Remember back in elementary school, when you learned the difference between counting numbers like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and fractions like ½ and ¾? Those counting numbers are called "integers", from the Latin word "integer", meaning "whole" or "complete". That Latin word for "whole" is also at the root of the word "integrative"—meaning that we aspire, along with our professional teammates, to deliver the whole range of appropriate care to our clients/patients. Additionally, that same word is at the root of the word "integrity". By "integrity", we mean a conscious and mindful choice to behave in an honest and authentic way, consistently with our moral and ethical standards, and to change our behavior when we fall short of our purposeful goal.
Anyone can behave briefly with integrity when people are
watching and responding with praise for that public behavior. It's how we
behave over the long run, and when no one else can see us doing it, that's the
real test of our commitment to integrity. We'll discuss the challenges to
integrity that face the modern practice of massage in the US, and what we need
to reflect on and act upon, in order to maintain both our practice and our
personal and professional integrity.
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