Massage Ethics:

Professional:

Trust is more important in massage than in most other professions. You trust a stranger to work on your body, share necessary medical information, remain professional, and more.

As your massage therapist, KellieAnn Halvorsen is honored to have that trust and follows a strict professional and personal code of ethics to maintain it.

As a National Board Certified Therapeutic Massage and Bodyworker, Halvorsen certifies she shall act in a manner that justifies public trust and confidence, enhances the reputation of the profession, and safeguards the interest of individual clients.

She certifies she will:

• I. Have a sincere commitment to provide the highest quality of care to those who seek their professional services;
• II. Represent their qualifications honestly, including education and professional affiliations, and provide only those services that they are qualified to perform;
• III. Accurately inform clients, other health care practitioners, and the public of the scope and limitations of their discipline;
• IV. Acknowledge the limitations of and contraindications for massage and bodywork and refer clients to appropriate health professionals;
• V. Provide treatment only where there is reasonable expectation that it will be advantageous to the client;
• VI. Consistently maintain and improve professional knowledge and competence, striving for professional excellence through regular assessment of personal and professional strengths and weaknesses and through continued education training;
• VII. Conduct their business and professional activities with honesty and integrity, and respect the inherent worth of all persons;
• VIII. Refuse to unjustly discriminate against clients and/or health professionals;
• IX. Safeguard the confidentiality of the client’s identity and information in all conversations, advertisements, and any and all other matters unless disclosure of identifiable information is requested by the client in writing, is medically necessary or is required by law;
• X. Respect the client’s right to treatment with informed and voluntary consent. The certified practitioner will obtain and record the informed consent of the client, or client’s advocate, before providing treatment. This consent may be written or verbal;
• XI. Respect the client’s right to refuse, modify or terminate treatment regardless of prior consent given;
• XII. Provide draping and treatment in a way that ensures the safety, comfort and privacy of the client;
• XIII. Exercise the right to refuse to treat any person or part of the body for just and reasonable cause;
• XIV. Refrain, under all circumstances, from participating in a sexual relationship or sexual conduct with the client, whether consensual or otherwise, from the beginning of the client/therapist relationship and for a minimum of six (6) months after the termination of the client therapist relationship, unless an ongoing current sexual relationship existed prior to the date the therapeutic relationship began;
• XV. Avoid any interest, activity or influence which might be in conflict with the practitioner’s obligation to act in the best interests of the client or the profession;
• XVI. Respect the client’s boundaries with regard to privacy, disclosure, exposure, emotional expression, beliefs and the client’s reasonable expectations of professional behavior. Practitioners will respect the client’s autonomy;
• XVII. Refuse any gifts or benefits that are intended to influence a referral, decision or treatment, or that are purely for personal gain and not for the good of the client; and
• XVIII. Follow the NCBTMB Standards of Practice, this Code of Ethics, and all policies, procedures, guidelines, regulations, codes, and requirements promulgated by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork, Inc.

As a member of the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP), Halvorsen pledges her commitment to the highest principles of the massage and bodywork profession.

Halvorsen affirms:

