PMC Professional Behavior 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A prenatal client requests that the therapist not document her sessions in writing because she fears the records could be accessed by her employer. The therapist should:
- Honor the request and perform undocumented sessions
- Explain that documentation is a professional and legal requirement and cannot be waived (Correct answer)
- Store only mental notes and skip written records as a compromise
- Ask the client to sign a liability waiver and then skip documentation
Correct answer: Explain that documentation is a professional and legal requirement and cannot be waived
Session documentation is a professional and often legal obligation that cannot be waived by client request; instead, explain record-keeping confidentiality protections.
Question 2: During a prenatal massage, the therapist begins experiencing strong personal feelings of anxiety about working with pregnant clients. The most professional response is to:
- Push through the feelings and complete the session without any change
- Immediately stop the session and explain personal anxiety to the client in detail
- Seek supervision or consultation outside of session time to address these feelings (Correct answer)
- Refer all pregnant clients to another therapist without self-reflection
Correct answer: Seek supervision or consultation outside of session time to address these feelings
Personal emotions that may affect professional performance should be addressed through supervision or peer consultation, not during client sessions.
Question 3: A certified prenatal massage therapist is asked by a doula to jointly market services as a 'complete birth team package.' Before agreeing, the therapist must first:
- Verify the doula's fee schedule matches their own
- Ensure the collaboration does not create misleading advertising or scope of practice conflicts (Correct answer)
- Require the doula to obtain PMC certification as well
- Obtain permission from the state massage board before any collaboration
Correct answer: Ensure the collaboration does not create misleading advertising or scope of practice conflicts
Joint marketing arrangements must accurately represent each professional's credentials and not imply services outside either party's scope of practice.
Question 4: A therapist learns that a prenatal client has been seeing another massage therapist simultaneously. The appropriate professional response is to:
- Terminate the therapeutic relationship due to divided loyalty
- Ask the client to choose one therapist only
- Acknowledge the client's choice and coordinate care if the client consents (Correct answer)
- Report the other therapist to the licensing board
Correct answer: Acknowledge the client's choice and coordinate care if the client consents
Clients have the right to seek care from multiple providers; the professional response is to support coordinated care with client consent.
Question 5: Which of the following constitutes an ethical dual relationship for a prenatal massage therapist?
- Referring a client to an obstetrician
- Providing massage services to a close personal friend who is pregnant (Correct answer)
- Accepting a client who was referred by another client
- Working in a birth center alongside midwives
Correct answer: Providing massage services to a close personal friend who is pregnant
Providing professional massage services to close personal friends creates a dual relationship that can blur boundaries and compromise objectivity.
Question 6: How should a prenatal massage therapist handle a situation where a client's partner insists on staying in the room during the entire session against the client's wishes?
- Allow the partner to stay to avoid conflict
- Ask the client privately what she prefers and enforce her decision (Correct answer)
- Let the client and partner resolve the issue themselves before the session begins
- Reschedule the appointment until the couple agrees
Correct answer: Ask the client privately what she prefers and enforce her decision
The client's comfort and consent govern the session environment; the therapist must support the client's stated preference, not the partner's demand.
Question 7: A prenatal massage therapist who also practices aromatherapy wants to blend essential oils for a client without disclosing this plan. This violates the principle of:
- Beneficence
- Non-maleficence
- Informed consent and transparency (Correct answer)
- Fidelity
Correct answer: Informed consent and transparency
Applying any additional modality, including aromatherapy, without the client's knowledge and agreement violates her right to informed consent.
PMC Professional Behavior 3
A prenatal client requests that the therapist not document her sessions in writing because she fears the records could be accessed by her employer.
The therapist should: