Professional consideration is a part of our massage therapy education and clinical experience. Each registered/licensed massage therapist will develop their own manner and method of interacting with the clients, but all will follow the policies and procedures of their specific regulatory body. Membership in a professional regulatory body does not ensure that all therapists will act in the same professional manner. It should also be noted that consent can be modified or revoked at any time, including during the treatment, by the client for any reason.
Therefore, it is recommended that all body areas be discussed for inclusion in or exclusion from a given session, but, as well, special consent is required for sensitive areas such as the inner chest wall, inner thighs, buttocks and breast areas. Therapists are reminded that “full body” treatment may mean different things to different clients. The CMTO standards of practice require consent for treatment from each and every client. I studied in Ontario, where consent for treatment is always required when a client requests treatment from an RMT. The content of this document must be taught so that the student RMT can pass OSCE and MCQ, but the course titles and methods of teaching are autonomist to the educational institution. All schools must adhere to standards and the “Massage Therapy Competency Standards” set out but the CMTO. Once registered with the CMTO, you are able to practise as a massage therapist.Įvery school is different, which is why there is a huge emphasis on getting schooling consistent across the province and then across the country. These rules are in place and enforced by the governing bodies. The rules may differ, slightly, in the various countries, and jurisdictions within countries, but overall they have many similarities and are in place to protect the public and to assure that the client is informed about all aspects of their treatment.īecoming a registered massaged therapist (RMT) is not an easy task and in order to gain licensure in Canada with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), you must complete a training program from an approved school or equivalent (generally averaging 2,000 hours of academic and clinical training) followed by successful completion of both the written multiple choice questionnaire (MCQ) and the Objectively Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) set by the CMTO. I will discuss some of the rules and regulations we have as therapists, in this area, and what the literature says about the topic, to demonstrate that it is within your scope and abilities as therapists to make patients feel at ease, regardless of our gender.Īs massage therapists, we have rules and regulations with regard to conduct. Much of the article will be based on my own experiences as a male therapist with a client base that is by and large female and involves work of a very sensitive nature. I would like to discuss this a bit further in this article. There are ways in which therapists, and the profession, can approach the gender issue in a positive and constructive manner. Gender does not need to figure into this in a negative way. If someone is in pain and seeking treatment, you would think they would welcome help to relieve the discomfort as soon as possible regardless of the health professional’s gender. But therapists are taught – and it is reinforced in their regulations – that the gender of a therapist can influence a patient’s comfort level and even choice of therapist. Respect, professionalism and clear communication is required from the regulatory body, and it is the responsibility of the therapist to consider each and every client, and their diversity in culture, comfort level, past experience and religion. When someone thinks of going for a massage therapy treatment, do they, consciously or unconsciously, consider whether the therapist will be a male or female? If they do, are decisions surrounding the therapist’s gender based on past experiences, word of mouth, personal preferences or some combination of the three?