Spring 2005
Coaching Client Self Care: An Ethical Imperative
by Doug Alexander
Somatic practitioners offer something magical; a one-on-one session where we listen to the client with our ears, hearts and our hands. This facilitates states of deep relaxation, ease and comfort. An interaction sweet and precious, the session often leaves both client and practitioner feeling better, calmer and more positive about the rest of the day.
I have often called the therapeutic process a "healthy addiction." I'm usually thinking about how clients love the quality of ease in their body and mind, and how keen they are to return for more of the same. Sometimes people will replace not-so-healthy addictions with various therapies. While this helps fill my appointment book, I've begun to wonder about this healthy addiction.
For example, I have clients who find it difficult to feed and clothe their children. Massage provides a wonderful respite, an oasis in a sea of conflicting challenges pushing and pulling at them all the time. But, it is a rest that is dearly paid for. As a result, I've begun helping these people problem-solve around how to provide their own self care. I've had to introduce many people to the motto, "Children's needs are met by parents whose needs are met!" And, I've gone on to teach them about Epsom Salts baths, how to breathe in more relaxed ways and how to stretch their muscles. In this manner they can extend the effects of the massage for an extra month or two between treatments. They are empowered on a daily basis with the knowledge of how to release tension as it builds up. And they have a bit more cash which is also stress releasing!
A lot of people carry the equivalent of an overflowing bathtub of tension around in their body. The massage might empty a thimbleful of tension from their body. Even if it feels like they've dumped a bucket's worth, I owe it to them to help them find the equivalent of the bathtub drain. I need to teach them how they can use the states of consciousness that they accessed in the treatment room to drain stress between treatments. And they usually need to know a bit of technique as well.
When I teach clients how to release a neck/shoulder muscle I also teach a mental attitude toward the muscle that is not effortful. I demonstrate how to breathe a little more fully when performing the stretch. I cue them to feel the slight cycling of tension in the muscle as they breathe. And I place my hands gently on them while they stretch so they feel supported and sense the quality of release as the muscle lets go. As a result of this coaching, clients know how to take better care of their body and their mind between sessions. And they are easier to treat when they come back for a massage!
I would like to extend the following invitation to you. The next time you treat a client and you sense her really letting go into the moment, pause and ask yourself how you might help her extend this moment into her life. Does she need your validation that she really deserves to feel good? Does she need encouragement to find time to care for herself? Does she need coaching in how to access similar states of consciousness? Does she need some technique advice, as well?
It is hard sometimes to lay aside our own attachment to being a big deal in the therapeutic process. However, the more we can do this the more our clients will find ways to bring the "magic" of our therapy into their lives. And isn't this a big part of what it's all about?
Classroom Caper
TOPIC: Client Self Care
Objective: Learners explore issues that make it hard to care for clients.
Overview: Somatic practitioners often find that a small percentage of their clients may take up a large proportion of their energy. By exploring four challenging situations that therapists may face, participants can come to an awareness that: good somatic therapy is more than providing an excellent session; they are not alone in having ambiguous feelings about clients; there are usually several possible solutions to common therapist/client problems; peer support is an inexpensive and enjoyable form of self care for therapists.
Note: This exercise can be a great ice breaker for a group new to each other. It can also be a powerful introduction to a course on therapist/client interactions.
Procedure:
- Make a handout for each learner with four scenarios. Ask them to rank each situation according to how much emotional charge or feeling it stirs up in them. They are constrained to ranking only a single #1, one #2, one #3 and one #4. Give them a few minutes to do this.
- Ask all the people who ranked scenario A as a #1 to go to one corner of the class. The people who ranked B as #1, go to another corner. The people who ranked C #1 to another corner. And the people who ranked D #4 go to the last corner of the class.
- When all the groups are assembled have them discuss: What feelings this situation created in them; What they characteristically do in this type of situation; What they might do differently to help the client (and themselves) in this situation.
- Allot the groups 5 - 10 minutes to work on this. Then have the groups report back to the whole class about their discussion. Allow the whole class to offer feedback. Often group members that ranked the situation a little lower on emotionality will have solutions for members that ranked it most high.
Discussion: What were the key dynamics of this exercise? What solutions surprised you? Describe the differences you noticed in finding solutions to a scenario that was less charged emotionally. What other situations regarding client care make you uncomfortable?
Teacher's Note: Plans can be made to work on these other uncomfortable situations in a future class.
