2013 Rhode Island General Laws
Title 23 - Health and Safety
Chapter 23-20.8 - Licensing of Massage Therapists
Section 23-20.8-9 - Persons exempt.

§ 23-20.8-9 Persons exempt. – Nothing contained in this chapter shall prohibit:

(1) A person who is otherwise licensed certified or registered in accordance with the general laws of Rhode Island, from performing service within his/her or authorized scope of practice and who does not hold himself/herself out to be a massage therapist.

(2) A person duly licensed, certified, or registered in another state or territory, the District of Columbia, or a foreign country when incidentally in this state to provide service as part of an emergency response team working in conjunction with disaster relief official or as part of a charity event.

(3) Nonresident practitioners holding a valid license, permit, certificate or registration issued by any other state or territory of the United States or by a foreign country and temporarily practicing massage in this state for a period not exceeding thirty (30) days for the purpose of presenting educational or clinical programs, lectures, seminars or workshops to massage therapists.

(4) Graduates from an approved educational program, may practice massage therapy only under the supervision of one, assigned, onsite licensed massage therapist. Graduates have ninety (90) days from the date on the application fee receipt, to meet licensure requirements of this state in accordance with regulations prescribed by the board.

(5) Persons who provide acceptable evidence of being currently licensed to practice massage by examination or endorsement under the laws of other states of the United States and the District of Columbia have a grace period of forty-five (45) days from the date on the application fee receipt to meet licensure requirements of this state in accordance with regulations prescribed by the board. The original privilege to work forty-five (45) days from the date on the application fee receipt shall not be extended or renewed.

(6) Nothing in the article shall be construed to prevent or restrict the practice of any person in this state who uses touch, words and directed movement to deepen awareness of existing patterns of movement in the body as well as to suggest new possibilities of movement while engaged within the scope of practice of a profession with established standards and ethics, provided that his or her services are not designated or implied to be massage or massage therapy. Such practices include, but are not limited to, the Feldenkrais Method/rs or somatic education, the Rolf Institute's Rolf Movement Integration, the Trager Approach/rs to movement education, and Body-Mind Centering/rs. Practitioners must be recognized by or meet the established standards of either a professional organization or credentialing agency that represents or certifies the respective practice based on a minimal level of training, demonstration of competency and adherence to ethical standards.

(7) Nothing in the section shall be construed to prevent or restrict the practice of any person in this state who uses touch to affect the energy systems, acupoints or Qi meridians (channels of energy) of the human body while engaged within the scope of practice of a profession with established standards and ethics, provided that his or her service is not designated or implied to be massage or massage therapy. Such practices include, but are not limited to, Polarity, Polarity Therapy, Polarity Bodywork Therapy, Rosen Method, Asian Bodywork Therapy, Acupressure, Jin Shin Do/rs, Qi Gong, Reiki and Shiatsu. Practitioners must be recognized by or meet the established standards of either a professional organization or credentialing agency that represents or certified the respective practice based on a minimal level of training, demonstration of competency and adherence to ethical standards.

History of Section.
(P.L. 1978, ch. 230, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 23-58-9; P.L. 1979, ch. 39, § 1; G.L. 1956, § 23-20.8-9; P.L. 1982, ch. 407, § 1; P.L. 2013, ch. 165, § 3; P.L. 2013, ch. 222, § 3.)