Chapter 4:

OK, Maybe I'm Not Superman


“Accurately inform clients, other health care
practitioners, and the public
of the scope and limitations of their discipline.”

--NCBTMB Code of Ethics


“be knowledgeable of his/her scope of practice and practice only within these limitations.”

--NCBTMB Standard of Practice I l


“accurately and truthfully inform the public of services provided.”

--NCBTMB Standard of Practice IV d


“According to a recent survey published by the American Massage Therapy Association, 60 percent of consumers seek massage for health and medical reasons, and only six percent for sheer indulgence.” Clients may have all kinds of expectations, some of which might be unrealistic. A massage therapist is not a physical therapist, chiropractor or doctor. If the client is looking for diagnosis or something beyond the scope of massage, the nature of what can be offered must be made clear. It will perhaps be necessary to also point out that the therapist is not affiliated with any of those professionals, if that is the case.


Particular jurisdictions (cities, counties or states) may have specific definitions which limit the practice of massage. The school the therapist attended also defined the scope of practice.


In some cases and jurisdictions, certain modalities may be outside the scope of practice of massage. One might be available to provide these modalities in place of or in addition to the massage therapy (assuming all other licensing requirements were met) but the Code of Ethics suggests the client should be informed the procedure is outside that of the massage certification if that were the case. This is one example of evaluating whether or not a particular practice might not be within the scope. If the client is relying on the certification as a guarantee of expertise, the therapist should be careful that the "color of authority" of certification does not embrace other practices.


In California, an esthetician can do facials. A massage therapist can do facial massages—but not facials. A therapist in this situation would have to make clear to the client that what is being offered is not a facial (unless the therapist is also an esthetician.)


Post your certifications. The therapist should not let anyone assume the therapist is something the therapist is not.


In a clinical setting where the massage therapist is part of a team, working with others from different disciplines, this ethic advises the therapist to clearly warn the other professionals of the therapist's boundaries if the request to practice outside of them is raised.


Oftentimes a therapist rents space in the office of a chiropractor or adjacent to one in a medical building. In this situation, the therapist should make it quite clear to a client that the therapist is not affiliated with the chiropractor or surrounding medical offices and that the therapist is an independent business.


It is more difficult to think of what the ethic has in mind when it talks of telling the public of "the scope and limitations of" massage. But if a misimpression arose in the public's mind, the therapist has the ethical duty to correct it.


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