Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1515580
76 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k m a rc h /a p r i l 2 0 24 Your Touch Reveals Your Mind Client Connection Begins Before They're on the Table By Douglas Nelson During a break at one of my seminars, a therapist pulled me aside. She owns a massage therapy clinic, and three of her staff therapists were in attendance. I could tell she wanted to speak in private, so we moved into the hallway. "I need your advice, if you have a moment," she said. "It's about one of my staff members. I am struggling to find a way to help her be more successful. While my office is extremely busy, her schedule is never as full as the rest of the staff. My two other therapists in the seminar today are newer and less experienced, yet their schedules are booked far in advance." "Does she have return clients?" I asked. "Some, but it's mostly overf low from when other therapists are booked," she said. "Her return rate is substantially lower than the rest of the staff. I'm wondering if you could help me identify and communicate to her some skills she might improve on. Maybe an outside source might have more impact." "I know what I saw in the seminar, but could you relay to me the tendencies you have seen in the clinic or the feedback received from her clients?" I asked. "Clients are a little vague about specifics, so that's not helpful. What my staff and I have observed during trades is that her touch can be too forceful, especially as she initiates contact. Perhaps abrupt is a better word than forceful. It is also kind of scattered, and the sessions seem a little chaotic rather than relaxing. Conversation in the sessions feels a little weird too—kind of disconnected." "Does she follow the goals and preferences of clients?" "I get the sense she doesn't." "Have you talked to her about this?" I asked. KEY POINT • While we in the profession often refer to the therapist- client relationship, we need to remember that the connection is primarily human to human. Critical Thinking | Table Lessons