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Qualitat Res Psychol. 2006;3(2):77–101. 15. Rogers CR. The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. J Consulting Psych. 1957;21(2):95. Additionally, future research could examine how clients’ enjoyment of massage impacts upon its benefits, how clients perceive those benefits, and how central the client’s experience of pleasure may be to MT’s effects on anxiety and depression. It is understandable that therapists and clients might be wary of enjoying massage because of cultural discourses on sexual morality, harassment and abuse, and the sexualization of touch in many cultures. To combat this, it may be necessary for therapists to have a moral compass that is as finely tuned as that of a psychotherapist, fostered through rigorous ethics training. The model of the therapeutic relationship offered here suggests that respect for boundaries and the provision of safety are cornerstones of the therapeutic relationship in MT. As long as practitioners work within their ethical boundaries, professional health care and pleasure need not be mutually exclusive. Limitations The very small sample size (n = 1) negates any generalizability of the findings. The participants’ awareness of the research topic may have positioned them to offer the types of responses they thought could be most beneficial, rather than permitting full candour. Additionally, no attempt was made to account for factors such as the participants’ emotions prior to the sessions, their attitudes to massage,(24) their personal, psychological and cultural characteristics, or their personal connections to the researcher, all of which may have influenced their behaviour and responses. The presence of recording equipment in the room impacted upon the Therapist’s level of comfort, but this impact seemed to reduce over time. Further research in a similar vein may help to explain how the relationship develops over longer periods of time, between different pairings and in different environments. CONCLUSION The results of this study suggest that massage therapists who have greater self-awareness may be able to better influence how clients respond to them and thereby reduce their clients’ distress. The importance of pleasure in MT as a catalyst for the client’s internalization of a caring figure warrants further study, as does the role of psychotherapeutic processes in MT in general. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author would like to acknowledge the contributions of Dr. Stephen Andrew, Assoc. Prof. Andrew Francis, Prof. Ben Richardson, Dr. Alastair A Ethics and Boundaries for Massage Therapy Most professions have ethical guidelines about how a person in that profession should or should not behave. Professional massage organizations and state and local governments that regulate massage often set down ethics for proper massage therapy. The purpose of massage ethics is to protect both clients and massage therapist from situations that can compromise the therapeutic relationship. Course Goals At the end of this course, you will be able to: 1. Define the meaning and importance of ethics 2. Explain why ethics are important to professionalism 3. Recognize the principles of massage therapy Code of Ethics 4. Differentiate between personal, professional and legal boundaries. 5. Define a client centered relationship 6. Explain the importance of a safe environment 7. Define informed consent, right of refusal, and scope of practice 8. Define the principles of patient confidentiality 9. Explain how boundary violations and compromises occur 10. Describe measures that help you avoid situations where sexual boundaries are violated 11. Explain the effects of a power differential in the therapeutic relationship 12. Explain the effects of transference, countertransference, and dual relationships in the therapeutic setting 13. Recognize the key elements of NCBTMB’s Standards of Practice What are Massage Therapy Ethics? Ethics for massage therapy protect the therapeutic relationship. Without ethics there can be no true professionalism. A healthy therapeutic relationship requires an understanding and respect for personal and professional boundaries. Professional boundaries are the foundation of an ethical practice. Professional massage therapists feel better about themselves and their profession when they work in an ethical manner. Professionals