Not a month goes by without the Fédération québécoise des massothérapeutes agréés not witnessing denunciations of a sexual nature in massage therapy. Many make headlines, but not all.
Posted at 10:00 a.m.
Among the most atrocious is the scandal of massage therapist Jean-François Morrison, who sexually abused 21 women. He was sentenced to 7 years in prison, in the spring of 2022.
In almost all cases, it is male massage therapists who abuse the trust of clients. During health care, the client is in a situation of vulnerability vis-à-vis the authority of the expert consulted.
Intimacy and partial nudity in massage therapy sessions also work in favor of the massage therapist, reinforcing their position of authority.
Any abuse of power can have psychological consequences. As we have often seen with the #metoo movement, many victims fear not to be believed and remain silent. The Fédération québécoise des massothérapeutes agréés has a trustee, a criminal lawyer, who analyzes complaints.
We even receive complaints about massage therapists from other associations (Jean-François Morrison was never a member of our association). But whatever the case, the current context in Quebec makes it difficult to do justice adequately.
Too easy to get away with
Most of the time, the massage therapist who is the subject of a complaint leaves our association to sneak into another, without too much problem.
The culprit will only have to lie on the membership form of the other association, if the latter questions his background. In the absence of a professional order, the law forbids us to reveal the contents of its membership file.
Even when we initiate the disciplinary process after a complaint against a member, our syndic cannot compel the massage therapist in question to appear before our discipline committee, nor summon witnesses.
In other words, our process of self-regulation is nipped in the bud. It is time for Quebec to adopt a real public protection mechanism with a professional order, as is the case in soon six provinces (Ontario, British Columbia, etc.).
Such a body would keep the history of complaints and massage therapists expunged temporarily or for life.
A disciplinary judgment from a professional order could be a satisfactory avenue for a victim who does not wish to institute criminal proceedings.
Between a complaint to the professional order and criminal prosecution, the first option is perceived as easier and more accessible. The constitution of the file (information to be collected, documents to be completed and sent, evidence, etc.) and the delays incurred are less burdensome for the victims, compared to a criminal prosecution.
It can also be very difficult psychologically and emotionally.
Today, it is difficult for the public to establish a bond of trust in massage therapists. Clients who turn to health professionals (nurses, physiotherapists, acupuncturists, etc.) know that they have recourse in the event of bad behavior by said professional.
This protection reassures the public in their therapist-client relationship. However, all this protection is greatly lacking in massage therapy.
Certainly, the police and judicial services will hear the complainant, then the process will follow its course, if necessary. But, on the professional level, the targeted massage therapist will not be blamed or sanctioned if he leaves his association… Whereas with a professional order, there would be at least one report in the massage therapist’s file throughout his professional life, in more than a possible criminal record.
The “prostitutes-massage therapists” requested during F1
Let us mention another phenomenon, namely the offer of sexual services by massage therapists, mostly women. This phenomenon also damages the reputation of the entire profession, because it recalls the stigma of the “masseuse”.
The Montreal Grand Prix, which arrives in June, is a time when massage parlors, already described as “new brothels”1 in the pages of The Pressare in high demand.
An article published in July 2021 by CBC2 on the excesses of massage therapy in the provinces not regulated by a professional order presented the heavy tendencies as for the amalgam “sex and massage”.
The investigation revealed that deviant practices are linked to insurance fraud. The “prostitute-massage therapists” do not hesitate to issue insurance receipts under another title for their sexual services. Professional associations are powerless in the face of these shameful practices.
In provinces that have a professional order, the problem arises less since the order has the power to impose sanctions and disciplinary measures that are publicly disclosed.
Admittedly, there is prostitution in these other provinces, but its actors cannot present themselves as massage therapists (the title is reserved) and insurers reimburse only therapists who are members in good standing of the order.