The Massage Pundit

This is a follow-up to my blog of June 19 about AMTA’s fiscal responsibility.  In the next couple of months I will be reporting on the financial condition of all our non-profit professional organizations.

Someone from AMTA asked me why I didn’t pick on ABMP, and the short answer is, they are a not a non-profit organization. When an organization holds itself out as non-profit, the membership (and the public) has a right to know. Incidentally, I am a member of both organizations.

The recession has not been kind to AMTA.  According to their Form 990, the organization has taken a 5.6 million-dollar hit on their investments (publicly traded securities) during the fiscal year from March 2008-Feb 2009. While assets decreased, liabilities increased by almost 1 million dollars since last year. Total revenues were down by $513,000, in spite of the fact that there was an increase of $424,000 in dues collected.

Of course, neither AMTA nor any individual who has investments can foresee the future (well, maybe Warren Buffet), but perhaps the $200K or so they lost at the beginning of the economic decline in 2007 should have been a harbinger of painful things to come.

Fiscal responsibility dictates that when there’s a recession on, some belt-tightening is in order. In reality, when a recession forces an organization to examine their financial responsibilities and separate the wheat from the chaff, that strategy needs to remain the rule of the day no matter what the economic environment.

AMTA cut travel expenses last year by $9000. In the general scheme of things, that isn’t much, but every little bit helps. AMTA forked out $12,000 less for lobbyists this year, and in this atmosphere of rule and regulation changes, lawsuits and challenges to state boards, and health care legislation in general gone wild, I’m not convinced that was the right place to cut.

Liz Lucas, executive director of AMTA, actually received almost $35,000 less in compensation and benefits than she did last year, which proved to be contrary to rumors circulating that had prompted my inquiry in the first place. However, total wages and salaries at AMTA increased by $200,000. If AMTA is hiring and giving out raises to their regular employees during a recession, more power to them.

In spite of the economic downturn, AMTA was able to give $261K in grants to COMTA and $118K to the Massage Therapy Foundation.

One or two things did jump out at me on the 990. One, earlier this year I was told that the salary of Liz Lucas and other board members was performance-based and determined partly by the recommendation of an independent compensation consulting firm. That was not checked on this year’s filing; instead it was stated that “benchmark data” and that the Board’s own Performance Review Committee recommended Lucas’ salary, based on objectives for the organization and whether or not those had been met.

Also, the statement that the return was reviewed by an Audit Committee composed of “various financially astute board members” got my attention. Should a board be auditing themselves? Well, yes, but not officially. Hopefully there is an outside independent  auditor as well; it wasn’t mentioned.

To summarize, AMTA had a less than ideal year, financially. They’re not on the brink of bankruptcy, and in response to my earlier request for information, President Judy Stahl had informed me that they have adequate cash reserves. One does hope that they’ll look for less risky investments in the future, or bury that money in a Mason jar in the backyard. It won’t earn any interest, but at least 5.6  million bucks won’t go up in smoke.

The National Certification Board  hit a bump in the road this weekend when Whitney Lowe resigned from the Advanced Certification Task Force, citing differences of opinion over how the project should proceed.

In a letter to NCB staff and fellow Task Force members, Lowe acknowledged the effort that has been put forth during the process, and expressed his concern about the timeline of the process, which he feels is being rushed to the detriment of the project.

His resignation stated in part, “I have long felt our profession is in need of an advanced credential. I recognize it is not an easy task and there are a number of people who have put forth significant efforts on behalf of this process. It is a complex issue and requires a great deal of thought, input, and insight into what is best for the profession. I have been greatly dismayed by the process that has been used so far to create this credential. Crucial discussions have been brushed aside in a rush to meet an unrealistic timeline for deployment of this exam. Yesterday we were informed that the eligibility criteria had been established and a job task analysis would be begun in approximately two weeks.”

Lowe went on to say that he felt many concerns that he had brought up about possible flaws in the exam construction had been ignored or glossed over, and that he could no longer support the process being used to create the exam.

Just a few days ago, I wrote in this blog that there was something going on at the NCB–that they were actually listening to the stakeholders–a dramatic improvement from the past few years–but apparently, I may have spoken too soon, as Lowe feels as if they weren’t listening to him. Since Lowe is universally respected in our profession and is in fact a former chair of the NCBTMB, one can assume that he has valid concerns, and his abrupt resignation from the Task Force is not reassuring.

