What is it that you would like to know, but might not know, about operating a massage practice or being a massage therapist in the state of Washington? For example: 

• Do you have questions about the new WACs that have gone into effect for massage therapists in the last couple years?

• Do you have questions about the current COVID-19 regulations for healthcare providers?  

• Maybe you have tax questions or questions about business structures for healthcare providers?

• Maybe you would like to know more about the details of effective insurance billing or charting. 

Let us know what knowledge would help you to feel more confident in being a massage therapist employee or running your own practice or clinic.

Contact us at info@mywsmta.org

Written by Stephanie Dickey, Edited by Marybeth Berney

As a practicing LMT for over a decade now, I have the honor of being a former member and chair of the Board of Massage (BOM) in Washington and am a current volunteer for the Washington State Massage Therapy Association (WSMTA). In that time, I have witnessed a great deal of confusion from LMTs about what the various state agencies and organizations are, as well as the differences in what they do. I have had questions where LMTs have been confused about how and where to go for information, requests or procedures. With good reason! There are many acronyms to keep track of and each entity does very different things. The truth is that there are many ways we can be a part of our profession and be a voice or advocate for the things we believe in, if we know the right place to go.

LMTs are often not sure what each agency/organization’s focus is or the subtle differences within them. Unless you are volunteering your time in one of these groups or you are interested in government, regulation and massage, you are likely not thinking about how the rules that govern your profession came to be…until you need to be that is! My hope here is that this information can assist in helping you find your way.   

Many of the laws/rules that govern us in massage are created in two ways: legislative acts (Revised Code of Washington, RCWs) and Board of Massage rulemaking (Washington Administrative Code, WACs). These are entities that are part of the State and are tasked with the primary goal of protecting the public and creating laws and regulations that allow a profession to operate without infringement on financial gain, while not harming the public while doing so. They also define what our scope of practice is and how we can operate within that scope.

Each one of these branches of government are only able to create or define certain actions or language in our profession. For instance, the Board of Massage (BOM) cannot create a new scope of practice. For example, if we wanted to increase our scope to use Cold Laser Therapy, the House and Senate health committees and Washington State legislators would first have to take up this scope of practice request as a bill and vote to approve the new scope of practice thus creating a new RCW or expanding an already existing RCW. Then the BOM would create rules, also known as WACs, to give detail to this new law regarding our scope. This can also happen in other ways. A recent example was a law that passed in Washington requiring LMTs to have their valid government issued photo ID and their massage license present while they are working. This law was passed by the legislature and then adopted as law with no need for the BOM’s input. It is also possible sometimes that a court case can cause a need to change rules or laws and when this happens, both the legislature and the BOM may need to take action to line up with the court findings.

The Board of Massage does not set your rates for licensure and state legislators are only a little bit involved in this. Existing laws and regulations require that all healthcare boards be financially self-sufficient. The cost of licensure is based on all the costs of support staff and their responsibilities for licensure, complaints, etc. associated for each profession. This means if the Department of Health receives lots of complaints about our profession, or many LMTs are not fulfilling their CE requirements or other requirements, the cost of investigating and potentially adjudicating cases increases costs to the Board.  Every year, these fees are reviewed and the rates rise and fall based on the budget’s bottom line for the Board of Massage.

The Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) is also a part of this governmental dance in our rules for practice, as they oversee the laws that are created by legislation for health carriers and thus healthcare providers. They also monitor how those laws and rules are administered.

The following is a brief summary of each of the Governmental entities.

House Health Care and Wellness Committee/Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee

These two legislative committees consider a broad range of issues relating to the provision of physical and behavioral healthcare services; long-term care; and strategies to promote better health. Healthcare service issues include the licensing and regulation of healthcare facilities and the credentialing of healthcare providers. The committee also regulates pharmacies and pharmaceutical drugs and has oversight and regulatory responsibility for state public health programs. The committee also considers issues relating to the accessibility and affordability of healthcare in both the private health insurance market and public health programs such as Medicaid and the state health exchange.

Department of Health (DOH)

The Department of Health is a branch of Washington State's regulatory entities and within the DOH is the Health Systems Quality Assurance (HSQA), this division oversees all boards and commissions that represent and regulate healthcare providers. The DOH is involved in creating regulatory guidance for all healthcare providers, such as the protocols and rules recently established for COVID-19. They also credential licensees and review continuing education completion. They are guided by, and answer to, the Secretary of Health. The BOM is one of many  boards governed by the Department of Health's Health Systems Quality Assurance division.

