I seem to be preaching this sermon all the time, about being informed and involved in the governance of massage therapy. I’m constantly amazed at the number of massage therapists who are unconcerned about what’s going on in their own state or locale with massage regulation. There seems to be a pervasive attitude that if you ignore it, it isn’t really happening. Wrong!
Keith Eric Grant, who has been blogging about the political scene in massage many years before I started, sent me his latest post yesterday about the things that are happening in California.
California has made some good strides ahead, and that could go up in a puff of smoke if you don’t stand up and make your voice heard. AB 1822 could destroy that progress with the stroke of a pen.
There is legislation afoot in New York and Arkansas, and I’m sure that’s not all; they’re just two that are on my radar at the moment. A couple of my recent blogs were about the potentially disastrous zoning proposals being considered in Chicago. I am happy to report that due to the diligence of the IL Chapter of AMTA in spreading the word all over the Internet and mobilizing the troops to come and protest this action have resulted in it being stopped, at least for the time being, while further consideration is given.
Keeping your head in the sand because you don’t care about politics is a bad move. When you receive a letter telling you that you have to move your massage practice because your area has been rezoned to prohibit the practice of massage there, or informing you that you need to report to the police department so you can be treated like a prostitute that’s just been busted, it will be too late for you to protest. You had better protest before it happens.
I see a small group of therapists who give a flip. The same group of us are always the ones who exhibit any concern. The fact that WE care is not good enough. There is strength in numbers, and legislators have to listen when enough people stand up and holler. YOU have to care.
You have to take a minute or two out of your day to call your legislators. Take a few hours and attend the Board meetings, the legislature, or the town council meetings where these things are being discussed. Write a letter, make a call. If you don’t take any action, you shouldn’t be surprised when something comes out of left field and you suddenly find out that your ability to practice massage isn’t what you thought it would be. I’m trying to give you a wake-up call. Don’t wait until you get one from the massage gestapo.
Laura Allen
April 18th, 2010 at 3:20 pm
Hey Ms. Laura! What’s on your radar here in AR? The board is currently not very transparent and those of us who do pay attention and you know I fit in that category are having a hard time getting straight info. Let me know.
I have struggled for awhile now trying to get people to not only care but to also get involved and I have finally developed a theory of which your perspective would be appreciated. I think we practice what we have been taught. We teach students to not get too personally involved with our clients and I think they transfer that to the regulatory end of our profession. I also think we suffer from severe “SEP” fields. It’s from a Douglas Adams book and you can chose to wrap things in them. It means “Somebody Else’s Problem” Fields. Too many therapists here seem to have the attitude that the regulatory end of our profession is somebody else’s problem. It is soooooo not.
If we want to continue the elevation of our profession we must protect it legislatively. Yes we need to do good work in the massage room but we also need to do good work in the legislative field. Here in Arkansas two other professions added “Massage” to their scope of practice just by adding the words into legislation.
April 19th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Thanks Laura for including an update about AB 1822, “The Massage Certification Authority.” I understand that many massage therapists feel like they are barely treading water in these fiscally challenged time. No time for city council meetings because you need to work your marketing plan? Think again. Think PR. That’s right –Public Relations. Most city councils have public comment periods. And the meetings are televised. When you attend a City Council dressed business professional and talk about massage as a growing legitimate market niche, you are prompting yourself as a professional and massage therapy as a whole. Find a fellow massage therapist in your city and go together to support each other in public speaking.
April 20th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
I agree 100%! This is my livelihood and, more importantly, my joy and I do not want it regulated away! When the healthcare fiasco passed, the first thing I did was to email my state board here to see if it will affect me and my practice. So far, so good, but it’s only a matter of time, especially if Congress passes the V.A.T.S. Heaven help us all! Thank you for your diligence. Keep up the good work!
April 21st, 2010 at 12:18 pm
I find it absolutely astonishing that within 25 miles of the national headquarters of two of our leading professional organizations (AMTA and NCTMB) we are still being treated like common prostitutes by legislators! Until massage therapists take on the task of weeding out illegal people ourselves, this will continue. WHY? Because local townships make money and political capital by alternately looking the other way when hookers are “Massage therapists” and then running us out of town along with them in a election year! Tell me that in the great state of IL there is no payoff for local officials. Our state is broke, so who enforces the state law we worked so hard to get? What about no home rule and title protection we are supposed to have by state law? Why don’t our AMTA and such organization file lawsuits against these local politicians for harassing us? That would be better the frantic emails to members to basically DEFEND THEMSELVES. What good is a local organization with no teeth and a law with no enforcement? We dodged a bullet here, but we make a good target for people because we play too nice. This is our livelyhood, and it will be taken away if we give it to them.