It’s certainly a different concept, but one some people may be interested in.
I posted the following information on a massage therapy forum in 2006 for someone who was interested in establishing a non-profit bodywork business. Read the rest of this entry »
Is it time to transition your practice to a new modality or way of work? Are you getting older and need to give your body a little more balance. Or, do you feel like you have clients who may not be in touch with their bodies enough to appreciate more gentle bodywork methods?
The nice thing about having a bag of tricks with many different skills, is that you can market your work in multiple ways.
If you have only been doing deep tissue and don’t think you can add to your practice, you will be pleasantly surprised as your skills expand. Mixing other types of work and people into the practice will also help save your hands over the years. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: booking appointments, boundaries, practice issues, re-booking, techniques
Have you ever considered being dual licensed? Perhaps a Massage Therapist and <insert second and/or even third profession here>?
Are you are interested in extended education in the form of a DO, DC, MD, Reflexologist, Rolfer, Feldenkrais Practitioner, etc. ? I’ve added even more ideas in the post: Complementary Careers and Modalities For Massage Therapists
Bodywork lends itself to many practitioners walking the path of continual learning. Afterall, Anatomy alone can be looked at from so many facets.
Today, I’d like to talk about the DO, also known as the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.
Tags: resources
After recently beginning a 250 hour ITEC Reflexology Certification, I found that there weren’t many places on the internet with detailed lists of the information I was looking for. So, I’ve decided to go ahead and attempt to create a useful page. My list is by no means complete, but I will try to continue adding useful bits along the way.
Since I am in the USA, most of this information will be derived from the USA sites I have found, but if you are from another country, poke around a little. I’ve tried to add information for you too when I’ve found it.
REFLEXOLOGY ASSOCIATIONS & BOARDS
Tags: resources
If the client is going to terminate the therapeutic relationship, it is good to do so outside of the next scheduled appointment. It is unfair to the therapist (and other clients who may need the session time) to use an appointment/session for this.
When appropriate, the client may need to indicate:
- If expectations are not being met.
- If there is just not a good fit.
- Any emotional attachment which may be distracting to therapy.
- Referral request.
The client can simply make a polite statement by phone message. Please provide a minimum of 24 hours notice for cancellations. Otherwise, you should expect to be charged the full amount of the session. For example:
“Hello, this is <insert client name here>. I was calling today to let you know that I am going to cancel my next appointment/s on <insert date here>. I have found that:
… after working with you for <insert number of sessions here>, I am not getting the relief I had expected, and am planing to seek a few visits from another (or additional) therapist. Would you be willing to provide me with a referral for someone you trust?
… I have become attracted to you and it is distracting to my therapy sessions. Would you be willing to provide me with a referral for someone you trust?
… I am just not patient enough to come in for the suggested amount of sessions and plan to seek other care with <insert type or name of practitioner here> for quicker relief.
… etc. “
Read These Articles:
- What the Client is Expected to Leave in their Voice-Mail Message
- Should You E-mail Your Therapist When He/She Is On Vacation?
- Should I Call My Therapist While He/She Is On Vacation?
- Boundaries – Dating Clients
- When Should You Contact Your Massage Therapist
- Pandora Station for Refreshing Tranquility Massage Music
Tags: boundaries
When it comes to massage lubricants, I prefer Natural Formulations Sunflower Deep Tissue Massage Lotion, unless I am using Jojoba Oil.
I have tested a variety over the years, and made it a point early in my career to be open-minded and put money and effort into finding the best for my practice.
In the end, I settled on a relatively unknown company at the time, Natural Formulations.
Tags: practice issues, relaxation, techniques, tools
Have you ever heard minimalistic piano music? An extraordinarily restrained and slow-paced music that makes you think of falling snow, in a birch forest, in the middle of the never-never on a very quiet day?
I have heard it in movie scores and been moved by the quality of stillness that it can invoke. But, I have never heard it in massage music. Not until now.
Michael Strening Jr. (also a member of the AMTA) is a musical composer and pianist in Chicago and has captured this picture, weaving it with the textures, tone and tempos found throughout Mist and Sand and Falling Water. Both CD’s allure the senses with a beautiful tapestry of notes.
Michael composes and records music for massage therapy, having found this calling when massage therapy provided clinical and quantitative healing which literally saved his music career.
With each new play, you’ll notice another layer you missed previously. You’ll also find that the tone of his actual piano is different from most one hears on ambient piano CD’s. This unique sound comes from the way the piano is tuned and some well thought out technical aspects which occur during the recording process. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: music, relaxation
It is unfortunate, but we hear about it all the time from new (and even established) MT’s – chronic pain. Some therapists will complain of pain in their thumbs, finger pain, joint pain and even pain in the elbow. Others may complain of lower limb pain.
Overwork, poor body mechanics, inadequate room set-up, working in too small of a space and wrong table height can increase these issues.
When it comes to table-time, here are my tips:
- One day of 7 hours, and various other work for the next few days, consisting of no more than 5 hours for the days to follow.
- Three days of 6 hours each, with the next two days to consist of either 4 or 5 hours (this is a close to max-out for me, nowadays).
- Five days of 5 hours each, with a variant of allowing for one 6 hour day, as long as there is some swedish work on that 6 hour day.
Now, for what I did when my hands were swollen (unfortunately, I was working a part-time job and had no choice in taking a lighter load at the time):
- I whined and moaned.
- I soaked my hands in a foot bath whirlpool tub every chance I got. The place I worked had them, so I came in early and soaked for ~15 minutes. Then, at the end of the day I repeated the process for ~15 mins. when I could.
- I purchased SalonPas and cut them in tiny strips and wrapped them around all of my joints that ached. I used the Original ones. I don’t know if there are any safety hazards of that, it just happens to be what I did to help relieve some of the pain. Of course, when I did this, I was unable to work with my hands while bandaged up… so I would cook whatever I was planning on cooking, for the day prior to bandaging myself.
It didn’t take away all of my pain, but it did provide some relief.
Related Articles:
- The Importance of Appointment Management
- Boundaries – Potential Client Won’t Take No For An Answer/Closed Appointment Book
- Are You Stressed Out?
- Planning for the Massage Job Interview – Overview
- Complementary Careers and Modalities For Massage Therapists
- Pandora Station for Asian Influence Music
- Aromatherapy Books by Kurt Schnaubelt Ph.D.
- What Costs Will I Have for My New Massage Practice?
Tags: boundaries, practice issues
When offering out-calls/in-home massage “By Referral Only” you should decide how you will advertise your services. If you have already have a private practice, you may want to consider adding a page to your website. Another option would be to print a tri-fold with the pertinent information in it. You could also choose to only advertise by word-of-mouth.
Keep in mind, if you don’t depend on out-calls, you really can be selective. You can require the individual to be:
- A prior in-office client.
- To have been referred to you only by people you trust.
- To provide the table, etc.
- To pay a cancellation fee.
Fees are expected to be more than an in-office charge, since you can expect a 1 hour out-call massage taking about 2½ hours of your time.
Tags: booking appointments, boundaries, business and marketing, practice issues