Massage Therapy Journal Summer 2025

54 • Massage Therapy Journal

AMTA Continuing Education

Cultural competence and cultural humility work together to help ensure that all perspectives are recognized and considered in professional practice. How to Create a Culturally Competent Practice: Qualities of a Culturally Competent Practice Putting together all the milestones of awareness, knowledge, skill, desire and encounters, massage therapists seeking a more inclusive practice are encouraged to participate or adopt the following. These will help demonstrate the desire and willingness to become more culturally sensitive, humble and competent. Conduct a self-assessment of cultural competence . Massage therapists must have an awareness of their current level of cultural competence. An honest and thorough self assessment can serve as a blueprint for a cultural competence action plan and as a benchmark to evaluate progress across time. This process also actively seeks to view life through the eyes of others and, through doing

so, helps develop a greater level of sensitivity for the values and life challenges of other groups. Here are a few suggestions. • Select three current clients . Selections should be made based on clients’ diversity (age, race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education levels, etc.). Keep a self-reflection log and write about your thoughts, feelings or behaviors that relate to the influence of culture. The reflection might include identifying racial, ethnic and cultural similarities and differences between you and your clients. Discuss how your cultural lens and worldviews influence your dialog, session planning and expectations of yourself and your client. Describe assumptions, beliefs or biases that you may have about your client’s specific race, ethnicity or culture. Even if you think you don’t have any or if you think they do not play a role in your professional interactions, discuss how they could influence them. 17 Include thoughts about how your and your client’s beliefs regarding health, healing, disease and massage may differ. Explore how you attend to your client’s beliefs in each session. Perhaps include a

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