Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
intake forms Outside of your code of ethics In the Client Forms section of www.abmp.com, find master copies of release forms, client questionnaire forms, client record update forms, body maps, SOAP notes charts, and more. and professional liability insurance certificate, there is no more important piece of paper to your career than your client intake form. It is both a doorway leading to your client and a well-lit path toward professional security. While some therapists use readymade intake forms (examples are available online at www.abmp.com in the Members section), others choose to design documents unique to their practices. For example, massage therapists providing Swedish massage might stick to a nuts-and-bolts form with client data, insurance information, and client complaints, while an energy worker might find it helpful to ask introspective questions about the client's goals, beliefs, and values. It's up to you to decide how best to formulate your form—borrow from others, combine the best elements from all, or start from scratch. The goal is to create a form that provides important client history and states clearly the intentions of the therapeutic session at hand. Regardless of the breadth or nature of your intake form, it should include some very basic elements: client's full name, address, phone number, emergency contact, dates of treatments, amounts paid, and the client's insurance carrier, if applicable. Health History Always get a health history; it should be updated at each session. It's imperative you understand the health of your client before you ever put him or her on the table. Health histories can be incorporated into an intake form or taken separately, can be filled out by the client, or can be detailed by you as part of an interview (physician offices and hospitals cross-check the accuracy of information by doing both). Identify and discuss possible contraindications with your client at this point on the form. Intake forms often include a disclaimer or warning emphasizing the therapeutic, nonsexual nature of the therapy. Such a warning might include the protocol to be followed (including calling the local authorities) if the client behaves inappropriately. Having this in writing creates a sense of protection for both you and the client. Intake forms also often include an informed consent or liability release form. Such a release can be used to specify the scope of your practice, as well as provide a signed assurance from the client that he or she has fully disclosed any existing medical conditions. When designing your intake form, you might include a few extras to help and protect you along the way. For instance, you might have an appended form for minors that includes a space for a parent's or guardian's signature. You might also ask for the client's previous experience with bodywork. Under health history, you might want to add questions that disclose stress factors and exercise habits as a way to further understand your client's body. Yet, as with any of the questions on your form, think through how they are worded and how they might be perceived by a new client. Asking first-time, overweight clients about their exercise habits might set them on guard and inhibit any good that could come about later in the session. Both you and the client should sign and date the completed form. Finally, reassure your client— either verbally or as a note on the form—that the information provided is confidential and will be guarded as diligently as it would in a physician's office. This is important not only for your own ethical spirit, but to gain full disclosure from a sometimes naive or frightened client. SPH