The Ethics of Touch: The Hands-on Practitioner's Guide to Creating a Professional, Safe, and Enduring Practice

In this definitive work on ethics, Ben Benjamin and Cherie Sohnen-Moe directly address the difficult, confusing, and seldom discussed, but often troubling dilemmas confronting manual therapy practitioners. The Ethics of Touch, 3rd edition, promotes a deep and personal exploration of these multilayered issues.

Through reflective exercises, insight-promoting questions, and stories straight from the treatment room, students are led on a personal journey where they discover and internalize the highest professional standards and outline practical steps to meet them. Practitioners with a clear understanding of ethical behavior and professional communication skills are the ones who create and build successful practices. This book belongs in the office of every manual therapy practitioner.

In this definitive work on ethics, Ben Benjamin and Cherie Sohnen-Moe directly address the difficult, confusing, and seldom discussed, but often troubling dilemmas confronting manual therapy practitioners. The Ethics of Touch, 3rd edition, promotes a deep and personal exploration of these multilayered issues. By identifying clear principles and naming specific resources, Ben and Cherie have provided an essential guide that supports and inspires both students and seasoned practitioners.

Through reflective exercises, insight-promoting questions, and stories straight from the treatment room, students are led on a personal journey where they discover and internalize the highest professional standards and outline practical steps to meet them. Practitioners with a clear understanding of ethical behavior and professional communication skills are the ones who create and build successful practices. This book belongs in the office of every manual therapy practitioner.

Ben Benjamin holds a Ph.D. in Sports Medicine. He was the founder of the Muscular Therapy Institute, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and has been in private practice since 1963. As an educator and author, he has conducted seminars and workshops across the country, served as an instructor and trainer in a variety of settings, and written several books and countless articles. His books include Listen to Your Pain, Are You Tense? and Exercise Without Injury. He is the co-author of Conversation Transformation: Recognize and Overcome the 6 Most Difficult Communication Patterns.

Dr. Benjamin was the initiator and chairperson of the AMTA Council of Schools Professional and Sexual Ethics Task Force for four years and is considered an authority on ethics and boundaries in the body therapy field. He was one of the first to write extensively about boundaries, ethical issues, and sexual abuse in alternative health care, and since the early 199s has published many articles on these topics in professional journals. Among the workshops he teaches throughout North America are Creating Healthy Boundaries in Health Care Settings, Working with Survivors of Trauma and Abuse, Assertiveness and Effective Communication, and Sexuality and Dual Relationships.

Long recognized for his contributions to the field, Dr. Benjamin's honors include the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) President's Award for the year 2, the highest honorary recognition given by the organization; and the Distinguished Service to the Profession award, given in recognition of leadership and commitment to the massage profession and the AMTA. He has received awards naming him as one of the most influential people in the field by the AMTA, AMBP, and massage journals.

He trains teachers to be the best they can be, and coaches individuals toward success in both their personal and professional lives through his company, The Benjamin Institute.

Cherie Sohnen-Moe is an author, business coach, and international workshop leader. She has been a successful business owner since 1978. Before shifting her focus to education and coaching, she was in private practice for many years as a massage and holistic health practitioner. She has served as a faculty member at the Desert Institute of Healing Arts (DIHA), the Clayton College of Natural Health (CCNH), and the Arizona School of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ASAOM).

Cherie has written more than 2 articles that have been published in over 15 national and international magazines. She is the author of the book, Business Mastery. It is in its fifth edition, has sold more than 43, copies to date, and is recommended by more than 1, healing arts associations and schools worldwide (with 35 schools requiring it as a text). Cherie is also the author of Present Yourself Powerfully and the co-author of the ground-breaking book, The Ethics of Touch, which is used in more than 7 schools and associations with 2 requiring it as a text. Cherie and Lynda Solien-Wolfe recently co-authored the book, Retail Mastery. Cherie is a contributing author of Teaching Massage: Fundamental Principles in Adult Education for Massage Program Instructors, and was interviewed for a chapter of SAND TO SKY: Conversations with Teachers of Asian Medicine.

Cherie holds a degree in psychology from UCLA and has extensive experience in the areas of business management, training, and creative problem solving—”which combines well with her ability to support others to achieve what they want in life. Between her educational background and life experiences, the wisdom garnered from working with hundreds of clients and thousands of participants in her workshops and classes she has taught in schools, and the knowledge gained from researching hundreds of articles and several books, she is a strong resource.

She is active in many professional and community organizations and is Past-President of The Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFMTE). Among her honors she has received the Distinguished Service Award and the Professional Achievement Award from the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD), the Outstanding Instructor Award at the Desert Institute of Healing Arts, and is listed in several editions of Who's Who.Cherie is a 212 Inductee to the Massage Therapy Hall of Fame. She lives in Tucson, Arizona with her husband, Jim.