CMTO’s Inquiries, Complaints and Reports Committee (ICRC) is the screening committee for investigations of complaints and reports related to Massage Therapy care. The ICRC can refer a matter to the Discipline Committee, order remediation, issue advice or take no action. The following is a case study demonstrating how the ICRC addressed a complaint.

A client submitted a complaint to CMTO about comments made by their Registered Massage Therapist/Massage Therapist (RMT/MT) during treatment.

Case Study Summary

The RMT/MT told the client that she had a beautiful name, and appearance. The RMT/MT also commented on the placement of the client’s tattoo on her upper body. These comments made the client feel uncomfortable, so she mentioned she had a husband. The RMT/MT replied that she was too young to be married. The client noted in her complaint that she had undressed to her underwear during treatment, which made her feel especially uncomfortable about the RMT/MT’s comments.

The RMT/MT responded to the complaint with several explanations:

• He believed the client was depressed, and he wanted to promote feelings of encouragement. He explained that his role is to heal the body and the mind;
• One of his techniques for relaxing a client’s body was to encourage the client through positive comments; and
• When the RMT/MT commented on the client’s age, he meant to convey that she looked younger than she was.

ICRC’s Perspective:

The ICRC reviewed the complaint and determined the RMT/MT required remediation for the following reasons:

• It is inappropriate for an RMT/MT to make comments about a client’s body that are non-therapeutic, as these types of remarks cross professional boundaries. An RMT/MT should be cognizant that clients are in a vulnerable position during treatment and such compliments can make them feel uncomfortable;
• It is not an RMT/MT’s role to provide counselling to heal the mind. This is outside the scope of Massage Therapy; and
• Although the RMT/MT believed he was well-intentioned, it was concerning that he did not consider that a client may reasonably interpret these comments as inappropriate.

The ICRC ordered the RMT/MT to obtain ethics mentoring regarding maintaining professional boundaries and to receive an oral caution from the ICRC.