Craigslist Applauded by AMTA: MT safety & professionalism improved
May 14, 2009 by David
Filed under ...for practicing Massage Therapists, Client Education
Today, the AMTA released to its members a bit of good news for the interest and safety of practitioners in the massage industry: Starting in Illinois, and assuming it changes in other states in the future, the ‘erotic’ posting section is being removed by the Craigslist company on their site. The AMTA is strongly discouraging an alternately suggested ‘adult’ section, but basically applauds Craigslist effort to minimize delineating, illicit, and illegal massage advertising in the majority of the states in the U.S. by posters who are not legally able to provide the services or identities they assume through the current posting place on Craigslist.
Here’s the email: (Leave your comment here after you read it!)
“For many years AMTA has sought means to clean up massage listings on Craigslist and protect both the public and massage therapists who advertise legitimately on the service. Previous direct efforts with the company have had little effect. Meanwhile, AMTA has continued to cooperate with law enforcement officials in their efforts to control ads on Craigslist. Yesterday, it was announced that Craigslist will drop its ‘erotic services’ section in the state of Illinois and this appears to indicate an overall change by the company in other states.
AMTA has issued the following press release expressing its view of the decision and calls for Craigslist and others to respect the massage therapy profession and protect the professionalism and safety of massage therapists. AMTA President, Judy Stahl has already been interviewed by news media and we are convinced that our view will receive media attention.
AMTA encourages members to look at listings in the ‘therapeutic’ section of Craigslist in their area for ads that use the word massage and promote something other than legitimate massage therapy. You can flag such ads as inappropriate. Several flags of an ad usually result in the ad being removed.
Your association will continue its efforts, and its contacts with law enforcement officials, to restrict massage therapy advertising to legitimate massage therapists and protect the safety of practitioners.
For Immediate Release
May 13, 2009
AMTA Applauds Craigslist Decision
Calls for Protection of Massage Therapists
Evanston, IL – The American Massage Therapy Association® (AMTA®) views the decision by Craigslist to remove its ‘erotic services’ section as an opportunity to clarify for the public that prostitutes who claim to provide massage are not massage therapists. “The public and massage therapists have a right to know that advertising for massage should only be the right of massage therapists,” says Judy Stahl, AMTA President. “We hope this decision will ensure that massage is only advertised on Craigslist through its ‘therapeutic’ section and that any new ‘adult’ section will not allow posters to use terms related to massage therapy.” Most states regulate the massage therapy profession and restrict use of the term ‘massage’ in business and advertising to legally practicing massage therapists.
The recent publicity surrounding the murder of a call girl who called herself a masseuse on Craigslist has confused many people. Massage therapists have had clients and patients question their professionalism and raise concerns about them advertising their massage practices through Craigslist.
Unfortunately, prostitutes frequently claim to offer massage and use the term ‘masseuse’ to appear as legitimate therapists. While most massage practitioners prefer the term massage therapist, some still use the older term, rooted in European health traditions, of ‘masseuse’.
AMTA believes these terms related to massage should only be used by those with a legal and professional right to do so. The non-profit professional association wants the public to feel confident that anyone who claims to provide massage is a trained professional who practices legally. “We call on Craigslist, the media and other online services to respect massage therapists and to protect the public from misrepresentations of massage. And, we continue our support for the efforts of the state attorneys general to protect the public from inappropriate advertising,” says Stahl.
The American Massage Therapy Association is a nonprofit professional association of more than 58,000 members founded in 1943. AMTA professional members have demonstrated a level of skill and knowledge through education and/or testing and must meet continuing education requirements to retain membership. AMTA provides information about massage therapy to the public and works to improve the professional climate for massage therapists. It advocates fair and consistent licensing of massage therapists in all states.”
As prostitutes turn to Craigslist, Nassau County law takes notice (NY Times story, Sep 4, 2007)
Please: exercise your rights as a member of the Public to flag inappropriate ads that use the word “massage” as well as the inappropriateness of other text or pictures that do not represent massage therapy.
Craigslist will not accept an over-zealous flaggers of posts, and considers that terminable behavior or at least behavior that will be ignored, so if your thinking about being a ‘vigilante’ by going in and flagging hundreds of ads today, your success rate will be much lower.
If each public member and massage therapist flagged just one ad in a responsible manner, Craigslist will be busy getting the message that there are inappropriate and inaccurate listings that need to be removed – the more flags, the more messages. Getting non-MTs out of the Therapeutic Massage section entirely is impossible, but with enough monitoring, it can be reduced greatly and the safety of your client, yourself, and your industry will be better insured. It only makes things better for the Client and for legitimate practitioners.
- Has Craigslist ‘stepped up’?
- What is your experience with Craigslist?
- Do you think the national attention on the media-touted “Craigslist Killer” has brought the medium of Craigslist under scrutiny and given the massage therapy industry the edge it needs to demand action for the safety of the people who are working in or benefiting from massage therapy?
Tools for Determining Where You Can Practice Massage
May 6, 2009 by David
Filed under ...for practicing Massage Therapists, Massage Therapy Practice and the Law
Though simple, this diagram is helpful for visualizing the licensing requirements…in just one more way.
Employed LMTs are registered with one address (the Employer’s) and are included on the massage establishment license as a practicing LMT at that Employer’s address: no other than the State professional license is needed if that is the only address/establishment at which the LMT is practicing.
Many MTs tell me they don’t believe that they need to have certain licenses to perform at specific [other] addresses – ‘for’ or ‘not for’ money. The fact is: MTs have to have AT LEAST a State professional license to put their hands on anyone as a certified Massage Therapist (then you are an LMT). All the other licenses are “unbelievable” but necessary to earn money or ‘volunteer’ in each jurisdiction in which your own business operates (then you are an LMT practicing in Las Vegas, Clark County, etc).
