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Ethical Decision-Making
Ethics

Ethical Decision-Making

Author(s): Pam Fitch

1CE credit 7 Lessons Text

Complaints against massage therapists rarely describe poor hands-on technique or inadequate positioning. They occur because massage therapists are faced with situations where personal beliefs, feelings or attitudes can be in conflict with professional ethics and boundaries. This course helps to uncover personal assumptions or biases that may confuse ethical issues arising in practice.

When you finish this course, you will be able to:

  • Describe fundamental concepts related to ethical dilemmas;
  • Demonstrate how personal attitudes, assumptions and bias contribute to ethical dilemmas;
  • Support ethical decisions that are based on professional values;
  • Communicate decisions with confidence;
  • Employ a comprehensive decision-making strategy that ensures professional practice remains independent of personal beliefs.

  1. Laying the Groundwork for Ethics Fundamentals
  2. When Personal Beliefs and Values Clash with Professional Expectations
  3. Ethical Dilemmas: The Sum of All Their Parts
  4. Effective Communication Strategies for Resolving Ethical Dilemmas
  5. A Reflective Framework for Ethical Decision-Making
  6. A Summary of Ethical Dilemmas
  7. Resources

For more than thirty years, massage therapy educator, writer, researcher and long-time practitioner, Pamela Fitch, has explored professional, ethical and communicative challenges faced by massage therapists. She remains particularly interested in how massage therapy affects clients who have experienced trauma, post-traumatic stress and complex pain conditions. A committed educator, she has been recognized with several awards for teaching.