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Massage & Beauty Therapists in the UK
Code of ethics
All our members agree to follow the Massage & Beauty UK code of Ethics, so you know you are in safe hands, and have a point of call should any issues or complaints arise.
Preamble: Massage & Beauty UK bases its Code of Ethics on the fundamental principles of the Complementary therapy profession, which embraces the uniqueness, worth, dignity and equal rights of all human beings.
Massage & Beauty UK requires all of its members to conduct their profession according to the following ethical principles.
The Member's Ethical Responsibility To Clients. The member's main responsibility is the client's safety and welfare. They are to respect the client's mental and physical well-being at all times.
The members are not to practice any form of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic culture, age, sexual orientation, gender, marital status, religion, national origin, political belief, physical handicap, or any other characteristic or personal condition.
The members are to uphold a professional relationship with clients, and not engage in physical abuse, hugging or touching in an erotic way or any other sexual activities.
The members are to seek advice off colleagues, mentors and supervisors whenever the consultation is in the best interest of clients
The members are to respect the privacy of clients and hold in confidence information acquired during the course of professional service.
Also, members are to inform clients fully about the limits of confidentiality.
Members are to inform clients of what to expect during sessions, so that they can make an informed decision as to whether they consent to participate.
Members are to work with only those clients that fall within their scope of practice. Members are not to have any intimate social contact with a client for at least two years after their last session with the client.
Members fully disclose their educational qualifications and professional credentials and certifications to their clients if requested by clients.
Members agree not to use wording in the title of their business or any other promotional materials that could mislead the public.
Members agree to be accurate in their description of their services, business name, and work place, so as not to imply in their advertising and marketing communications that their services are in any way the practice of medicine.
Members agree to be truthful in advertising and marketing communications.
Also, members agree that they will not in any way state or imply in their advertising and marketing communications that they provide medical or psychotherapy services if they are not licensed to do so.
Members agree that any massage therapy will not be offered as a substitute for medical or mental health treatment.
Massage & Beauty sessions are provided as a complement or adjunct to medical and mental health treatment only with a licensed physician or therapist's consent or referral.
Members agree that as a therapist they will not use the following words in any of their promotional materials or marketing communications, such as websites, print brochures, newsletters, business cards, etc.: "psychologist," "psychotherapist," "psychotherapy," "psychological," "medical hypnotist," "licensed hypnotherapist," "doctor of hypnotherapy," "treatment," "treatment of..." any mental disorders or mental health conditions or medical ailment, this includes but is not limited to "anxiety," "addiction," "insomnia," "depression," "trauma," "eating disorder," and other words like: "alternative" "cure," "clinic," "patient." Again, members agree not to imply that they are practicing psychotherapy or medicine, unless they are licensed to do so.
Members agree that clients should seek the appropriate and highest level of care and that members will therefore be reasonable in their practice of their therapy.
Members agree not to provide therapy services if a client's behaviour, or statements, would lead a reasonable person to believe that such a client should be assessed by a licensed physician or mental health professional. (If already licensed by a board of regulation, for example as a therapist, psychologist, clinical social worker, or physician, and you also provide hypnotherapy services.)
Members understand that their therapy school training prepared them for certification by Massage & Beauty UK. Complementary therapy is a "non-licensed" profession, licensing of a professional group can only be authorised when a law is passed by a UK legislature and then implemented by a UK regulatory agency. They will not use the words "affiliated," "licensed" or "approved" by Massage & Beauty UK. Members may refer to themselves as "certified" by Massage & Beauty UK or that they are a "member" of Massage & Beauty UK.
Fees
The members are to set their fees in a fair and reasonable manner.
The members are not to give any kind of economic compensation for receiving or making a referral, i.e., "finders fees" or cash "kickbacks" (including multilevel marketing type of compensations) for clients or seminar attendees.
Prior to conducting sessions members disclose their fees, what type of methods will be used and what the client can generally expect to experience with the methods described.
Members are to provide clients with their refund policy in writing.
The Members' Ethical Responsibility To Colleagues
Whenever dealing with unusual or difficult cases, ethical conduct concerns or other dilemmas related to their practice, members are to seek the advice of other Board members.
The members are to treat the members of the Board of Directors, members of the Advisory Council and colleagues with respect and professional decorum, during all interactions, including but not limited to phone conversations, email and social media. Negative comments, judgmental language, speculation and/or gossip will result on revocation of Certification.
The members are to respect confidences shared by colleagues in the process of their professional relationships.
The members are not to exploit a dispute between a colleague and employer to obtain a position in a company.
The members are to seek the mediation of a superior or administrator when conflicts with colleagues arise, to reach appropriate and equitable solutions
.The members are to relate to clients of colleagues in a professional manner.
The members are not to solicit the clients of colleagues.
The Members' Ethical Responsibility to the Hypnotherapy Profession
The members are to maintain the highest ethical standards of integrity to protect their profession.The members are to take actions to correct all unprofessional and unethical practices.
The members are to always be honest about the origin of their professional degrees, education, certifications or other qualifications.
The members are to advertise their professional services with honesty and good faith. They are to insure that all their marketing and promotional materials are truthful and realistic.
Members are committed to their own personal growth.
The members agree to conduct their practices and all professional relationships in accordance with the Massage & Beauty UK Code of Ethics and in accordance with UK Law.
The members understand that they are responsible for completion and maintenance of all certification and re-certification requirements.
Members understand that failure to complete their documentation results in non-certification or revocation.
Claim of Unethical Behaviour after the Board has received via mail, a written complaint, signed by the complainant, an ethics committee will be formed to review the complaint. If there is reasonable merit to the written complaint, the ethics committee will form a quorum to receive testimony from all involved parties. After the complaint and response to the complaint are reviewed by the quorum and it has reached a decision, it will issue a report, then, the parties will have 30 days to respond to the quorum's findings. A failure by the accused to respond to the complaint within the allotted time will not prevent the quorum from taking action accordingly. Actions the quorum may recommend include:
1) dismissal of the claim,
2) written warning,
3) request requiring actions by the respondent to correct unethical/unprofessional conduct in a reasonable amount of time,
4) suspension or
5) revocation of membership.
After doing so, the ethics committee will submit its recommendations to the Board.