NCBTMB Professional Ethics and Standards 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A client discloses during a session that they are experiencing suicidal thoughts. What is the most appropriate response?
- Continue the session and address it at the end
- Immediately stop the session and refer the client to a mental health professional (Correct answer)
- Keep the information confidential and document it in your notes
- Advise the client to call a family member after the session
Correct answer: Immediately stop the session and refer the client to a mental health professional
When a client discloses suicidal ideation, the massage therapist must stop the session and refer the client to an appropriate mental health professional, as this falls outside the scope of massage therapy.
Question 2: Which action best demonstrates the NCBTMB Code of Ethics principle of 'do no harm'?
- Offering discounts to low-income clients
- Refusing to work on a contraindicated area without physician clearance (Correct answer)
- Providing free sessions to elderly clients
- Extending session time without additional charge
Correct answer: Refusing to work on a contraindicated area without physician clearance
The principle of non-maleficence (do no harm) requires therapists to avoid working on contraindicated areas without appropriate medical clearance.
Question 3: A therapist's personal religious beliefs conflict with a client's lifestyle. The therapist should:
- Share their beliefs with the client to help them
- Decline to work with the client based on personal beliefs
- Provide professional services without allowing personal beliefs to interfere (Correct answer)
- Ask the client to respect their values before proceeding
Correct answer: Provide professional services without allowing personal beliefs to interfere
NCBTMB standards require therapists to provide services without discrimination or imposition of personal values on clients.
Question 4: Under the NCBTMB Code of Ethics, a massage therapist is required to:
- Provide treatment recommendations for diagnosed conditions
- Maintain professional boundaries in all client relationships (Correct answer)
- Offer a minimum number of pro bono sessions per year
- Obtain a physician referral for every new client
Correct answer: Maintain professional boundaries in all client relationships
Maintaining professional boundaries in all client relationships is a core requirement of the NCBTMB Code of Ethics.
Question 5: What does 'informed consent' require before beginning a massage session?
- Client must sign a waiver releasing the therapist from liability
- Client must receive and acknowledge information about the treatment before agreeing to proceed (Correct answer)
- Client must disclose all medical conditions in writing
- Client must confirm they have seen a physician in the past year
Correct answer: Client must receive and acknowledge information about the treatment before agreeing to proceed
Informed consent requires that the client receive sufficient information about the proposed treatment and voluntarily agree before the session begins.
Question 6: A massage therapist suspects a minor client is being abused at home. Their ethical and legal obligation is to:
- Discuss their concerns with the child's parents
- Document suspicions but maintain confidentiality
- Report the suspicion to the appropriate authorities as a mandated reporter (Correct answer)
- Refuse further sessions until the matter is resolved
Correct answer: Report the suspicion to the appropriate authorities as a mandated reporter
Massage therapists are mandated reporters in most states and must report reasonable suspicions of child abuse to the appropriate child protective services.
Question 7: Which scenario represents a violation of professional boundaries?
- Texting a client to confirm their appointment
- Accepting a small gift from a client during the holidays
- Meeting a current client socially outside of the professional setting (Correct answer)
- Discussing treatment goals at the beginning of a session
Correct answer: Meeting a current client socially outside of the professional setting
Socializing with current clients outside the professional setting blurs the professional relationship and violates boundary standards.
NCBTMB Professional Ethics and Standards 2
A client discloses during a session that they are experiencing suicidal thoughts.
What is the most appropriate response?