Takeaway: Being forthcoming about their beliefs and values may help MTs avoid ethical conundrums down the road.
Michael Reynolds wrote an article that pushed back on the age-old belief that we shouldn’t mix business with “politics.”1 He suggested that “ . . . more small businesses and especially massage practices need to take a stand and make their opinions known. The issues facing us are too important.” He went on to say that consumers report choosing businesses specifically because of their stances on issues. While more massage therapists work in hospitals and clinic settings now, most MTs work in environments where we have a good bit of control over how we construct and share messages with our clients.
Let’s be as clear as possible about two words in the mix here: politics and values. Merriam-Webster has a lot to say about politics. Its definition points to influence, control, power, competition, and my personal favorite, “artful and often dishonest practices.” What we’re really talking about here is more akin to values though, “something intrinsically valuable” or “things you hold dear.”
In recent years, our societal disagreements about values have led us to characterize values as political. This has resulted in a muddying effect that has made the sharing of those values mostly taboo. Our sharing has become suddenly about defending and justifying rather than connecting and learning.
First, we have to acknowledge that health care is business. And business is complicated. Because . . . humans. Personally, I find it increasingly difficult to avoid demonstrating my values in my engagements with clients and patients. As Reynolds says, the stakes are too high. If consumers are choosing where to spend their money at least in part because of what they know about a business’s values, where does that leave us?
Let’s start with bias. The values we hold shape—and are shaped by—our biases. For instance, if I feel the concerns about COVID are overblown, I’m not going to take the recommended precautions to prevent its spread and I am likely to discount concerns from clients about it. If I believe “stretching” is essential to healing, I am going to be more invested in clients who are willing to do said stretching and who agree with my position. This is how it works: My brain sees “COVID isn’t a big deal” and “stretching is key” as true statements rather than opinions or biases. I need to learn about and understand my biases so I can get real about how they impact my work and relationships with clients.
Most people think they are more self-aware than they are. The truth is that we rarely keep our politics or our values out of the equation. Just because we may choose not to talk about them doesn’t mean they aren’t showing up in the ways we provide care to and interact with our clients. So, why not make them clear?
We all hold beliefs and biases that will impact the care we provide. This makes it imperative that we are forthcoming about those beliefs. Most of us have a website, a Facebook page, or some presence on the internet—a place where people can learn about who we are and what we care about. These are great places to teach people about how we will see them and how we see the world. You can also include logos from organizations you support. Logos are easily recognized and don’t require in-depth reading. You can describe the philosophy of how and why you do what you do. The way you describe yourself and your passion for your work can say a lot. This kind of up-front sharing can support clients in choosing (or not choosing) you based on their sense of how well your values align with theirs. Yes, this means some clients will not choose your practice, but it also means you are less likely to find yourself in those ethical conundrums that arise when a client brings up a polarized issue.
As Reynolds suggests, “There are clients out there who would love to work with a massage therapist who . . . takes a stand.” Leaving these parts of yourself out, in many cases, means leaving out parts of your biggest asset, your humanity.
You also get to decide what is unacceptable in the space where you provide care. If a person in your practice uses pejorative or slang terms about race, gender, women, or people living with disabilities, you are within your professional bounds to make it clear where you stand. You can be clear these harmful characterizations and language are public health issues, and you can ask them not to use those terms.
If you’re working in a franchise or group setting, it may require more internal advocacy and discussion to build a shared vision about what the business and the people who work within it value; but trust me—that work is worth doing. Our world needs us to show up. Making your stance clear creates safety. It’s an important act of kindness to let your clients know where you stand on issues that impact them, even if they aren’t issues that specifically bear on this massage on this day.
Note
1. Michael Reynolds, Massage Business Blueprint blog, https://preview.mailerlite.com/i3n8n9o6l1, accessed October 2022.
Resources
ASH Clinical News. “Taking the Pulse of Health Care and Politics.” September 2019. www.ashpublications.org/ashclinicalnews/news/4660/Taking-the-Pulse-of-Health-Care-and-Politics.
Eurich, Tasha. “What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It).” January 4, 2018. www.hbr.org/2018/01/what-self-awareness-really-is-and-how-to-cultivate-it.
Cal Cates is an educator, writer, and speaker on topics ranging from massage therapy in the hospital setting to end-of-life care and massage therapy policy and regulation. A founding director of the Society for Oncology Massage from 2007–2014 and current executive director and founder of Healwell, Cates works within and beyond the massage therapy community to elevate the level of practice and integration of massage overall and in health care specifically. Cates also is the co-creator of the podcasts Massage Therapy Without Borders and Interdisciplinary.