Alliance Establishes Code of Ethics

The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education is pleased to announce the publication of the organization's Code of Ethics, for members in the School, Teacher and Continuing Education Provider categories. The preamble highlights the document's purpose, which is consistent with the Alliance's overall Mission and Goals:

Members of the Alliance for Massage Therapy Education are committed to promoting professionalism and serving the learning experience of their students in every educational setting. The ethical principles set forth in this Code are intended to foster respectful relationships within the community of students, faculty, staff and institutional leaders, to facilitate successful educational outcomes, and to ultimately improve the quality of care provided to all who receive massage therapy services.

The individual points of this Code provide Alliance members with behavioral and operational guidelines that will assist them in carrying out their work in the field of massage therapy education with the highest levels of integrity. The complete text of this document is available on the Alliance website at http://www.afmte.org/about/code-of-ethics.

The Code of Ethics was developed by the Alliance's Professional Standards Committee, under the guidance of Becky Blessing, DC, LMT, committee chair. Primary contributors to the process were Cherie Sohnen-Moe, member of the Alliance Board of Directors and co-author of The Ethics of Touch, and S. Pualani Gillespie, Alliance member, President of the AMTA Hawaii Chapter and former chair of NCBTMB's Ethics and Standards Committee.

"This Code is an essential part of our commitment to strengthening and improving the quality of massage therapy education," said Alliance Executive Director Rick Rosen. "It is unique in our field, because it focuses on both the learning experience of students, as well as the downstream implications of massage education on client treatment. With this Code of Ethics in place, Alliance members now have a resource they can utilize on a daily basis, which is where ethical principles make the most difference."

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About the Alliance:

The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education is the independent voice, advocate and resource for the community of massage therapy schools and educators. It serves the entire education sector – from entry-level training programs through post-graduate studies. The National Headquarters of the Alliance is located at 1760 Old Meadow Road, Suite 500, McLean, Virginia 22102. The phone number is 703-506-2888, the general office email address is admin@afmte.org, and the website is http://www.afmte.org.