I contacted Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB, for a comment, after I received a copy of Lowe’s resignation. Speaking on behalf of the Advanced Certification steering committee, Lindamood’s comment was “We were very sorry to see Whitney drop out of the project. He is an acknowledged expert in his field, and we will miss his participation.  We want to thank him for his input and advice while he was part of the task force.”

Lindamood went on to share further details about the project:

The coordination of all major tasks required to develop a new credential follows an established timeline designed by experts in exam creation. Both the steering committee and the test vendor, Pearson VUE, have approved the timeline. Note that it is flexible and can be revised as needed.Tasks are assigned to different subgroups. The work of these subgroups may go on concurrently. The Exam Development timeline will be available for review on NCBTMB’s website next week at www.ncbtmb.org.

The Needs Assessment, a description of what an Advanced Credential should be, is based on input from people in the field. This information was obtained through a Needs Assessment survey, which was circulated nationally to all certificants directly, as well as practitioners through the assistance of ABMP and AMTA, among others. The responses, totaling nearly 7,000, serve as the body of information used by the task force to determine some very important things that form the basis of the test.

According to Lindamood, subgroups have made preliminary determinations and the task force members are commenting amongst themselves in two key areas:

(1) the definition of Advanced Certification as provided by the Needs Assessment, and

(2) the eligibility requirements to sit for the exam.

His statement said, “Overall, the progress of the group has been as planned. We are excited at the direction emerging from these very engaged and committed task force members. Bear in mind that this is a project that people feel very passionate about, and we expect there will be an occasional bump in the road. We know that close communication and tolerance will keep the team unified and the project moving forward.”

I don’t expect that Whitney Lowe’s departure is going to stop the NCBTMB from forging ahead with this project, and only time will tell whether or not Lowe’s obviously heartfelt concerns prove to be true.  It’s no little irony that the NCB criticized the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards and accused them of rushing the MBLEx to the market. Now it appears they may be doing the same thing. A flawed exam will not stand up to scrutiny for long, and Pearson Vue, the test administrators, wouldn’t  risk their own reputation in the testing industry just to pacify the Federation or the NCB. Along with everyone else, I’ll be waiting to see what happens, and reporting on that here.

Lindamood stressed that the NCB would post continuous updates on the process on the website beginning next week.  He urges those who have any questions about the project  to email  advanced@ncbtmb.org.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

There is something big happening at the National Certification Board: THEY ARE LISTENING!

I caused a little uproar earlier this year when I scooped their announcement on this blog about the membership organization the NCB was planning to launch.  The response to that announcement wasn’t very cordial on any front; everyone from the certificants to the other professional associations spoke out about it, and I am glad to say that the plan is on hold, according to their press release of Oct. 20.  Ditching it before they spend a huge pile of money on it seems like the best course of action, in my opinion.

According to Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB, the decision was based on “input from the profession.” That is the second time in a week that phrase has been put forth by the NCB, the first being when the announcement was made that the unpopular decision to require proctors for home-study and distance education classes was being rescinded, at least temporarily, until the issue could be revisited.

I’ve been slamming the NCB pretty hard in the past couple of years, and one of my most vocal complaints has been that they don’t listen and they don’t respond.  If nothing else, these two announcements are evidence that they have come to the painful conclusion that they need to wake up and smell the coffee.  I made a personal promise to Mr. Lindamood that I would spread the good news when I thought there was something good to spread, and I’m as good as my word, so here it is.

I applaud every one who contacted the NCB to express an opinion, and I urge you to keep doing it.  I think they may have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and realized it was the headlight of an oncoming train. It has seemed for quite some time that they were just going to crash and burn, which would be a sad end to what was formerly a pillar of the profession.

When the NCB screws up, I report that. I don’t get any kind of pleasure out of doing so; I just think the stakeholders have a right to know.  And when I see the evidence that they’re paying attention to us and trying to do better, I’m fair enough to report that, too. Let’s hope this is a good sign of better days to come.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Most state massage boards are now requiring criminal record checks and fingerprints from their applicants; some have been doing it for years, so it’s not exactly news. Some therapists are resentful of this, mainly due to the extra expense, and some view it as unfair, especially if there are other licensed occupations in their states that are not subject to the same rule.

There are a couple of bigger issues here: most of those boards don’t have a procedure in place that would allow a potential massage student to submit their criminal record to the board for a review before they spend the time and money to attend school.

Even worse, schools frequently make light of the criminal record of an applicant; they’re looking at the bottom line and nothing else.  As a member of our state board, I hear that all the time when someone comes to appeal the decision not to give them a license: “But my school director said that wasn’t going to be a problem!”  In the case of our community colleges, they’re not allowed to turn someone down because of a criminal record.