Materials Required: Scenario Handouts
Scenario A: Your client has very tight neck and shoulders from chronic bronchitis. She remains a pack-a-day smoker. You put lotion on your hands to treat her neck, and when your hands touch her skin, the smell of cigarette smoke comes into the air and permeates the room.
Scenario B: Your client always tells you what a wonderful therapeutic presence you have and how much you help her. But she never does her self care after her sessions, and you feel like you are stuck in the same rut with her treatment after treatment.
Scenario C: You are under financial stress and finding it hard to pay your rent. Your client is a penny pincher. She wants every minute of a treatment hour, even if she arrives 10 minutes late. You find it hard to say no to her, but you have given her more time in the past, and consequently gotten behind with other clients. Today she is stressed out and complaining about the pressure of getting work out of the way so she and her husband can go for a two week vacation in the Caribbean.
Scenario D: Your client is like granite. Well, maybe concrete. Your hands feel bruised after treating him and he keeps asking for heavy pressure. He tells you that only you can provide the depth of treatment he needs. When you suggest that he do some stretching, he tells you that it just doesn't work like your hands do.
Time Required: About 1 hour (if you manage your time carefully!)
Source: Doug Alexander, massage therapist and educator living and working in Ottawa, Canada. He can be contacted by email.
E-mail Us Your Capers!
Please use the format:
- Topic
- Objective
- Procedure
- Discussion
- Materials Required
- Time Required
- Source
Send to: sma.info@sohnen-moe.com
Product Highlight
The Self Care Manual
by Doug Alexander
The Self Care Manual is a great purchase for your student clinic!
The Massage Therapy Self Care Manual: Client Education Handouts, by Doug Alexander, is a tool to teach clients a broad selection of self care techiques: basic knowledge about how their bodies get tight and painful, stretching techniques and Epsom Salts baths. The Self Care Manual teaches comprehensive approaches to common problems from headaches and frozen shoulder to low back pain and shin splints. The 74-page Manual contains 54 handouts illustrated with clear photos and illustrations to guide your clients in how to take better care of themselves. Your Manual comes personalized with your clinic or school's contact information atop every page. Print as many copies of each handout as needed from this convenient CDROM.
Mission Statement
Teacher's Aide is a cooperative venture among all of us who teach business: a support system to make our job easier, more effective and fun. This newsletter is a forum for exchanging creative techniques on teaching business as well as a resource for exercises, handouts, quotes and tools for use in class. We welcome contributions, so please send them today.
Marketing Tips
Marketing: business activities done on a daily basis to attract potential clients and retain current ones.
Promotion:
- personalized items (pens, t-shirts)
- brochures/business cards
- workshop/demonstration
- holding open houses
- networking
- writing articles
- newsletters
- fliers/circulars
- expos and fairs
- direct mail
Advertising (payment for specific placement):
- display & classified ads (magazine/newspaper)
- radio and television
- telephone book
- bus stop benches
- website
Community Relations:
- donating time (fundraisers, massage-a-thon)
- sponsoring an activity
- adopt-a-highway
Publicity (media coverage):
- press conferences
- news releases
- talk shows
- announcements
- interviews
- feature stories
"Marketing" Word Search
In this month's puzzle there are 25 promotion and advertising ideas hidden in this word search. Can you find them all?
You too can make fun word searches for your students using word search engines like DiscoverySchool's PuzzleMaker.
Getting to Know You
These questions help learners get to know each other better. Choose one or more of these categories. Start the process by answering the question yourself. Then either ask for a volunteer or simply pick the next person. Give that person something that can be tossed or passed (e.g., a small stuffed animal, a koosh ball or a talking stick). When the first person is done, he passes the item to another person who answers the question and passes the item. Proceed until everyone has shared.
- Your Name Origin: Are you named after someone? Is there a dictionary definition for your name?
- Do you have a nickname? If so, what's its significance?
- If you could be anybody in the world (past or present), who would it be? Why?
- If you could be any literary character, who would it be? Why?
- If you could be any celebrity, who would it be? Why?
- If you could be any comic-book superhero, who would it be? Why?
- What animal best represents you? Why?
- What would you buy if you just won a $1 million lottery and had to spend it in six months?
- Where would you go if you could travel anywhere in the world (money being no object)? Why?
- If you could trade places with an animal for one week, which animal would you choose? Why?
- What was your favorite subject in school? Why?
- Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
- What is your favorite website? Why?
- When you are not working/being in school, what are your favorite things to do?