Massage Regulation: What is the Point?
Seems like almost daily, on one of my networks, someone will post the question of “what good is massage regulation really doing?”
They often throw up points like “prostitution still exists,” and of course it does and it always will.
Other complaints are about how much money the state revenue department, or the licensing board, or the Federation, or the testing company is making.Then we’ve got the complaints about taking CE to satisfy the law, and how that’s just a money-making racket.
As a CE provider, believe me when I say I’m not getting rich off of it, and very few are. But back to the question, what is the point?
The point of licensing in any profession is basically quality assurance for the public, for their own safety and protection.
To get a license, you’re supposed to have x number of hours of education.
You’re supposed to pass an exam proving entry-level knowledge .
In most places, you’re supposed to get the continuing education in order to keep it. You’re supposed to agree to abide by a code of ethics and uphold standards of professional behavior. You’re supposed to first do no harm. You’re supposed to act in the best interests of the client.
There are now only a couple of states that are the last holdouts with no regulations in the works or already in effect…anyone may call themselves a massage therapist or any other derivative indicating massage, whether they actually know anything or not.
In reality, it’s hard to find out exactly how many members of the public have been harmed by massage therapy.
The insurance companies and professional associations don’t like to release that information.
Many of the state massage board websites do have license verification online, and some do list disciplinary actions, but in most cases that will only show up if you already know the name of the therapist that has been found guilty of some infraction.
It must be said that not every single person who has been found guilty by a board is really guilty…there were times during my own five years of board service that I did not believe the accused person was guilty, but the majority voted that they were.
It must be also be said that some therapists who are in fact guilty never ever get reported and thus keep preying on the public. There just aren’t any guarantees, just like with any other walk of life or profession.
There are people in every profession that are dishonest or predatory, and massage therapy is no different.
All things considered, I think licensing has been a valuable thing, and personally, I’d like to see it in every single state.
Yes, there are still people who will practice illegally. There are still prostitutes who will hide behind massage. But I think on the whole, licensing has brought a healthy amount of awareness and credibility to massage therapy.
I’m not resentful of having to get a criminal record check to get a massage license. If we were being singled out I’d be upset, but every other health care provider in our state has to do it.
Photo by: geralt
I’m not resentful of having to take continuing education…I love learning and I actually look forward to taking CE. However, I do think there comes a point in time when that should be optional.
Realistically, should someone who has been practicing for 20 years need to attend an ethics class the same as someone who has only been practicing for a year and may not have even faced any kind of ethical dilemma yet?
I’m not happy with the present state of the CE environment, anyway.
I think a person who is taking science-based classes or classes designed for public protection deserves more credit than people taking fantasy-based classes. With the long list of inappropriate classes that are currently approved, I really don’t see how attending a class in shape-shifting is doing anything to protect the public.
Some state boards are self-supporting. Some are at least partially subsidized by the state. Some try to educate the public. Some don’t. Some pursue illegal massage more than others.
Nothing’s perfect.
The point, to me, is that the majority of us, by paying for that license and jumping through the hoops, are proving that we have at a minimum, the entry-level knowledge to practice massage safely. The majority of us have taken the education, and passed the exam, and meet our CE requirements. The majority of us are practicing ethically. The majority of us are trying to keep massage and sex separated. The majority of us abide by the rules. The majority of us are just here to take care of our clients and do the best we can. There will always be some bad apples, but I think requiring licensing has weeded out a lot that might otherwise be here. Just my opinion.
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