I don’t mean to imply that every school owner is money-hungry enough that they take just anyone, in spite of their record. Maybe a school owner who wouldn’t allow a rapist into their program thinks it’s not a problem to let someone in who has been convicted of theft, public drunkenness, a drug charge, trespassing, or resisting arrest…perhaps they look and think, “oh, that’s not too serious; they’ll be able to get licensed.”  The problem is, they don’t have any way of knowing that.

Our board has turned down applicants who had criminal records that were 8 or 9 pages long; even if it was all petty crimes, it was obvious that the person was just a career criminal. When we are assessing whether or not to license someone, we use the following criteria:

• What was the crime(s)?
• How old was the applicant when it was committed?
• How long ago did it occur?
• Was it violent or sexual in nature?
• Was the crime an isolated incident or a chronic pattern of behavior?
• Does the person have an obvious problem with substance abuse that accompanies those crimes, or that they attribute the criminal acts to?
• Has the applicant shown any proof of rehabilitation? For how long?

I like to think that I am fair and compassionate. I like to think that I possess enough of that compassion to give someone who has made a mistake in the past a second chance to make something better of themselves, especially if they can stand in front of me and give a convincing argument of why they deserve a second chance. In fact, having had personal family experiences with substance abusers who had a criminal past and who turned their lives around, I’m probably inclined to be more sympathetic than many other people.

The problem is, a sociopath is a natural con artist who can smile at you while plotting the next criminal act he or she is going to commit, whether that’s a sexual assault or stealing your wallet. They can be terribly convincing. There are people who have infiltrated our profession because they thought this would be a good place to meet a fresh crop of victims, and they’re right.

It’s not always a black and white call of whether or not someone has shown sufficient proof of rehabilitation. What’s the proof? We get letters from family members and employers. We have ministers show up at the hearings, proclaiming that the person is now on the straight and narrow, never mind that they’ve only been that way for a month or two. We have the applicants themselves begging and crying big tears in front of a room full of people, blaming it all on their bad childhood and how they got under the influence of the wrong people.

Regulatory boards are charged with protecting the public. That’s why they exist. And believe me, the board members are not bad guys who just want to turn down every person who has made some foolish decisions. I often come home from a meeting wondering if I made the right decision, regardless of which way I voted.

If you’re still a massage student, and you have a criminal record, be very aware that you are spending your time and your money going to school at your own risk. Regardless of what your program director tells you, it isn’t up to them. You may not get a license. If you’re one of those program directors who tells students that “you’re not going to have a problem,” you’re doing them a big disservice, because again, it isn’t up to you. You should be ethical enough to give applicants a strong warning that if they have a record, they are going to be scrutinized by the massage board, and they may not get a license. Be absolutely certain that they understand that before they sign your school contract. It’s your duty, and it’s the only right thing to do.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

Greetings, colleagues! I’m excited today to announce that I have put “Massage Collage,” my old blog, to rest. From now on, I’ll be writing on this website as The Massage Pundit.

Several weeks ago, I put a request out to my mailing list asking for suggestions for a new name for the blog, one that would reflect the fact that this blog is about the politics of the massage and bodywork profession. The winning suggestion came from Erica Bliss Winston, a massage therapist from Cary, NC.

According to dictionary.com, a “pundit” is someone who offers to mass-media his or her opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (most typically political analysis) on which they are knowledgeable. I received dozens of great suggestions, so thank you to my readers, but this was the one that jumped out at me.

In the 2 years I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve written about a variety of subjects, but as time went on I started to realize I really just want to focus on the politics of massage. I received a negative comment on the old blog about writing about the NCBTMB, so let this serve as an announcement: I will be writing about the NCBTMB, AMTA, ABMP, FSMTB, AFMTE, state boards, and any government, professional association, or other body who stands to affect this profession on the whole in any way. This blog is directed at the massage therapists out there who want to be informed about the associations and the legislation that affects us.

I welcome all comments, and print them all whether they agree with me or not. I particularly welcome comments from representatives of any of the entities I write about, and any of the concerned individuals I mention by name. I’ll be glad to present your side of the story.

I also couldn’t do this without the help of my network of MTs across the country and around the world who help me stay informed.  If something important is happening in the profession in your neck of the woods that you’d like attention called to, feel free to let me know. Thank you all.

