When you first graduate or start practicing as a brand-new massage therapist, you are likely to have many questions. As a seasoned practitioner and educator of many years, I can tell you that all of us felt this way when we started. Let me assuage your concerns and thoughts with some valuable insight from years of experience.
Trust in what you learned. Your instructors and mentors gave you what you needed to be a good practitioner. From there, add your own ethical personal and professional judgments when interacting with clients and even workplace issues.
If you ever find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, remember that clear communication is a key element to navigating the best possible outcome. If it is a client issue or concern, consider refusing the session or referring out to another therapist if appropriate. If you are fortunate to work in a place where there are more experienced therapists, ask them for advice and support.
Establish boundaries. You have learned about ethics and boundaries, and many important things throughout your educational program. However, when you are in a treatment room or on the phone with a client, you may not know the best approach off the top of your head. How are you going to navigate this? What things do you consider in terms of each scenario? You may need to take a step back and think about your options before acting. You may have to consider your state’s regulations and scopes of practice to determine the best way to move forward while still upholding solid practice standards.
Massage therapy is a profession where we can become familiar and cordial with our clients, especially our regulars; we learn about their families, struggles and celebrations. However, sometimes having this kind of rapport can become challenging. It is important to maintain a strong stance of professionalism and respect for our clients as well as for ourselves. Always establish boundaries in the very beginning of your practice, and maintain them, so they don’t get muddied later. This includes not just in-person, real-life boundaries, but also social media boundaries.
Ask questions. Queryyour clients and truly listen to everything; take it all in. The questions you ask your clients and the answers they give you, combined with what their bodies are telling you and what you know about certain conditions, will create the strongest and more telling pictures that will enable you to meet their treatment goals.
Stay on top of current discoveries in practice. This is very important for your continued learning and professional development. And it has relevance to your practice. Keep in mind, everything you learn today may, in time, become modified or obsolete.
If there are any complex pathologies or conditions your client has indicated prior to their session with you, take the time to do some investigating before your client comes in. Clients will be best served when you demonstrate familiar knowledge of their condition and can confidently talk with them about it.
Re-charge your skills and be a lifelong learner. If you have a desire to specialize in specific modalities like craniosacral therapy, reflexology, sports massage or manual lymphatic drainage techniques, for example, it’s important to seek out high-quality training and expand your horizons and your treatment toolbox.
Of course, it is very important to stay current with your state’s license renewal criteria, procedures and deadlines; read articles, journals and books; and attend local, regional and national conventions. There are many organizations that offer low-cost or free webinars and CEs; take advantage of those opportunities. Additionally, look to expand your knowledge in new areas as well, like time management, organizational skills and client communication, as these are key talents valued in practice and in business.
Stay in the know about evidence-based research. I know I mentioned it before, but I am going to keep emphasizing this point. Using current research applied in practice shows your commitment to high-quality care. Moreover, all allied health care professionals are expected to stay current on treatment evidence. Massage therapists are no different; and there is so much more we have learned about our work through research in the last 20 years. One of the best ways to stay up to date on researchis to access free resources from Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF), which has made research easily accessible and understandable.
Manage your time. As much as you may have the want and enthusiasm to continue learning and give massages for a copious amount of hours per day, it is vital to maintain solid time management and not overwork yourself from the start.
Practice self-care. You may never get as many massages as you do while you’re in school. So, when it comes to self-care it’s key to get your own bodywork done on a regular basis to keep your personal machine tuned. Block it out of your schedule. Make sure you’re doing those little things like grounding and centering before you go into work and before you touch each client, paying attention to your intentions.
Stay connected. Network with colleagues, educators and professional associations to best keep up with the science behind the art of massage therapy. Become a member of many different professional organizations to allow you to be the best practitioner possible. When, for example, you display your degree, accomplishments and connections to professional organizations, you proudly show your clients that you are a caring, accomplished professional.
Find ways to stay enthusiastic. Stay positive during your start-up and as you traverse your career path. If you ever find yourself low on drive, practice self-care and remind yourself about your successful client stories; this may help you to be inspired. Show up as authentically as possible and always take pride in knowing you help clients improve their lives, situations and well-being.
About the Author
Robin Anderson, MEd, LMT, BCTMB, CEAS, is past president of the Massage Therapy Foundation (MTF). She wrote this article on behalf of the MTF.