Don't Oversell
“Refuse any gifts or benefits which are intended to
influence a referral, decision or treatment that are purely for
personal gain and not for the good of the client.”
--NCBTMB Code of Ethics
“Recognize his/her influential position with the client and shall
not exploit the relationship for personal or other gain.”
--NCBTMB Standard of Practice V (b)
Do not make a referral to another therapist simply because the therapist is getting a kickback. That is an ugly practice. Unless the referral benefits the client, it should not be made.
If the therapist is given money by a third party salesperson or owner to push a product, the therapist should be careful that the product actually benefits the client and is something the client actually desires. Beside the ethical implications, the client may come to resent being a repository of unneeded merchandise.
The author was loaded down with herbal pills by a massage therapist. The author eventually developed a cough which she blamed on the therapist. Although the therapist gave a good massage, the author has not been back. Even one bottle to see if it would help might have been appropriate—the excess of the sales was a clue as to how much the therapist really cared about the client.
Just because the client is polite does not mean the client is happy with the way they were treated. The client’s intelligence should not be underestimated. The therapist’s main line of work is massage; care should be taken not to appear as a snake oil salesperson.
The industry is a caring one which looks out for the client. Observation of this paramount value will take care of this ethic.