Peace & Prosperity

Laura Allen

I had a blast at the National Convention in Orlando last week. There was so much going on, both in the open and behind the scenes, it was a whirlwind just trying to take it all in. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort was a beautiful venue for our meeting. My only complaint was that the room was way too small for the opening ceremony; many people couldn’t get in or had to stand the whole time. Otherwise, the accommodations were superior, the food was good, and the staff was very personable and friendly.

I’m sure it will surprise my readers to know that one of the high points of my trip was the better part of an hour that I spent with Paul Lindamood, CEO of the NCBTMB. I’ve written many things about the NCB in the past two years, the majority of it uncomplimentary, and have openly criticized Mr. Lindamood personally on several occasions, so it was quite shocking to some of the membership who chanced to walk by to see us sitting in an open area having a chat. Rick Rosen, newly installed at the helm of the recently formed Alliance for Massage Therapy Education, couldn’t resist taking a picture.

I have to give him credit; Lindamood listened to what I had to say about the NCB and the disappointment I and many others have felt about the direction the organization has taken in the past few years. Whether he acts on any of it is yet to be seen, but I did come away from our conversation feeling like he paid attention to my long litany of woes. He even made the comment that although a lot of my blog posts have been distressing to him, he admired me for speaking out about it. No, this does not mean I have had a sudden change of heart about the NCB…however, I have always said that I did not want this organization to go away; I want them to get back on task, so I’ll be watching them like a hawk and seeing what happens–and of course reporting on it.

Speaking of Rick Rosen, it appears he has manifested his appeal for a “dignified sunset” of the Council of Schools. That in fact is happening; the Board of Directors voted to adopt bylaw changes that elminate the COS and all language relating them. The Alliance is the logical entity to replace that organization. At this stage, the startup of the Alliance is being guided by a six-member Leadership Team of veteran educators. They are in the process of incorporating the organization, creating an administrative headquarters, and planning for the first Annual Meeting in mid-2010.

I’m sure one of the highlights of Rick Rosen’s trip was watching with pride as his wife Carey Smith was given the Jerome Perlinski Teacher of the Year Award. Carey has been educating students as well as other educators for many years, and her award was well-deserved.

Another highlight of the trip for me was meeting so many Facebook friends. Most of you know I’m a huge proponent of Internet networking and I was just thrilled to death to meet so many in person that I’ve known through Facebook, Twitter, and the massageprofessionals.com website. A group of Facebook friends gathered on Wednesday evening, and I met others throughout the convention. Xerlan Geiser-Deery, who practices in Oklahoma and who just started a blog of her own, was one of my favorites, as was Allissa Haines from the MA chapter. Alissa appointed herself the Fashion Police during the convention, and I must say, her critiques were spot-on. Lounging by the pool is one thing, but is it really acceptable to attend a class or a business dinner with your belly-button hanging out? A number of people apparently think it is. Allissa was taking names.

I spent quite a bit of time at the booth of the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards. I’m North Carolina’s delegate this year and was pleased to see so many folks stopping by the booth to inquire about the MBLEx and the other benefits of Federation membership. I spent some quality time with Sally Hacking, who was given a very beautiful award from AMTA; also visited with Debra Persinger, Kevin Snedden, and Scott Miller, all of whom I’ll be seeing again in a couple of weeks at the Federation’s annual meeting.

I was also pleased to meet Glen Moyle, who will be our national president during 2011, and her husband Gordon. In fact, I spent quite a bit of time talking with Gordon, who is a fascinating person with a lot of interesting stories to tell. I sat with them during the Massage Therapy Research Foundation reception. I took a picture of Gordon with Ruth Werner’s husband Curt, who also sat with us. These two are the prime illustration of good men being behind great women.

Diana Thompson had great news to report about the donations the Foundation has received in the past year, and Ruth gave a short speech about her upcoming term as the new leader, just before her beautiful donated quilt was raffled off.

Thursday night I enjoyed the annual LWW author’s dinner. It’s fun meeting all the other Lippincott authors and hearing what everyone is up to. I gave Nina McIntosh, who is ill and couldn’t be with us this year, a quick call and we all yelled our greetings to her. She was with us in spirit.

Also seen and heard: I met Michael Reynolds, president of the Indiana chapter, who is also a FB friend and someone I have long admired from a distance. His company, Spinweb, makes fabulous websites, and Michael is very generous with the marketing advice he shares on FB. He is every bit as charming in person as he is on FB…..also pleased to finally meet Leslie Young Giase, editor of Massage & Bodywork Magazine; Sid Duncan, who does marketing for Massage Magazine, Kim Goral, whom Allissa predicted will one day be president of the Foundation; Cliff Korn, snappy-looking in a green blazer. I was also glad to see many AMTA friends from NC, SC, and GA.

