Ethical Dilemmas In Massage Therapy
In the profession and practice of alternative healing and massage therapy, therapists are often faced with ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. I am currently working as a certified massage therapist and holistic health practitioner. I have every intention on using my degree to broaden myself and immerse myself further up the chain of massage therapy. Obtaining my degree in Organizational leadership will be the backbone of my goal to one day either manage or own a spa or healing center. I have the experience of working the front desk of a spa, working as a massage therapist at a spa facility, and in addition to running my own business as an independent contractor. All three of those areas are a crucial part of a massage therapist professional
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Even though most massage therapist dislike the front desk operations, they do play a viable role in the daily functionality of the spa. As an independent contractor the primarily responsible for every aspect of the business fall on your shoulders. Based on my years of experience in working as an independent contractor and interviewing three other independent contractors, we all seem to bring up the same ethical dilemmas that we face. Not every independent contractor reports his or her accurate earnings to the IRS. The can present a number of issue for the massage therapist. Massage therapist deal with lots of cash and we are capable of fudging the numbers to obtain personal gain. The next big ethical dilemma has to do with mixing sexual acts with massage. It is stated on the American Massage Therapy Association website, “Sexual misconduct is a serious matter that must be attended to (Polseno, 2007).” Independent contractors are not as monitored as a therapist who works for an establishment. The temptations to make more money are very real, unfortunately some therapist fall into the trap of not practicing massage ethically due to financial hardships. Charles Lee expresses, “establishing boundaries can be an ongoing and dynamic process (Lee, C).” Establishing boundaries from the very beginning and sticking to them, it the sure way to avoid temptation to fall off the ethical path. Charles Lee also explains, “ boundaries also help us and our clients feel at ease physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally (Lee,
Even though most massage therapist dislike the front desk operations, they do play a viable role in the daily functionality of the spa. As an independent contractor the primarily responsible for every aspect of the business fall on your shoulders. Based on my years of experience in working as an independent contractor and interviewing three other independent contractors, we all seem to bring up the same ethical dilemmas that we face. Not every independent contractor reports his or her accurate earnings to the IRS. The can present a number of issue for the massage therapist. Massage therapist deal with lots of cash and we are capable of fudging the numbers to obtain personal gain. The next big ethical dilemma has to do with mixing sexual acts with massage. It is stated on the American Massage Therapy Association website, “Sexual misconduct is a serious matter that must be attended to (Polseno, 2007).” Independent contractors are not as monitored as a therapist who works for an establishment. The temptations to make more money are very real, unfortunately some therapist fall into the trap of not practicing massage ethically due to financial hardships. Charles Lee expresses, “establishing boundaries can be an ongoing and dynamic process (Lee, C).” Establishing boundaries from the very beginning and sticking to them, it the sure way to avoid temptation to fall off the ethical path. Charles Lee also explains, “ boundaries also help us and our clients feel at ease physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally (Lee,