ACDM - Association Canadienne des Massothérapeutes et Autres thérapeutes en Médecines Alternatives
BEWARE OF SEXUAL PREDATORS WHO TAKE APPOINTMENTS
by Jocelyn Vincent, translated by Mariette Troisfontaines
Beware of sexual predators who take appointments
If we lived in an ideal world, this article would have no pertinence, unfortunately this ideally moral world does not exist and we are faced with an unfortunate reality. There are times, sometimes too often, that certain clients ask for an appointment with a therapist with the sole intention, without admitting the fact, to stalk their next victim. More often than other, the victim is a woman. In the majority of the cases recorded, the abuser is a man.
This article is aimed to put things into perspective concerning sexual predators and to give a few safety tips to therapists in order to protect themselves.
There are two types of sexual predators :
There are those who randomly choose their victims they book only one appointment and, afterwards, they don't come back.
How to recognize this category of potential non desirable clients
- They only want an " emergency" or " one time" appointment
- They do not wish to leave their coordinates stipulating that it would be difficult for the therapist to get a hold of them, or will give you a wrong number
- They have a particularly nervous behavior or are not comfortable during the health assessment question period.
There are those who take the time to choose (" shop" ) their victims and will come back several times during their stalking period before acting out their sexual fantasy impulsions.
How to recognize this category of potential non desirable clients :
- After a few treatments or sessions with a therapist, they start confiding certain personal aspects of their lives which includes hinting out to their allusions
- They take time to establish trust bond between them and the therapist
- They are very experienced and cuning manipulators
- To lower the therapist's vigilance, they will talk about their wife and their children
- They are capable to come out with a wide rang of answers that destabilizes and leaves the therapist with guilty feelings
- If they are unmasked, they easily accuse the person to have deliberately excited them. It is part of their behavior to transfer and project the responsibility of the act upon others
- Their profile : Mister anybody !
Rapes with penetrations are rare acts such as : fondling gestures, ambiguous sexual suggestions, harassment, exhibition, … consequently, this can cause profound psychological harm. After a few years or even a few months following one of these sexual assaults, it is frequent that a victimized therapist may take a decision to stop practicing their profession in order to avoid any possibilities to relive this type of experience in a recurrent way.
The ACTMD ethical code is very clear. A therapist has the right to refuse a client, no matter what the reason (Article 26 e et 26 f). If you are feeling ill at ease with a client during the health assessment period, you have the right to tell the client that you cannot pursue with a session and you may ask him to leave. Obviously, no fees charged. One way or another, if the therapist feels unsafe or uneasy, the session will not have any beneficial effect for the client, of course unless the client …
As a means of prevention, we recommend to all our members to have a panic button installed in their office which is linked to the police station. Furthermore, we suggest that you contact us if ever such a situation does occur so that we can record these incidences and therefore reduce any risk of recurrence towards other therapists.
One thing is certain, your best means to prevent such incidences is to listen to our " little inner voice" . Listen to your " voice" when you are jotting down the appointment. Do not hesitate to ask questions. Too often, the therapists don't listen to this inner counselor that triggers off a danger warning. And never forget that the most important person you should keep in mind is yourself, and that your security is of primary importance. This is true even if you deeply desire to help others, even if this consultation represents a certain sum of money that would be used for your rent or for groceries, your physical and psychological health is worth much more than this kind of experience.
May all sexual predators be warned, ACTMD has an eye on them.
Jocelyn Vincent is a massage therapist and the president of the ACTMD
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