​Department of Health - Board of Massage (BOM)

The mandate of the Board of Massage is to protect the public’s health and safety and to promote the welfare of the state by regulating the competency and quality of professional healthcare providers under its jurisdiction. The Board accomplishes this mandate through a variety of activities working with the Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance division. 

The Washington State Board of Massage was created by the legislature. The Board consists of four professional members who are appointed by the governor for a term of four years each. Members must be residents of this state and shall have not less than three years’ experience in the practice of massage immediately preceding their appointment and must be licensed  and actively engaged in the practice of massage during their incumbency.

In addition to the professional members, the governor shall appoint a consumer member of the board, who also serves for a term of four years. The consumer member of the board must be an individual who does not derive his or her livelihood by providing healthcare services or massage therapy and is not a licensed health professional. The consumer member must not be an employee of the state nor a present or former member of another licensing board.

Powers and Duties of the Board of Massage

1) In addition to any other authority provided by law, the board of massage may:

(a) Adopt rules in accordance with chapter34.05 RCW necessary to implement massage practitioner licensure under this chapter, subject to the approval of the secretary;

(b) Define, evaluate, approve, and designate those massage schools, massage programs, transfer programs, and massage apprenticeship programs including all current and proposed curriculum, faculty, and health, sanitation, and facility standards from which graduation will be accepted as proof of an applicant's eligibility to take the massage licensing examination;

(c) Review approved massage schools and programs periodically;

(d) Prepare, grade, administer, and supervise the grading and administration of, examinations for applicants for massage licensure;

(e) Establish and administer requirements for continuing education, which shall be a prerequisite to renewing a massage practitioner license under this chapter; and

(f) Determine which states have educational and licensing requirements for massage practitioners equivalent to those of this state.

(2) The board shall establish by rule the standards and procedures for approving courses of study in massage therapy and may contract with individuals or organizations having expertise in the profession or in education to assist in evaluating courses of study. The standards and procedures set shall apply equally to schools and training within the United States of America and those in foreign jurisdictions.

Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC)

“We protect consumers, the public interest and our state’s economy through fair and efficient regulation of the insurance industry”.  With 242 employees (and 400 volunteers), we are one of the smaller state agencies, but we cover a lot of ground:

This is done with virtually no state general-fund dollars. Most of their budget comes from assessments charged to the insurers regulated.

Where Do YOU Come Into This Equation?

In many ways, you are already a part of this process. You are licensed and working in the field of massage and learned the techniques and laws in our profession to become an LMT. You also have the opportunity to be part of a larger body of voices, both in our state and across the country through massage organizations. They are not governmental entities and many of them are nonprofit organizations, they often influence and work closely with the massage boards and legislators in states to influence and help create language for our profession. In fact, much of the laws that change and the rules that are written are created by the organizations and then presented and lobbied for. This is where so much of the groundwork is laid for making changes in our profession.

The following is a list of the organizations that work with the state and that make changes across the country while advocating, suggesting and supporting the profession of massage and what they do.

Washington State Massage Therapy Association-WSMTA (Non-profit)

“The Mission of the Washington State Massage Therapy Association is to Advocate for Massage Therapy as a Recognized and Respected Healthcare Profession.”  The WSMTA was formed in 2015.

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals - ABMP (For-profit)

Professional liability insurance, discounts on massage products, massage business services, free website builder, Find a Therapist database of members…are just a few of the benefits.

This organization has a Government Relations position that keeps updated on all the states current laws and changes state by state. They send a representative to board meetings to support or reject changes to language and to advocate. They also work on larger broader issues that affect all massage therapists across all states. 

 American Massage Therapy Association - AMTA (Non-profit)

“The mission of the American Massage Therapy Association is to serve AMTA members while advancing the art, science and practice of massage therapy.”

AMTA offers professional liability insurance, member discounts and offers online educational CE for massage.

National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB)

NCMTMB maintains that Board Certification is the highest voluntary credential attainable in the massage therapy and bodywork profession with a distinct level of achievement beyond entry-level licensure—including completing more education, hands-on experience, and a background check—that will give meaning to your career (and your clients!) with credentials that matter. Formerly the top content creator for testing of LMT’s in all states, NCBTMB is more focused now on continuing education and competency.