I did hear the distressing news that Florida is considering the passage of HB139, which will exempt graduates from accredited schools from taking any kind of licensure exam. I strongly urge our neighbors to the south to nip this action in the bud. Sometimes schools are guilty of passing students who aren’t up to par just to get rid of them. I don’t think this is a good move, and I hope this bill is soundly defeated.

All in all, it was a great trip. If YOU have never attended a national convention, you are missing out on one heck of a good time. Even the ABMP folks were there; you don’t have to be a member to attend. There is something totally awesome about being among 1000 or so other massage therapists. It’s absolutely restorative! Next year’s convention will be held in Minneapolis, so make plans now to join us.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

This weekend while I was teaching ethics to a class of 23 people, I asked how many present have read the Practice Act. As usual, the answer was TWO. I wonder how people think they can comply with the law if they don’t know what it is. I wonder if they know they can have input whenever the act is opened, as it occasionally is. I wonder if they know they can attend massage board meetings; that holds true everywhere, not just in my state; a public board is obligated to have open meetings and to offer a time period for public comment. If they don’t know, it isn’t because I haven’t attempted to personally spread the word–I do it all the time.

There is a lot going on in our profession right now. This week, the AMTA is holding their annual convention. I’ll be heading to Orlando tomorrow to participate. Since representatives from the National Certification Board, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards, the Massage Therapy Research Foundation, and many others will be on hand, it’s an opportunity to meet those people in person and give them a little feedback.

Last week of the first draft of the Massage Therapy Body of Knowledge project was released, along with the solicitation for comments. We’ve also heard the recent announcement about the formation of the Alliance for Massage Therapy, the new organization led by Rick Rosen; the hiring of Angela Palmier and Christopher Alvarado as new Industry Relations Specialists for the NCB; the NCB’s announcement of morphing into a membership/insurance organization, and their recent announcement about a general advanced certification, which based on the comments on this blog, not too many people seem excited about. Those comments have been forwarded to the leadership of the NCB. We’ve got the MBLEx gaining ground and more states joining the Federation. We’ve got more states forming boards and enacting legislation than ever before. We’ve got more regulation of massage therapy than any other time before.

There are so many current issues that affect our profession. And as a massage therapist, that means they directly affect you. Have you voiced your opinion? Contacted the NCB? Attended a meeting or written a letter to your state board? Been in touch with your legislators? Written a letter to the editor of your trade publications? Weighed in on this or the thousands of other blogs and discussion groups that exist on the Internet? Do you belong to a professional association, and do you let them know what you think, or do you just automatically pay your dues and maintain the status quo?

I am not going to sit on my hands while things go on that have the potential to affect me and my colleagues. I’ve used this blog plenty of times to complain about something, and to give the occasional pat on the back, but that’s not the only action I take. When legislation comes up that affects the practice of massage in my state, I contact my legislators, and I send out announcements to every therapist on my email list. As a current member of the board in my state, I am obligated to be at meetings, but the fact is I attended quite a few before I was appointed, and plan to continue that when my term is over, so I can voice my opinion. I have written the leadership of AMTA on numerous occasions. I haven’t single-handedly managed to change anything, but I always get a response, and it’s good to know they’re listening. I haven’t just written about the NCB; I’ve also written directly to them.

Maybe people just don’t realize that they have the right to speak up. If that’s the case, I’m telling you now, you have the right. If something that affects us and our profession is on the horizon, why don’t you take a few minutes to voice your opinion? Write a letter. Make a phone call. Send a fax or an email. Post an answer to this blog or someone else’s, or write one of your own. Get involved. Don’t sit on your hands.

Since this post is not intended as an attack on the National Certification Board, I decided it would be okay to post it.  The readership needs to weigh in on this, as they are about to undertake an important project:

The NCBTMB announced today in a press release that the organization is getting on with the task of offering an advanced certification examination, with a target date for the exam to start beta testing in April 2010.

While I applaud any effort from them towards that at all, the issue here is that I think they’re a little off target, before they get started. I have heard input from hundreds of therapists who would be interested in gaining an advanced certification in their area of expertise, such as Medical Massage, Oncology Massage, Maternity Massage, and so forth. I haven’t heard anyone say they would line up to take a general type of exam. Furthermore, since the day the MBLEx was introduced, the NCB has propagated their existing exams as the hallmark of advanced knowledge, even though in reality it is an entrance-level exam, so they’ve kind of lost ground by way of their own press.

