Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/142672
table and use of good body mechanics. If you use music in your session, does the client have a way to play music where she will receive the massage? • lways telephone a client prior A to arriving. This allows you to verify the phone number and name you were given. • f providing service at a hotel, I check-in with the front desk and hotel security first. Verify the client's registration, and let the front desk know when you should be leaving. • hen you arrive, survey the area. W If your intuition says something is wrong, listen. No massage session is worth your safety. Call the client and cancel. • f at any time during a session you I feel uncomfortable or threatened, leave immediately. Leave your table and supplies, and get out. Drive to a safe place, and call the authorities. Write down what occurred, what was said, events as they happened, actions taken by the client and by you, etc. Let the authorities (police, sheriff, hotel security, etc.) retrieve your items. • f you do have a threatening I experience, be sure to take care of yourself afterward. Talk to colleagues, friends, family, or counselors, and work on releasing. It is not your fault someone behaved inappropriately. restrictions. She emphasizes that the naturally caring nature of the profession leaves many therapists unprepared for the worst. "It's true on a lot of levels," she writes. "Our mind-set is not that way. Use your common sense. Use the phone for screening. Trust your intuition. If you have a feeling about somebody, don't make the appointment." Unfortunately, as the French author Voltaire famously noted, "Common sense is not so common." Be specific on the telephone. Find out what the client expects and ensure that your intake process plainly states that you only provide therapeutic massage service. Be alert; intake is your best opportunity to identify potential problems. This doesn't mean you have to worry every time you book an appointment. Exactly the opposite is true. Alertness and a prepared attitude give you the peace of mind to relax and practice calmly, knowing you have properly set the stage, screened your clients well, and ensured that there are no misunderstandings as to the nature of the service you will be providing. Be especially on guard for danger signals with first-time clients. It's what solo practitioner Marianne Bashista remembers as the pay phone background noise in the days before cell phones. Over the years, Bashista has developed her own clear, no-nonsense screening forms and procedures for client intake. Her language is quite specific: "Therapeutic massage is strictly nonsexual. Genital areas are covered at all times. If the client expresses interest in sexual massage, the massage session will be terminated and the police may be notified. Clients are draped with a sheet for the entire massage. The sheet is adjusted to uncover only the areas of the body that are receiving therapeutic massage at the time." You need to be very direct with your intake forms and procedures, experts say. You simply cannot be too clear in this area. Other danger signs Bashista notes are first-time clients whose need seems particularly urgent or immediate, those who want fully undraped and unclothed sessions, and those who are vague or reluctant to provide screening information. Wendy Marsh teaches ethics classes for massage therapists. She strongly agrees with a direct, no-nonsense screening approach. She dislikes the trend toward online scheduling. "Have some kind of direct, evaluative contact before they get in the door; not just for your safety, but to properly assess their needs and condition as well." One problem Marsh notes is that "a lot of the younger therapists are in group practices where they are not even part of the intake process." That can put therapists in a tough position with their own employers. She recommends a full and frank discussion with the workplace manager who sets the intake procedures. Emphasize that everyone is really on the same page. Clients, office staff, and therapists all benefit from clear understandings and proper evaluation. Sohnen-Moe believes strong intake procedures are the key to therapists' personal safety and she much prefers telephone screening