That’s why they created the Board Certification credential for the profession. It is more than just another credential—it’s a lifelong commitment to raising the standards of our esteemed profession. Even more, Board Certification now aligns the massage therapy and bodywork profession with other allied health and medical professions, enhancing value and credibility to what we do best.

A Specialty Certificate symbolizes advanced education and training in a particular modality or when working with a specific population—requirements both massage therapy leaders and healthcare organizations agree are necessary to:

The creation of NCBTMB’s Specialty Certificate Program furthers its mission of defining and advancing standards by creating yet another career pathway for massage therapists. By partnering with major healthcare organizations and academic programs across the country, Specialty Certificates empower current and future massage therapists with the top-notch education and experience necessary to succeed in various environments or when working with specific populations. NCBTMB’s Specialty Certificate Program provides the credentials to prove such training, as well as continues to tier the profession—an evolution NCBTMB is proud to be a part of with Board Certification, and now with Specialty Certificates.

Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards  (FSMTB)   

The mission of the FSMTB is to support its member state massage boards (42) in their work to ensure that the practice of massage therapy is provided to the public in a safe and effective manner. In carrying out this mission, the FSMTB shall:

FSMTB History

In early 2005, the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) convened a meeting of massage regulators and educators to re-energize a former “Alliance” of the massage regulatory community. Attended by representatives from seven regulated states, along with educators from around the country, this group recognized the need to establish an organization that could bring the regulatory community together in its mission of public protection. Importantly, the concerns of most significance were the need for the provision of a valid and reliable licensing exam and the desire to bring commonality in licensing requirements to assist with professional mobility. The commitment to re-energize this former alliance came to fruition with the formation of an interim organization. The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) formed an interim board consisting of all the regulators in attendance. This interim board was charged with conducting research into other similar organizations, reaching out to the community for feedback, drafting bylaws and planning a meeting to formally establish the organization. In September 2005, the FSMTB held its formalizing meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico prior to the annual American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) convention. The meeting was attended by 22 states and the District of Columbia. During this landmark event, bylaws were unanimously adopted, and the first formal board was elected. Additionally, dialogue arising from the meeting suggested that three key issues were of utmost concern for the massage therapy regulatory community:

Since the formational meeting in September 2005, the volunteer Board of Directors and committee members have continued to diligently work to establish a foundation upon which to build and advance the organization to carry out the desires of the member states.

How to Become Involved

Most states now have legislation and licensing for massage. Whether you are a LMT, LMP, RMT,CMT or something else, there is likely a website for your regulatory agency. Organizations create a voice for us and help to maintain regulation and scope of practice, as well as many other things. During the last two years, many of these organizations provided guidelines and information to give LMTs a way to successfully navigate COVID- 19. Some groups such as the WSMTA, AMTA-WA, and ABMP monitor, attend, and provide feedback for government entities. They also monitor insurance providers’ changes to contracts and provide LMTs important information that may impact their practices.

One of the most effective ways to understand how we all work together is to get involved with your local massage groups and organizations. There is one sure way to help make change or support the massage profession: leave the therapy room for just a short amount of time and get to know your Board of Massage and other massage organizations. Attend a meeting or volunteer a bit of time to work on one of the many things that the organizations are working on. It is important to network with others and talk to people in our field. Groups such as the WSMTA, ABMP, ATMA, NCBTMB and FSMTB all have places where you can get involved and have a voice in your profession.

We know this all seems like a lot for someone to take in.  We know that you are trying to balance a career, life, and potentially all sorts of other things, but it will be handy information for you at some point . The best thing to do is find one place to start getting connected and the rest will usually flow. You do have a voice. Go throw that pebble in the pond and watch the waves!

Contact us at WSMTA if you are interested in volunteering time and becoming a part of our organization or explore some of these other links for information as well.

To learn more about these organizations and Government entities please visit the websites below. 

Washington State Massage Therapy Association (WSMTA) - https://www.mywsmta.org

Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP) - https://www.abmp.com

American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) - https://www.amtamassage.org

Washington Chapter, American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA-WA) - https://wa.wp.amtamassage.org

National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) - https://www.ncbtmb.org

Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB)  -  https://www.fsmtb.org

Department of Health - https://www.doh.wa.gov/

Dept. of Health - Board of Massage  (BOM) - https://www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ProfessionsNewReneworUpdate/MassageTherapist

House Health Care and Wellness Committee/Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee - https://leg.wa.gov/House/Committees/HCW/Pages/default.aspx

Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) - https://www.insurance.wa.gov

We want to know what non-technique, web based, 2-4 hr content CE you would attend?