• 1. Commitment to High-Quality Care
  • I will serve the best interests of my clients at all times and provide the highest quality of bodywork and service possible. I recognize that the obligation for building and maintaining an effective, healthy, and safe therapeutic relationship with my clients is my responsibility.
• 2. Commitment to Do No Harm
  • I will conduct a thorough health history intake process for each client and evaluate the health history to rule out contraindications or determine appropriate session adaptations. I will provide services within the scope of practice for massage therapists and bodywork professionals only when there is a logical expectation that the service(s) will be beneficial to the client. I will acknowledge the contraindications and limitations for massage therapy and refer clients to other health-care professionals when indicated.
• 3. Commitment to Honest Representation of Qualifications
  • I will not work outside the commonly accepted scope of practice for massage therapists and bodywork professionals. I will adhere to my state or local jurisdiction’s scope of practice guidelines (when applicable). I will only provide treatments and techniques for which I am fully trained and hold appropriate credentials. I will carefully evaluate the needs of each client and refer the client to another provider if the client requires work beyond my capabilities, or beyond the capacity of massage and bodywork. I will not use the trademarks and symbols associated with a particular system or group without authentic affiliation. I will acknowledge the limitations of massage and bodywork by refraining from exaggerating the benefits of massage therapy and related services throughout my marketing.
• 4. Commitment to Uphold the Inherent Worth of All Individuals
  • I will demonstrate compassion and respect for others. I will seek to decrease discrimination, misunderstandings, and prejudice. I will not refuse service to any client based on disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, physical build, or sexual orientation; religious, national, or political affiliation; or social or economic status.
• 5. Commitment to Respect Client Dignity and Basic Rights
  • I will demonstrate my respect for the dignity and rights of all individuals by providing a clean, comfortable, and safe environment for sessions, using appropriate and skilled draping procedures, giving clients recourse in the event of dissatisfaction with treatment, and upholding the integrity of the therapeutic relationship.
• 6. Commitment to Informed Consent
  • I will recognize a client’s right to determine what happens to their body. I understand that a client may suffer emotional and physical harm if a therapist fails to listen to the client and imposes their own priorities in a session. I will fully inform my clients of choices related to their care and will disclose policies and limitations that may affect their care. I will not provide massage without obtaining a client’s informed consent (or that of the guardian or advocate for the client) to the session plan. I will respect the client’s right to decline, modify, or stop the massage/bodywork session regardless of any prior consent they’ve given.
• 7. Commitment to Confidentiality
  • I will keep client communication and information confidential and will not share client information without the client’s written consent, or unless it is medically necessary or required by law. I will ensure every effort is made to respect a client’s right to privacy and provide an environment where personal health-related details cannot be overheard or seen by others.
• 8. Commitment to Personal and Professional Boundaries
  • I will refrain from and prevent behaviors that may be considered sexual in my massage practice and uphold the highest professional standards in order to desexualize massage. I will not date a client, engage in sexual intercourse with a client, or allow any level of sexual impropriety (behavior or language) from clients or myself, whether consensual or otherwise. I understand that sexual impropriety may lead to sexual harassment charges, the loss of my massage credentials, lawsuits for personal damages, criminal charges, fines, attorney’s fees, court costs, and jail time.
• 9. Commitment to Honesty in Business
  • I will know and follow good business practices with regard to record keeping, regulation compliance, and tax law. I will set fair fees and practice honesty throughout my marketing materials. I will not accept gifts, compensation, or other benefits intended to influence a decision related to a client. If I use the Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals logo, I promise to do so appropriately to establish my credibility and market my practice.
• 10. Commitment to Professionalism
  • I will maintain clear and honest communication with clients and colleagues. I will not use recreational drugs or alcohol before or during massage sessions. I will project a professional image with respect to my behavior and personal appearance in keeping with the highest standards of the massage profession. I will not actively seek to take someone else’s clients, or disrespect a client, colleague, or other allied professional. I will actively strive to positively promote the massage and bodywork profession by committing to self-development and continually building my professional skills.

Personal:

KellieAnn Halvorsen lives by her own personal code of ethics: be kind, courteous, and communicate clearly with her clients.

Beyond her personal feelings, spiritually, she follows the Judeo-Christian teachings in the Ten Commandments, the gospel teachings and covenants of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in particular the principles taught in the 13th Article of Faith:

• “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.”

Halvorsen strives to “Be a peacemaker,” including treating everyone with kindness and without prejudice no matter their politics, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.

Client’s Responsibility:

Halvorsen asks her clients to behave properly and responsibly. Each session, she asks her clients to fill out a printed form indicating the session needs and pertinent medical information. The client then signs and dates the form to confirm the following:

• I confirm that the information I have provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge. I understand that massage therapists do not diagnose, prescribe medication, or manipulate bones. I also know that massage therapy does not replace medical care or check-ups. I take responsibility for alerting my practitioner to any physical, mental, or emotional changes during the session, as well as any discomfort I experience. I agree to conduct myself appropriately with the therapist, and I understand that the massage therapist can stop or refuse a session at any time due to my behavior. I understand that full payment is due at the end of the service.