Whatever stage of your massage therapist career you are at – whether you are just starting out or bring years of experience to the table – you may be asking yourself, “what is best for my client?”
On the surface a client’s problem may seem familiar whether they are seeking relief from muscle and joint pain or anxiety and stress. Yet, we all know that no two clients are the same and so while problems may seem similar, everyone is different physically and emotionally. Someone may not experience the same level of pain as another person even with the same core problem. Furthermore, no matter how much training you have, you can never know what someone else feels, hopes, and worries about and exactly what they want the treatment to achieve. That is, until you ask them at the initial consultation.
Asking them is the start. However, taking the treatment to a new level involves getting them to participate in decision-making about their needs and treatment and customizing the treatment accordingly. Doing so is client-centered care or shared decision making. The objective is to tailor treatments to each client’s specific needs rather than applying a one-size-fits all approach to a problem.
Massage therapy client-centered care principles
Client-centered care massage therapy has the potential to significantly improve and enhance your massage therapy practice. It makes a client’s specific needs priority and so the client experience is personalized and more effective. Your role as the expert remains the same, since you can suggest a range of treatment choices based on the best available evidence and your own training and experience. However, in this shared decision-making process, you and your client work together, providing inputs for the best outcomes.
The client-centered care massage therapy approach aims for power-sharing between you and your client and a healthy framework for healing. In this regard, you should provide information about treatments for the client but work together to decide what direction to take, without trying to influence the decision.
Such collaboration or partnership enhances the therapeutic relationship between you and your client, which in turn potentially improves overall client satisfaction as well as well-being. This leads to a stronger therapist-client relationship that can last for a long time.
Client-centered care principles are not unique to massage therapy. They apply across other health disciplines, including nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, psychotherapy, and social work.
Client-centered care principles:
· Two way flow of information between you and your client
· Collaboration with the client on treatment plans
· Tailored treatment sessions to meet the unique needs, preferences, and desired outcomes of each client
· Empathy
· Participation of the client through the healing process
· Informed consent
Communication and collaboration
Information flow is two-way between you and the client. It begins during intake with questions such as:
· Where is the pain or discomfort?
· What is your general health? (to help determine what might be an underlying cause)
· Previous experience with massage?
· What are your treatment goals?
· What are your concerns about treatment?
· Are there any areas to focus on or avoid?
As an example, your client will indicate that they have lower back pain. Based on this input, you might suggest deep tissue massage to improve circulation and relax muscle knots. You explain exactly how it is performed. At that point, your client can accept your suggestion or decline it. They might also provide more feedback so that you alter your recommendation.
Tailored treatments
Tailored or customized treatments can employ a variety of techniques based on your client’s specific requirements. They take into consideration not only the client’s physical condition but state of mind and personal preferences for types of ingredients used. By customizing the massage, you can address both immediate discomfort and support longer term health goals. Using a combination of techniques, whether Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage, trigger point therapy, myofascial release, aromatherapy and more, you can target specific muscles, release tension, improve circulation, and promote relaxation, depending on need. As in the case of lower back pain, you may use deeper tissue work in the affected area while applying lighter pressure in other areas to promote relaxation.
Allocate treatment time to be as effective as possible and determine if multiple sessions will be needed to accomplish your client’s treatment goals. Client education is important, too. The session may include time to core strengthening exercises and stretches to do at home. Also discuss any potential treatment side effects the client should expect.
Empathy
Empathy is another one of the client-centered principles. The first step to becoming empathetic is to listen. When you are with your client, focus and listen intently. Do not try to formulate an opinion or offer advice right away. Only after you understand what your client is telling you should you offer feedback. Even then, the goal is to help someone solve their problem or help them see it in a different light.
Empathy also requires that you be emotionally present and responsive. The goal is to focus on the interactions with your client and not be thinking about your other tasks and obligations that day.
While you want to be empathetic, it is important not to get too emotionally involved with clients and their problems. Keep an emotional boundary to maintain a professional and healthy relationship.
Client participation
Verbal communication should continue during the massage, along with constantly watching for non-verbal cues that indicate client discomfort. Do not wait for a client to tell you if something is bothering them. Check in with clients during the massage treatment to make that the pressure you are applying is comfortable. Effective communication during the session lets the client know that you respect their needs.
Informed consent
Do not forget informed consent. It is key to the client-centered core principles. Ensuring informed consent means that you discuss the treatment plan with your client and that they understand and agree to it. Informed consent is a protection for both you and the client.
A client centered approach provides a healthy environment for healing. It changes the power differential in its collaborative and customized approach to meeting the specific needs of clients and paving the way for the best possible outcomes.