Lets us know at info@mywsmta.org

Use "WEB CE's" in the subject line.

Thank you for your ideas and input.

Sustaining and Growing Your Business in Tough Times: Thinking Outside the Box During the Pandemic

In this live, interactive webinar our presenters will present creative healthcare business models. Thinking outside the box, they will share the benefits and risks of various models as well as the underlying values that inspire them.

Our presenters, from an array of healthcare practices, will inspire you to consider new ideas to grow your practice or recover from the effects of the pandemic.

• June 27 2021 at 9:30AM - 2:30 PM
• Zoom attendance is limited to 100 participants.
• Free to members, must be a member to attend.
• 4 Continuing Education Credits

Register Here

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Hello WSMTA Community! My name is Aidan and I’m excited to be here. This is my first article, and hopefully with many more to come, I will be exploring and documenting the world of large animal massage. Specifically, we will be focusing on equine massage and bodywork – but I’m not saying only horses (and donkeys, mules, etc.), because if there’s a creature with four legs who weighs more than a Mastiff, we’re not going to rule them out of the discussion.

I am a life-long “horse girl” and a fairly new massage therapist. I graduated from the Port Townsend School of Massage in 2019 and worked in a chiropractic office for six months before everything went to hell in a hand basket, as my mother would say. I left my job at the chiropractic office, and the income from my other job gave me the freedom to do some massage career soul-searching. I knew one thing for certain – I really did not want to go back to working for someone else. When it came time to restart my work, it would be on my own. It was on a Zoom call with a former teacher that I realized what was next for me – a combination of my education and skills as a massage therapist, and my passion and love for horses. That conversation helped me realize that an equine-centered massage business felt exciting, inspiring, and fulfilling.

Most equine massage therapists only work on the animal, and not the rider. This is where I hope to come in an offer something a bit different – a service for both horses and riders. Unless you are an equestrian yourself, or you’ve ever spent significant time watching someone ride, you may not fully appreciate the physical relationship between a horse and rider. An instructor once summed up riding as “one unbalanced being on top of another unbalanced being, trying to be in balance,” and that really is about as succinct as it gets. The physical imbalances, limitations, injuries, strengths, and weaknesses of both horse and rider play off of each other constantly. The end goal is harmony, but we sometimes end up with what feels, and maybe looks, like disaster.

As massage therapists, we know that the desire to achieve a perfectly balanced body is idealistic and not realistic. An admirable goal, perhaps, but not a functional one. One rider with significant imbalances, who regularly rides several horses, will eventually have all horses going in the same compensatory way to offset their own imbalances. By creating a practice that works on both bodies, I believe I can help riders balance their equations with their horse.

In my next article I will be exploring some of the different modalities used by equine massage therapists, and what the licensure and governing bodies are in Washington State. If you have any specific questions or areas of interest that pertain to large animal massage, please send them over and I’ll work to cover them.

Aidan Sievertson,  LMT

Annual Business Meeting and Continuing Education

• June 27 2021 at 9:30AM - 2:30 PM
• Zoom attendance is limited to 100 participants.
• Free to members, must be a member to attend. To become a member JOIN HERE
• 4 Continuing Education Credits

Sustaining and Growing Your Business in Tough Times: Thinking Outside the Box During the Pandemic

In this live, interactive webinar our presenters will present creative healthcare business models. Thinking outside the box, they will share the benefits and risks of various models as well as the underlying values that inspire them.

Our presenters, from an array of healthcare practices, will inspire you to consider new ideas to grow your practice or recover from the effects of the pandemic.

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Annual Business Meeting

• Results of the 2021 election of Directors.
• Reports from WSMTA Clinical Practices, Government Relations, Membership Programs, and Treasurer. Our team of volunteers have been working especially hard for you and the profession this last year.

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Continuing Education Sessions

Direct Primary Care (Concierge Service) by Dr. Richie

Dr. Ritchie will describe the pros and cons of a Direct Primary Care (DPC) practice, and answer any questions you may have in case you are contemplating starting a DPC practice in the future within a massage or multidisciplinary setting. With DPC, also known as concierge service, the provider works directly for the patient, and insurance companies are not part of the equation. Since the provider does not have to hire multiple billers and coders to deal with insurance companies, she can see fewer patients and give more time and individualized attention to each patient. The hassle factor of a medical practice goes down dramatically.

