Wisconsin Administrative Code
Massage Therapy and Bodywork Therapy Affiliated Credentialing Board
Chapter MTBT 1 - Authority, Intent And Definitions
Section MTBT 1.02 - Definitions

(1) "Accrediting agency" means either of the following:

(2) "Adjunctive therapy" means any of the following:

(3) "Approved training program" means a series of classroom courses, not including continuing education, which is approved by the board having a unified purpose which lead to a diploma or degree or to an occupational or vocational objective meeting the requirements of s. MTBT 3.01.

(4) "Board" means the massage therapy and bodywork therapy affiliated credentialing board.

(5) "Classroom hour" means a period of instruction consisting of not less than 50 minutes.

(6) "Client" means a person who has contracted for or who receives the professional services of a massage therapist, bodywork therapist, student or temporary licensee, whether the massage therapist, bodywork therapist, student, or temporary licensee is paid or unpaid for the service, and regardless of where such services occur. If a client is a person under the age of 18, the client's parents or legal guardian are also clients. If a person contracts for multiple sessions of treatment, the person remains a client until the full terms of the contract have been fulfilled.

(7) "Direct, immediate, on-premises supervision" means the supervising massage therapist or bodywork therapist is present in the same building with the person being supervised, with face-to-face contact as necessary to avoid unacceptable risk of harm to the client.

(8) "Direct, immediate, one-to-one supervision" means one-to-one supervision with face-to-face contact between the person being supervised and the supervisor throughout the client contact with the supervisor assisting the person being supervised as necessary.

(9) "General supervision" means indirect, off-premises supervision, with direct, on-premises or direct face-to-face contact between the supervisor and the person being supervised as necessary. Between direct contacts, the supervisor is required to maintain indirect, off-premises telecommunication contact such that the person being supervised can, within 15 minutes, establish direct telecommunication with the supervisor.

(10) "Health care practitioner" means a health care provider as defined in s. 146.81(1), Stats.

(11) "Informed consent" means a client's voluntary, knowing and understood agreement to the service to be provided by the massage therapist, bodywork therapist, temporary licensee, or student. Informed consent requires, at a minimum, that the licensee has provided information about the risks and benefits of the service to be provided that a reasonable person in the client's position would need before making an informed decision concerning the service. All of the following apply to informed consent:

(12) "Insured" means any person to whom an insurer makes a promise in an insurance policy. The term includes policyholders, subscribers, members, and beneficiaries.

(13) "Intimate parts" has the meaning given in s. 939.22(19), Stats.

(14) "License holder" means a person granted a license under this chapter.

(15) "Manual action" includes holding, positioning, rocking, kneading, compressing, decompressing, gliding, or percussing the soft tissue of the human body or applying a passive range of motion to the human body without joint mobilization or manipulation.

(16) "Massage therapist or bodywork therapist" means a person who engages in massage therapy or bodywork therapy.

(17) "Massage therapy extern or bodywork therapy extern" means a student currently enrolled in an approved massage therapy or bodywork therapy school or program and in good standing, who provides massage therapy and bodywork therapy services under the following conditions:

(18) "Massage therapy intern or bodywork therapy intern" means a student currently enrolled in an approved massage therapy or bodywork school or program and in good standing, who provides massage therapy and bodywork therapy services under the following conditions:

(19) "Massage therapy or bodywork therapy" means the science and healing art that uses manual actions and adjunctive therapies to palpate and manipulate the soft tissue of the human body, in order to improve circulation, reduce tension, relieve soft tissue pain, or increase flexibility. Massage therapy or bodywork therapy includes determining whether manual actions and adjunctive therapies are appropriate. Massage therapy or bodywork therapy does not include making a medical, physical therapy, or chiropractic diagnosis.

(20) "Policy holder" means the person who controls the policy by ownership, payment of premiums, or otherwise.

(21) "Sexual contact" has the meaning given in s. 939.22(34), Stats.

(22) "Sexual intercourse" has the meaning given in s. 948.01(7) (a), Stats.

(23) "Sexually oriented business" means any entity that offers or provides any of the following for a fee:

(24) "Temporary licensee" means a graduate of a massage therapy or bodywork therapy school or program who has met the requirements for and who has been granted a temporary license to practice massage therapy and bodywork therapy as provided in s. MTBT 6.02.