A Burnaby registered massage therapist (RMT) has had his registration suspended over allegations of sexual misconduct involving both female and male patients.
According to a disciplinary action notice by the College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia, Steven Anderson is being investigated for at least three complaints.
The notice states that two of Anderson’s former patients made complaints that he had engaged in “non-therapeutic touching of a sensitive area” of their bodies.
In addition, the notice states an inquiry committee is also investigating an allegation that Anderson “performed massage therapy in a manner which involved inserting a finger into a male patient’s anus (which is outside the scope of practice for massage therapy).”
Anderson, who continues to work at the South Burnaby Massage Therapy Clinic doing kinesiology work while his massage registration is suspended, said he was being treated as “guilty until proven innocent.”
Anderson acknowledged that the three cases reported did take place, but disputed both that they were sexual in nature, and that they were non-therapeutic.
“How they came up with the non-therapeutic part, I’m confused. I have lawyers making decisions about what is therapeutic and not, and they’re not therapists,” he said.
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He said that in all three cases, the treatment was performed with the consent of the patient.
“For the second patient, I told her to discuss it with her husband and her daughter a full month before we even started the treatment. And the allegation actually fell on the second treatment when she started feeling again, that means what I was doing was working,” he said.
“In the case of the male … We did that treatment on his seventh visit. We were discussing it already at the third visit. And on the seventh visit, he requested treatment. I didn’t kind of sneak up on him, he asked for it because he was at risk of losing his job.”
Referring to the treatment for the male patient, who he said he was treating for a lack of blood flow to a damaged femur, Anderson argued that there is no prohibition on “internal work” for B.C. RMTs.
Anderson faced a panel of the Inquiry Committee on Jan. 18, at which point the body ruled it was satisfied there was enough risk to the public to suspend his registration while the allegations were investigated.
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The college adds that the allegations have not been proven and that suspensions and registration limitations are made to protect the public while an investigation is underway.
“The Inquiry Committee was satisfied that a suspension of Mr. Anderson’s registration is the least restrictive measure that is proportionate to the risk from which the panel is seeking to protect the public,” states the notice.
The suspension replaces a previous disciplinary action against Anderson, made on Dec. 14, 2018, which required that he have a chaperone present for all treatments of female patients.
That order also barred him from performing treatments to any woman’s obturator internus muscles, which lie between the pelvis and the back of the hip joint.
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