Biography: Samantha Ritchie M.D., is a family physician who retired from full time practice in 2019. Her 32 year career included working in a private practice, teaching at a family medicine residency, being the medical director at a rural healthcare clinic, and working for the last ten years in a direct primary care (DPC) practice.

Understanding the Alphabet Soup of Supplemental Insurance Benefit Options - Taking Control of How Your Healthcare Dollars are Spent by Jessica Bradley 

As healthcare providers and consumers of healthcare, it is important for massage therapists to understand the basics of supplemental health care accounts. There are a variety of tax advantages and reasons why you or your clients may wish to utilize options to set aside money to pay for healthcare expenses.  Also, these types of accounts can help increase your practice if you are willing to welcome clients into your practice that have supplemental healthcare accounts. This workshop will explain the basics of Health Savings Accounts (HSA), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and employer sponsored Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association (VEBA) plans.

Biography: Jessica J. Bradley has a Masters Degree in Public Administration and served as a labor relations adjudicator and mediator for over a decade. Jessica has assisted with negotiations of hundreds of contract negotiations involving health insurance benefit options and supplemental health benefit accounts. Jessica is now self-employed in Washington State as a small and large animal massage therapist (SAMP & LAMP).

Widening Your Horizons and Adding Additional Services to Your Practice with Leslie Korn

Dr. Leslie Korn will share her story beginning as a bodywork practitioner, expanding and evolving to an Integrative Medicine clinician, focused on mental health, somatic therapies & nutrition. She will describe her motivation to expand her education, knowledge base and income sources which led her to become an educator, author, mentor & supervisor. Leslie will also describe the opportunities for partnering with researchers & creating projects to increase access & deliver services to under-served communities which are funded by grants.

Biography: Leslie Korn, PhD, MPH is a licensed psychotherapist, certified in Functional Nutrition, board-certified in both Polarity therapy and Bodywork and Massage therapy, and is a national board-approved clinical supervisor. She has a private practice where she works with clients to improve mental health and reduce or eliminate medications using natural medicines. She mentors clinicians who want to enter the field and provides supervision for clinicians in the field.  She is also director of research at the Center for World Indigenous Studies, a non-profit American Indian organization focusing on social justice and consultation to indigenous communities on revitalization strategies using traditional medicine, herbal and culinary practices.

Developing and Running a Membership-Based Wellness Spa by Nicole Chryst, LMT 

Nicole will describe the membership model and how she transitioned out of the typical pay-as-you-go model that most massage practices and clinics have.  Membership models require customized software to implement this business format.  Nicole will also describe how to accurately calculate the overhead expenses per massage treatment as well as discuss how to develop the online marketing and employee education that goes into making her wellness spa successful.

Biography: Nicole has been an LMT since 2006.  In 2008, she created, Ballaura, a wellness spa that focuses on fitness, health and healing using an employee-based model.  Four years ago, Nicole transitioned Ballaura into a membership-based wellness spa.

How are you doing?

By Dagmar Growe

Thank you to all of you who responded to our question we posted in February. It provided some interesting insights into the challenges and opportunities our members have been facing during COVID-19. As expected, a number of LMTs saw their business evaporate overnight, especially those who specialized in the corporate and mobile massage. Many of you felt for various reasons uncomfortable to resume practice, and are struggling to make ends meet. We know that many LMTs have opted not to renew their licenses and are moving either temporarily or permanently out of the profession.

But we also learned from some for whom COVID-19 created new opportunities. The decreased number of massage therapists has created a new demand for therapists. Patients and employers alike are looking for therapists. Most patients, especially those who have been vaccinated, have no hesitancy to receive massage therapy. Wearing a mask has become standard practice. Many of us have created efficient cleaning protocols. 

If you are one of those who have rebuilt their business from scratch, if you are unhappy with the working conditions in your current place of work, or if you are simply just looking for a change, I encourage you to sign up for our annual conference: Sustaining and Growing Your Business in Tough Times: Thinking Outside the Box During the Pandemic.

We are looking forward to connecting with you at the annual meeting. Until then please feel free to send us your questions and comments - we love to hear from you.

Here is one especially encouraging story from a fellow LMT that responded.

