cases of sexual assault in the massage and bodywork field since 2004. In 1974, Dr. Benjamin founded the Muscular Therapy Institute, a school he owned and directed for over 30 years. In the 1980s, he developed a 150-hour curriculum in ethics and communication skills for therapists in training. He has taught courses in ethics, boundaries, sexuality, and communication to somatic therapists for over 40 years. In order to reduce sexual misconduct across the country, Hand and Stone hopes other spa franchise organizations, day spas, and massage clinics install this safety technology in their massage rooms too. "Increased safety is good for the whole profession," says Hand and Stone Chief Experience Officer Cindy Meiskin. With the addition of the Attention Button in every Hand and Stone spa in the country, the hope is that therapists who are sexual predators or individuals with poorly developed boundaries will decide to leave the company or choose to not apply. Practitioner and Client Communication Meiskin says the Attention Button has been positively received by Hand and Stone staff, and has the added benefit of protecting them from potential false claims. "They understand and appreciate it." When asked about client receptivity, Meiskin says it's been very positive. "They appreciate the underlying mission." Hand and Stone communicates the presence of the Attention Button to clients through several touch points: a service orientation form delivered pre- session much like doctor forms before an appointment ("I understand the table is equipped with an Attention Button"), verbally during the intake process ("If for any reason you need to push the button, someone from the front desk will come back immediately"), and on signage in the lobby and on the massage table. FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS UNDERWAY In addition to the Attention Button, Hand and Stone is part of additional efforts to improve safety and security. The franchise is piloting a national "mystery shopper" quality-control program. At participating spas, therapists are visited by an experienced therapist to check that their safety and security procedures are being properly implemented. In addition, Hand and Stone is also a founding member of the National Association of Spa Franchises (NASF), which implemented a nationwide employment verification system that aims to prevent therapists terminated for breach of safety protocols from moving to the other participating spa brands of the NASF (see National Association of Spa Franchises). Resources • "Mobile Massage Practice Safety," by Michelle Roos, Massage & Bodywork magazine, March/April 2022, page 44, www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/ i/1451559-march-april-2022/46. • "Mobile Massage with Michelle Roos," The ABMP Podcast, January 11, 2022, www.abmp.com/podcasts/ ep-187-mobile-massage-michelle-roos. • "Respect Massage: Create a Zero-Tolerance Practice with Joyce Gauthier," The ABMP Podcast, March 1, 2021, www.abmp.com/podcasts/ep-80-respect-massage- create-zero-tolerance-practice-joyce-gauthier.