Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1153082
Ta k e 5 a n d t r y A B M P F i v e - M i n u t e M u s c l e s a t w w w. a b m p . c o m / f i v e - m i n u t e - m u s c l e s . 63 GOALS RELATED TO WELLNESS Identifying constructive goals that motivate clients to commit to staying and paying out of pocket (once they're free of pain or functional limitations) may sound challenging, but we can surmount that challenge by promoting the advantages of well-being, discussing the effects of stress on health and touting the benefits of massage and bodywork. Once clients are educated about the well-being effects of massage, it will be easy to create goals and plan a series of bodywork sessions they can get excited about. Well-Being There are multiple components that describe—and tools that measure—a person's well- being. Health is defined as the absence of disease and includes more than just the physical wellness we commonly think of when we think of health. Well-being also includes psychological, emotional, spiritual, social, and economic health. All of these are fundamental to overall well-being and may include happiness, vitality, calmness, and optimism. Tools that measure well-being include value statements such as being hopeful, being in touch with how you feel, being engaged in activities, being highly effective, and being connected with the people around you. It's also important to like and trust yourself; to do things that are worthwhile and consistent with who you are; and to constantly be improving, developing, and advancing. 1 Each of these components of well-being can provide a sense of purpose for massage and bodywork. It can become a goal that validates wellness massage as ongoing care. Remember, all goals must have a measurement component in order to track progress and judge the success of the treatment plan, and mood is an easy thing to measure. Also, measuring mood keeps us in our scope of practice, allowing us to avoid more diagnostic terms like depression and anxiety. Long-Term Client Goal Example Improve my mood in the evening after work so I enjoy spending time with my family, with my mood rating no more than 3 out of 10, 4–5 nights a week within four sessions. Stress Some clients think well-being is elusive and find it difficult to make goals around awareness and feelings. To set concrete goals with these clients, it's helpful to identify their issues related to stress. Routine stressors can include daily responsibilities like money, work, and relationships. They could also include sudden or negative changes (such as losing a job or experiencing a divorce or death) or stress resulting from traumatic events (like abuse, war, or an environmental catastrophe). All of these stressors can result in physical and mental health risks. 2 Stress impacts health in many ways and may be a more tangible example of the benefits of bodywork as a well- being tool when setting goals with your client. Stress is something everyone wrestles with, but it's how we handle stress that's most important.