Clarifying The Scope of Practice Within the Massage Profession

Over the past 20 years, the definition of the scope of practice for massage therapists has become deeper and more expansive. Massage therapy is practiced by more practitioners, at more locations, with more modalities than ever before. Whether you are service based in a spa or salon or orthopedically based and more clinical in your approach, work in a franchise or spa as an employee, a subcontractor at a clinic, or are a solo practitioner, this class will help clarify what we can do, and what falls out of our scope of practice. During this 3-hour ethics class we will discuss the scope of practice as it applies to the profession, and how the scope can be deeply clarified to serve your clients and your community. How we as therapists communicate with prospective clients, colleagues, policy makers, and other healthcare professionals is so important for the field of massage therapy. Being able to clearly and confidently communicate what our scope of practice is educates the public, informs policy makers, and puts confidence in other health care professionals to comfortably refer to a massage therapist. We will discuss how to have a clear definition moving forward, and how to speak with different demographics about the field of massage therapy. Not only will we discuss the importance of a clear and uniform scope of practice, but we will discuss the importance of individuality within the practice of massage therapy.