If you have been a therapist for long, you have probably heard about the client who asks for a massage of a sexual nature. We wish that this was not something that we needed to write about, but over the last number of years we have seen a consistent rise in reports coming back to the office and asking what the therapist should do.
If this has happened to you, first of all we want you to know that we are sorry that you had to experience such a horrible thing. Know you are not alone, and that you will get through. Sexual harassment is not something to be treated lightly. In the Canada Labor Code it is defined as “any conduct, comment, gesture, or contact of a sexual nature that is likely to cause offence or humiliation.”
First let us highlight the things that every clinic should be doing to discourage these types of incidents from occurring in the first place. You may want to discuss these with a clinic owner, or any future potential employer.
A clinic should have a standing policy regarding reporting inappropriate client behavior.
The clinic should also have as part of their consent for treatment document a statement which says something to the effect of “I understand that this is a therapeutic or relaxation massage, and that any sexual advances, request for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature will constitute as sexual harassment and will result in immediate termination the session, and that I will be liable for full payment of the scheduled treatment.” If you are a member, we are happy to provide you with an editable sample form that contains this statement – just email the office at info@cmmota.com.
Finally, the clinic should have a standard of discharging any client who violates this standard written within the clinic’s policy and client discharge should be practiced when necessary.
When it comes to things that you as a therapist should be doing if/when an incident of sexual harassment happens while providing a treatment, here is a list:
- End the massage immediately. Do not leave yourself in a position where sexual harassment is tolerated.
- If you are an employee or subcontractor, you should always immediately report the incident to your supervisor or clinic owner. This provides protection for you as a therapist.
- ALWAYS document within treatment notes details of any incident of sexual harassment – it provides you with protection should a complaint ever be filed against you.
- Report it! If there is an incident of sexual harassment or sexual assault by a client on a therapist, it should also be reported ASAP to the local police service. The harm that therapists face needs to be reported no matter how minor. We know that there is a low likelihood that an incident of sexual harassment will be investigated, but by reporting the incident you will contribute to stats that are kept by the police service that will aid in highlighting the problem and hopefully help in bringing about change.
- Finally, let your association know that the incident occurred.