IF you are performing massage therapy outside of an employment/Employer situation, you are [also] an Independent Massage Therapist, and the second fact is: to make money doing massage (including ‘tips’), you must have a Local business license that applies to the address at which you want to practice – ‘for’ or ‘not for’ money. If an LMT is not doing it for money, s/he is promoting her/his service and providing a regulated professional service, which is considered ‘doing business’. If an LMT is giving away massage – ‘donating’ – then s/he has to be working for her/his own company (self-employment connotates an IMT business license) in order to give away ‘free massages’ and have appropriate legal means to provide massage therapy. Liability insurance is strongly suggested and sometimes required for the location at which you are providing any type of massage therapy services.
Exceptions to being certified and not licensed AND practicing differ slightly in each jurisdiction, and may include: immediate household residents and/or family or family up to two generations outside of the practitioners (eg. son/grandson or aunt/niece) – check with each jurisdiction for these exceptions to the licensing/practicing requirements.
The legal differences between MTs practicing as Employees and/or IMTs can be confusing. When you consider performing massage therapy, using the information you gained as a certified massage therapist, you can boil it all down to one question: “what license to i need to perform a massage at ___________(insert address here)________?”
The answer to this question may be found here, at a GIS map that is used by the City of Las Vegas and other municipalities to determine ownership and LOCATION of a property [owner] address in the Las Vegas Valley: http://major.lasvegasnevada.gov/website/clvcamps/viewer.htm
Here’s an easy, 4-Click process to find out what jurisdiction an address is in:
Step one: Visit the GIS map (link above, too) – I save this in my Bookmarks for easy access.
Step two: see the diagram below for the 4-Click process to finding out which jurisdiction the address is located
4-Click Process diagram (page 1)
4-Click Process diagram (page 2)
Step three: based on the outcome, ask yourself: “Do I have a license for that jurisdiction?” If the answer is ‘YES!’, then go to your massage therapy appointment. If not, then find out how to get a license BEFORE you attend to your client at that location.
The above method is one that I use and have success with – legal records (tax map) cross-referenced with the same jurisdiction’s massage therapy business license requirements keeps my conscious clear, and what I believe to be legalized.
Good luck!
What does LMT mean? and other bodyworker titles…
May 4, 2008 by David
Filed under Massage Therapy Practice and the Law
Signs of Service
In today’s world of massage therapy, one sometimes has great difficulty determining who to choose to be his or her massage therapist. There is one thing that we all want as clients when it comes to receiving bodywork: trust. We know that the internet and the phone book are great tools for finding that therapist that will be the one to give us specialized bodywork or cater to our needs in massage therapy. But, there are some additional “clues” that tell us which massage therapist will be the better choice.
Whether we are new to the area, want to start a bodywork regimen, or have been receiving bodywork for a long time, there are some benchmarks that help us make a better choice in making our dollar go further and our relationship with that potential bodyworker more meaningful and productive. The service marks that accompany a therapist’s name will be an indication that they adhere to a strict municipal code, code of ethics and standard of practice. Also, title will be very important in choosing the therapist that is right for us. Here are a few descriptions of service marks that will designate a legitimate, specialized, or practicing therapist:
, LMT (Licensed Massage Therapist) – or similar business-related association is required to practice in virtually every part of the
, NCTMB (Nationally Certified in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork) – the most-used method of determining whether a CMT is competent is a test called the National Certification Exam (NCE). Passing the NCE not only means that a therapist has graduated from a (minimum) 500-hour training program, but that s/he also abides by a specific and industry-centered Code of Ethics and Standard of Practice in practicing as a Nationally Certified massage therapist. Most municipalities that license massage therapists require the therapist be a NCTMB. Look for this title when booking your appointment in a spa or finding a private practitioner.
“Member of [AMTA, ABMP, IMA, etc]” – Being a member in good standing of any professional organization (like the American Massage Therapy Association, the American Bodyworkers and Massage Practitioners, and the International Massage Association) is a sign that the therapist is in tune with the normal and optimal operation of their massage therapy business. These professional organizations often regulate through audit their members to make sure they are complying with local laws and industry standards of conduct and codes of ethics. They also provide continuing education experiences and networking events that put them in touch with today’s massage industry to optimize their professional knowledge and accountability.
, Title [CMT, MMP, etc] – these additional titles to a practicing massage therapist are important for us to know in which modalities the therapist specializes. For example, if I were looking for a Cranial Sacral Therapy therapist, I would be looking for a CST (Cranial Sacral Therapist). Not all titles are as simple to derive just by the name of the modality. Each title represents a completion and competency level achieved, issued by the governing body that accredited the therapist with the title.
- Know that the modality you never heard of may be a ruse for what most other therapists in the industry already practice – read the description of the service/modality before you decide it is the one that provides you what you need.
- Get the opinion of more than one therapist. You may find that in your research that the one you “click” with is the therapist you talk to second or third in your line of questioning. Also, visit with the therapist, when it is convenient for both of you, to establish a relationship of trust and awareness – allow the therapist to work for you by educating you about the profession and their particular part in the profession regarding their business.
To find out more about how to locate a qualified therapist in your area, please use these real world or virtual resources to fit your special needs:
NCBTMB: (800) 296-0664 or http://www.ncbtmb.com
AMTA: (877) 905-2700 or http://www.amtamassage.org
ABMP: (800) 458-2267 or http://www.abmp.com
IMA: (540) 351-0800 or http://www.imagroup.com
Choosing the perfect therapist may be a difficult task, but using these benchmarks will certainly ensure that you make the best choice for your bodywork needs.
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