This week I am bringing in Beverley Giroud to talk about Professionalism in the world of Bodywork. Beverley is the director of education at the costa rica school of massage, where among many other responsibilities she provides leadership, academic counseling, mentorship to support academic achievement for all students. She is also the author of a book called “Ethics and Professionalism for Massage Therapists and Bodyworkers”.

I thought it would be useful to bring someone in to talk about professionalism, because it can feel like both a catch-all phase, and quite subjective at the same time. So this conversation is designed to bring a little clarity to the issue. I ask questions about common ways massage professionalism gets ignored and about how sexual misconduct plays into that topic.

In this Episode

[1:45] Beverly’s background
[3:15] What does the word professionalism mean?
[8:58] Beverly’s Book
[12:30] A story from one of Beverly’s clients
[17:19] Sexual Misconduct
[22:50] Small professional transgressions
[26:30] A personal experience
[30:40] Best questions from ethics course
[38:42] Most memorable failures

Notable Quotes from Beverley

“Professionalism means behavior that projects an image of competency through one’s attitude, our code of conduct, and how we appear in the public eye.”

“How I carry myself, what I say, what message I deliver, is representing not only me, but also my profession.”

“Awareness of how much power we have as bodyworkers is critical.”