"I'm afraid I'll lose my clients if I raise my rates... One of my clients was told by a fellow professional that she should not receive work from anyone else but him... I feel guilty when clients don't feel better at the end of the session... Most of my clients still want me to do deep tissue and my body is hurting more and more...Whenever I work with her I start to feel helpless because she seems so miserable." These difficult issues from professional bodyworkers are typical of the many that are brought up in continuing education. Clearly, bodyworkers, like other professional caregivers, have a strong need for on-going support and advice in dealing with these kinds of concerns.

This is the first in a series of articles dealing with the range of actual ethical situations that occur in our work, situations that can perplex bodyworkers due in part to an overzealous application of psychological principles. This is an actual case from my practice. In another article we will deal with the ethical implications of this client relationship and others and hopefully expand our understanding of these issues.

Questions raised by Jack Blackburn for the Future of Bodywork Seminar in the realm of Insurance Coverage: What is the situation with 3rd party payers and how will it change in the future? If bodyworkers had a union, how would that affect our relationship with insurance companies? Are there provisions for bodywork in the new national health proposals?

Questions raised by Jack Blackburn for the Future of Bodywork Seminar in the realm of Somatic Interactions with Clients: One of the biggest revolutions in health care and the other caregiving professions is somatics, meaning recruiting the body-mind of the client or patient into active engagement in their own healing process through their own feeling awareness in their body. Because we spend much hands-on time with our clients and their bodies, we can be in the forefront of this potential revolution.

Questions raised by Jack Blackburn for the Future of Bodywork Seminar in the realm of the Health Care Industry: To what extent is the public aware of the actual benefits of bodywork? Is there still confusion in some regions with prostitution? How does the medical profession view massage? Are primary provider prescriptions reflective of understanding what we are accomplishing with clients?