Hello,

I hope this finds you well. 

I appreciate being a part of this organization. 

When Covid closed my practice in March of 2020, it was some hard learning and uncertainty about Covid itself and what it means to be in the healthcare profession during a pandemic, and "should I even be open?" However I was fortunate to receive unemployment and I'm so grateful for that. 

I opened again in August 2020. The pandemic brought new costs, new complexity, new waivers, screening, and continual adaptation to what will work best for relative covid safety. Fortunately, at least to my knowledge, nobody that has come to my office nor myself contracted Covid.

The lengths I went to educate myself and change my office and shared office suite area brought about an unexpected change. I raised my rates and for the first time, I feel solid in my fee, and have felt completely unapologetic or sheepish. Also, the risk to myself and doing the private practice anyway also gave me a greater sense of value in the work I provide people. What also contributed to this, I believe, is that so many other therapists were not working and people were happy and grateful to find that my doors were open. More demand than ever. 

Feeling like I'm in demand does give me more confidence to do what I feel I need to do for the sake of the person's session, not for expectations of clients that I think I had spent too much time unconsciously being snagged in, people pleaser that I've been most of my life. 

Being in demand also had a few other byproducts. I started having to say on my website "please plan for your therapy as appointment availability may be 2-3 weeks." This statement was out of kindness and necessity, but I stopped getting requests for same day appointments. 

And then I noticed that most clients coming in this year mostly all had more seasoned expectations of bodywork; the cost, how many sessions it takes, etc., and they were already inclined to return regularly, understanding bodywork's process well. 

That's been really nice!

Surprisingly to me, when I put on my website that I am not open to new clients at this time, it did not stop people from contacting me and asking me to put them on a waitlist for when I do open up. What a shock. A really sweet shock. 

Thanks for asking, I hope this was in some way helpful. 

Wishing you well,

Broehe

Broehe Karpenko, LMT, CCSP

(Broehe rhymes with Zoey....she/her)

Rosewater Craniosacral 

SAVE THE DATE

June 27, 2021. 9:30am to 2:00pm.

Sustaining and Growing Your Business in Tough Times: Thinking Outside the Box During the Pandemic

In this live, interactive webinar our presenters will present creative healthcare business models. Thinking outside the box, they will share the benefits and risks of various models as well as the underlying values that inspire them. 

Our presenters, from an array of healthcare practices, will inspire you to consider new ideas to grow your practice or recover from the effects of the pandemic.

Free to WSMTA Members.

You will be notified when registration opens or check here for event updates in the future.

Almost a year in with COVID 19 and we would love to hear how things are going for you and your practice. We value your insights, needs, and questions. Drop us a line at info@mywsmta.org.

So, many LMTs in WA are asking, “What do Governor Inslee’s new restrictions (Proclamation 20-24.2) mean for me?”  At the time of this writing, this is what we know, in brief.

Neither the Department of Health nor the Governor's office have announced any changes to the status of healthcare providers or the healthcare phases. We are closely monitoring the situation for any changes to our status. I would suggest that you look at the governors posting for 11/15 here… https://www.governor.wa.gov/issues/issues/covid-19-resources and continue to watch for additional updates there. Also, make sure to read the recent article written by WSMT’s own Julie Johnson on Critical Judgment for LMTs. This article will take you through the very important critical decision making steps with regard to COVID-19 and your massage practice.

With cases of COVID-19 rising very rapidly in WA, WSMTA is encouraging LMTs to exercise extra caution in their practice. It is important to watch what is happening in your local area. For example, pay attention to whether your local hospitals are restricting elective surgeries. This would be a clear indicator that your local area hospitals are concerned about being overwhelmed with patients and you should consider seeing only urgent need patients/clients. You should also assess your individual risk factors, your families risk factors and your patients/clients risk factors very carefully and adjust accordingly.

We are aware that many LMTs are making new adjustments to their practices with the increase of COVID-19 cases. Some LMTs are shutting down for the next few months, others are limiting the number of folks that they see in a day, some will only see a patient/client over 65/high risk if they are an urgent need patient/client, etc. This is a time to exercise extra caution in your screening of patients/clients. WSMTA strongly encourages all LMTs to do what feels safe for them, their families and their patients/clients.

We encourage you to check back here on a regular basis for updates, as we continue to do our best to keep you informed.

Be well,

Marybeth Berney

WSMTA President