IASI Law & Regulation 

The IASI L&R Committee tracks existing and proposed state/federal legislation and regulation in the U.S. pertaining to structural integration and assess the regulated status of practitioners in other countries as needed. The L&R Committee also provides information and advice to members about the impact of law and regulation on their practice, recommends policy and/or position statements to the IASI board, and assists with implementation as requested.

The IASI Law and Regulation Committee is continuously working to support SI practitioners as law and regulatory issues arise and strives to increase awareness that SI is a distinct profession. We do this best with the help of individual practitioners who are willing to get involved in their own states. We can make the most impact and the biggest changes by showing up at board meetings, becoming a familiar face, making contacts, and asking to join in the discussion. Building local relationships with regulators will be a huge asset, if and when regulatory or legislative change is the best solution.

Read the latest updates on the IASI Blog.

• April 21, 2020 - Update

IASI Blog - Legislative Category

Who makes a good representative for SI with regulatory boards and legislators?  

The most important character traits for an SI representative advocating at state meetings are listening and humility. Keeping an open mind, listening to what the board, agency, or other state officials are saying and observing what they are doing will allow you to engage them in a meaningful way on behalf of our profession.

Lawmakers' and regulators' prime responsibility is to protect the public. Members of regulatory boards are in the position of balancing the best interest of the public against the facility of their own practices. This may put them at odds with those they regulate. Keeping this in mind can help as you build mutually respectful relationships. We can best represent our profession by finding ways to achieve appropriate regulation for SI while helping regulators accomplish their goal of protecting the public.

Keep in mind: our work is different than other manual therapies; not better. It is these differences that call for different and appropriate regulations.

So, are you interested in being more involved in what is going on in YOUR state?  How involved do you want to be? 

The IASI Law & Regulation Committee can help you if you want to know what’s going on if you want to get involved and be a voice, if you want to work to make changes in your state, or if you want to take a leadership role. This web page aims to provide information so you can feel informed and confident.

There are many ways to become active:

1. Be Informed
   You can become well-informed about the laws and current legislative activities that may have an impact on SI in your state. Just choose your state below and it will take you to a page that will give you as much information as we currently have on that state.
   
   
2. Show Up 
   If you decide you want to attend your state board meetings, we want to prepare you with as much information as we can, even if you decide only to go, listen, and report back to IASI. In fact, the best way to begin is by attending a meeting and observing and making contacts. Things you should read before you go:
   
   • Your state’s laws & regulations and how they relate to structural Integration,
   • The IASI definition, and scope of practice statement for SI, what is structural integration,
   • The IASI Position Statement on appropriate regulation of SI and what it means
   • The IASI Code of Ethics
   • What the CESI Certification Examination for Structural Integration is and why it matters. 
3. Make a Change 
   Every state has unique laws and regulations and will need a customized approach for effective change. Usually, however, the best way to start to make changes is by addressing the board or requesting an audience. Here is a template for how you could prepare and a list of things to include in an information packet.
   
   • IASI’s position is for appropriate regulation. So what does that mean? SI is regulated in 34 states in the US. When we are regulated by a state, Structural Integration should be addressed as a distinct profession. What this means in practice may differ from state to state. Although an SI board with regulations specific to SI may seem ideal, we recognize that states can no longer support independent boards for very small numbers of practitioners. We are often regulated by the board of another profession. In most regulated states this is a massage therapy board, and legal practice of SI requires a massage therapy license. 
     
     
   • Inappropriate regulation creates barriers to SI practice. Not all SI education programs require massage licensure as a prerequisite to enrollment. Only a few prepare graduates for massage licensure. Many SI practitioners complete massage education programs only so they may legally practice SI in their states. The education, continuing education, and certification examination for structural integration should be recognized, but generally are not. 
     
     
   • Ways in which Structural Integration can be appropriately regulated
     
     1. Exemption from regulation
     2. Appropriate regulation in statute with appropriate administrative rules: i.e., unique license designation
     3. Possible Structural Integration endorsement addition to the state's currently required license, e.g., Massage Therapy or Bodywork License with an SI endorsement. The designation would give SI practitioners name protection, disallowing non-IASI school graduates from claiming to practice any form or level of SI.
     4. Appropriate regulation within another professional license designation: i.e., no unique license designation, but with IASI approved schools recognized, continuing education requirements specific to SI accepted, and our own licensing exam accepted (e.g., regulated as another profession, such as massage, but with some SI appropriate rules.)
   
   
4. What do you say to the board?
   

   • Introduce yourself as a Structural Integration Practitioner who is interested in being more involved in the processes of the board.

   • Ask for inclusion in the process, for a meeting with the Board staffer, or any legislative experts (from Secretary of State's office) who are present at the meeting. There may be time after meetings to make contact with all of these people.

   • Come with these documents. They will help support SI as a separate profession:

     • IASI Definition and Scope of Practice
     • IASI Code of Ethics
     • Board Certification
     • List of SI Schools and Educational Requirements
5. Interested in getting more involved? 

Read more about your state for in-depth specifications on the laws and regulations regarding Structural Integrators.  

Even in states where we are unregulated, we should occasionally review the massage board meetings so that we are prepared if changes to that start to come up. If you have any individual questions please feel free to contact the IASI Office.

Disclaimer

This content is not intended as legal advice, but only as a starting point for researching regulation of SI in the 50 United States. Practitioners must do their own research and make their own determination as to whether they need a license and what kind of license they need to practice legally.