Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68008
LEAST DESIRABLE LINE TO CROSS HAVING A DUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH A CLIENT. Working with people with whom you have another type of relationship often seems so convenient. But having friends or family members as clients or bartering for sessions can often become a complicated mess that you end up regretting. It's a good idea to give careful thought to what could go wrong before you enter into a dual relationship. All dual relationships require that both you and the client go back and forth between two different roles—and that can be confusing. Friend Bob may take you for granted, showing up late and not wanting to pay full price (especially if you practiced on him for free while you were in school). Or you may have trouble taking care of friends and family as well as you do other clients: you may want to turn their sessions into social visits and forget that they need quiet time and the same considerations as other clients. Occasionally, dual relationships work well. If you are determined to try one (or you live in a small town and can't avoid them), it's a good idea to spell out the expectations beforehand. For instance, tell your friends you'll treat them as you do regular clients and not use the hour for catching up on personal news. Let them know your usual expectations about late arrivals or cancellations and fees. Set up barters on a one-time or short- term basis to give you a chance to see whether they will really work for you. BEST WAY TO IMPRESS CLIENTS BE A GOOD LISTENER. You may think you need to dazzle clients with your encyclopedic knowledge of anatomy. While those are great assets to have, you'll find that, for clients, simply being heard and being listened to with acceptance and compassion can be deeply impressive and profoundly healing. Listen to the reasons they came to you. What is their chief concern? What words do they use to describe it? If they want to unwind by talking about their lives, listen to that. Usually what they talk about isn't random. The problems that come to mind while their muscles are being loosened are often the problems that caused the muscles to tighten in the first place, so it can help clients to talk about them. Announcing the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice (IJTMB), a publication of the Massage Therapy Foundation. • Peer-reviewed • Open access • Quarterly • Free of charge • On-line at http://journals.sfu.ca/ijtmb/ IJTMB contains three principal sections: Research-Education-Practice Look for the fi rst issue in the summer of 2008. • Call for papers – upload your manuscripts online at http://journals.sfu.ca/ijtmb/ • Call for advertisers – please contact Multimed, Inc. at marketing@multi-med.com • IJTMB is published by the Massage Therapy Foundation: www.massagetherapyfoundation.org visit massageandbodywork.com to access your digital magazine 115