The past three months have seen a flurry of MassageNet-related activity, including continued progression toward the commenting period for the Case Series Study, a poster presentation at the 2026 International Congress on Integrative Medicine & Health in Salt Lake City (Munk, N. & Zabel, SA. (2026). Cultivating MassageNet, the World’s Largest Massage-Therapy Focused Practice-Based Research Network: May 2022 – April 2025. [P07.05]. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health, 15, 88. DOI: 10.1177/27536130261435240) and the launching of MassageNet’s sixth external study.
This most recent MassageNet study launch is the work of May 2026 MassageNet Featured Personality Morgan Richard, who is working on her dissertation study entitled Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault of Massage Therapists by Clients in the United States. The study has two phases, with Phase 1 (qualitative interviews) enrollment complete, and data collection nearing or at completion. Phase 2 of the study will launch in June through MassageNet and other relevant recruitment communities.
Building on a growing body of foundational work in this area, Morgan’s dissertation research is designed to better understand the scope, characteristics, and impacts of patient-perpetrated sexual harassment and assault experienced by massage therapists in the United States. Specifically, the study aims to document how massage therapists describe these experiences in their own words, estimate the prevalence and nature of such incidents across the profession, and examine associated personal and professional consequences, including impacts on well-being, job satisfaction, and perceptions of workplace safety and support.
The two-phase design reflects both the complexity of the issue and the need for data that is grounded in real-world practice. Phase 1 uses qualitative interviews to capture detailed accounts of therapists’ lived experiences and generate a deeper understanding of how these events are perceived and navigated in clinical contexts. Phase 2 builds directly on these insights through a large-scale national survey designed to quantify prevalence, identify patterns in perpetrator characteristics and workplace contexts, and assess therapists’ perspectives on prevention and policy efforts.