Registered Massage Therapist
Member of the Massage Therapists' Association of Nova Scotia since 2000

The Halifax Professional Centre
5991 Spring Garden Road • Suite 577
Halifax, Nova Scotia • B3H 1Y6
jessica.marsh.hfx@gmail.com
902 • 580 • 2708

25.7.05

Massage Therapy - Code of Ethics

My professional association, The Massage Therapists' Association of Nova Scotia (MTANS) has adopted the Code of Ethics developed by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario and all MTANS members agree to abide by this Code.

This Code expresses "the primary ethical values, obligations and goals of the profession" and defines the following principles:

- Respect for persons
- Responsible caring
- Integrity in relationships
- Responsibility to society

Terry Fox



One of my greatest inspirations is Terry Fox. Every time I'm out running and struggling (or just struggling), I think of Terry and I'm inspired to go further and dig deeper. He ran one marathon distance (26 miles) a day for 143 days to raise money for cancer research. It's a stunning feat for anyone, let alone someone with an amputated leg.

Have a look at some of his journal entries from his 'Marathon of Hope':

The following text is borrowed from www.TerryFoxRun.org - a great web site if you'd like to learn more about Terry Fox, the Terry Fox Foundation and cancer research:

"Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, a community near Vancouver on Canada's west coast. An active teenager involved in many sports, Terry was only 18 years old when he was diagnosed with osteogenic sarcoma (bone cancer) and forced to have his right leg amputated 15 centimetres (six inches) above the knee in 1977.

While in hospital, Terry was so overcome by the suffering of other cancer patients, many of them young children, that he decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research.

He would call his journey the Marathon of Hope.

After 18 months and running over 5,000 kilometres (3,107 miles) to prepare, Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980 with little fanfare. Although it was difficult to garner attention in the beginning, enthusiasm soon grew, and the money collected along his route began to mount. He ran 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Canada's Atlantic provinces, Quebec and Ontario.

It was a journey that Canadians never forgot.

However, on September 1st, after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 miles), Terry was forced to stop running outside of Thunder Bay, Ontario because cancer had appeared in his lungs. An entire nation was stunned and saddened. Terry passed away on June 28, 1981 at age 22.

The heroic Canadian was gone, but his legacy was just beginning.

To date, more than $360 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name through the annual Terry Fox Run, held across Canada and around the world."

Missed Appointments

I ask that you give 24 hours notice in order to cancel an appointment. If that notice is not given, payment is expected for that appointment. This policy is spelled out in the consent form you sign when you come in for your first visit.

Sometimes people seem startled by the policy, so I thought I would take a moment to explain this issue. When you make an appointment, that time is set aside for you exclusively. When other people call for an appointment, they're turned away from your time, because you have it reserved. If you forget your appointment or decide to cancel at the last minute, that is a time I could have given to someone else.

So I am directly affected financially, and very often there is someone who needed to be seen but couldn't get booked in.

I was discussing this issue with a client last week. She was in full agreement with the policy, and she said she thinks of it like when she buys tickets to a concert or a play: if she misses the event for whatever reason, she doesn't expect her money back. She reserved the seat, so the ticket couldn't be sold to anyone else. So this is why I ask you to be responsible for the appointments you make.

It's important to note that insurance companies cannot be billed for missed appointments. This means that if Blue Cross is billed directly for your appointments, if you miss an appointment you will be sent an invoice directly.

Another note: if you don't give the requested 24 hours notice to cancel, but I am able to book someone else in to that space, you will not be billed.