I think it is of the utmost importance for the massage community to weigh in on this before this Job Task Analysis gets off to a big start. The NCB has reportedly assembled a team of 20 experts in the field to lead this effort that is to take place in November.

I will forward all answers to this on to the powers that be at the NCB. PLEASE weigh in: Would you be interested in taking a modality-specific exam, and if so, in what area of expertise would you seek that advanced certification?

OR would you be interested in taking a general advanced certification exam that just designates you as an advanced professional?

Does either of these work for you? Come on, people, we need for our voices to be heard on this one.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

One week from today, I’ll be turning 50. To me it sounds much more impressive when I say “half a century,” instead of “hitting the big five-OH!.”

I think when most people hit one of those numbers with a zero on the end, they pause and reflect, and I’m no exception. In the previous decade, I married the love of my life, went back to college and attended massage school, and switched careers. In this one, I’ve opened a new business, expanded it twice, had three books published, and gained an entire new family when I met my birth father for the first time.  I’ve crossed a lot of stuff off my bucket list, too.

I counted it as a milestone in my career the first time I got an article published in this magazine, and another one when they asked me to contribute to this blog. In the beginning, I named this blog Massage Collage because I intended to write about anything and everything to do with massage. Over the course of time, as I became more and more interested in the politics of the massage profession, I began to focus on that.

There are plenty of folks writing about how to market massage, and even though I have authored a book on that subject, I have chosen not to write too much about that here because several others are doing it. And there seems to be plenty of advice coming from the bodywork standpoint from John Barnes, Erik Dalton, Ann Caitlin and all the other contributors I admire here, who have probably forgotten more about massage than I’ll ever know, due to their years of experience in this business.Some of these folks have a big head start on me.

In case you haven’t noticed, I have refrained from writing anything political, particularly about the National Certification Board,  for the past month or two. They are a substantial advertiser in Massage Magazine, and I imagine they aren’t too happy to see my criticism of them appearing on these pages.

I have therefore decided to take my political rants to another forum, where that won’t be an issue. www.massageprofessionals.com was started by ABMP (Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals), but you don’t have to be a member of that association to join the network; everyone is welcome.

I belong to both ABMP and AMTA, and I sometimes write about them, as well. I enjoy keeping massage therapists informed about what is going on with legislation and with governance and representation from our professional organizations. And I don’t mind calling any of them on the carpet when I have a beef. As a member of those organizations, I believe that’s my right, and I think they’ll agree with me on that. Remember those “senior superlatives” back in high school: most likely to succeed, etc.? I was voted “the person most likely to tell it like it is.” I don’t think I’ve changed too much since then, in that particular area.

I’ll still be weighing in here with Massage Collage, as long as I’m welcome to stay. I’m grateful to Karen Menehan and the others at this magazine for giving me a start, and I do have something to say other than complaining about the NCB, so I’ll say that here.  In the meantime, if you miss my political diatribes, you’ll know where to find me.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen

A colleague and I were discussing the importance of documenting massage sessions this morning, so I decided to throw the question out there: How important is documentation?

I can tell you that in my practice, it is extremely important; I have more than a dozen practitioners, and clients may be seen by more than one person. We also file insurance and get a lot of doctor and dentist referrals, and you simply cannot conduct that type of business unless you are willing to keep careful documentation.

On the other hand, I know a lot of lone practitioners who don’t think it’s a big deal at all. I think I’ve mentioned before that I was the administrator at a massage school when licensure came into our state, and there was a grandfather period for people who had documented at least 4 years of practice and 400 documented massages. I couldn’t believe the number of students who called the school to ask, “What do you mean, documented?” My reply was massage that SOAP notes and other pertinenet documents, such as doctor’s prescriptions or other medical information was in the client’s file. I was appalled at the number of people who said, “Oh, that’s all in my head.”

That is totally unprofessional, and in many places, illegal. Most states with a practice act require documentation of sessions, including a statement of informed consent, proof of a privacy notice having been provided, and SOAP notes.

An important thing to remember is that the client file, in many states, belongs to the client. They may walk in the door and request their file, and  you are obligated to give it to them. Wouldn’t you feel silly if a client came in, announced that they were moving away and would like to have their file to give to their new therapist, and you had to say you didn’t do any record-keeping? I believe you would.

Keeping good documentation is one of the hallmarks of a professional. What would you think of your physician if he didn’t keep any notes? If you want to be thought of as a health care professional,  you have to conduct your practice as one.

Peace & Prosperity,

Laura Allen