Client Assessment – Organizing a New Client Session
Organizing a New Client Session
Organizing a New Client Session
The typical new client session includes the following steps:
Client intake & interview:
- Discuss the client’s current condition, symptoms, chief complaint
- Discover relevant medical history (e.g. illnesses, surgeries, allergies…)
- Rule out contraindications to massage
- Discuss client’s goals for massage (why they scheduled the massage)
Client assessment:
- Perform a client assessment that includes using any necessary elements of visual, palpation, or ROM assessment.
- Develop a treatment plan that addresses any problems found during the assessment, and the client’s goals. Educate your client on this plan.
Provide massage or bodywork treatment:
- Structure your massage treatment based on your assessment findings and treatment goals.
Post-treatment:
- Assess client response to treatment
- Were the treatment goals achieved?
- Are more sessions recommended?
- Educate your client on any recommendations for more sessions or any self-treatment suggestions (home exercises, stretches, relaxation or other self treatment techniques).
- Document your assessment & treatment
Developing a Client Assessment
Develop an assessment system that works for you and your clients. It should be practical and appropriate for your particular setting and clientele. This means that an assessment for a client at a clinical practice may be different from an assessment done for a 1-time client who wants a relaxation massage at a resort. Strive to make your client assessment process:
- Sequential
- Organized
- Flexible
- Reproducible
A client assessment is typically not a discrete, linear process. The components of the assessment or evaluation will often overlap. For example, you will often be collecting visual data as well while performing palpation assessment, plus the client may be talking to you at the same time, giving you more information about the onset or current symptoms.
Client assessment is also a continuous process. This means that you should be continuing to assess the client during the massage or bodywork treatment. It is an ongoing process of monitoring the client’s response to the techniques as you are applying them. This requires the therapist to focus and be present during the session, and avoid tuning out or letting the mind wander.
Your client assessment should be as comprehensive as it needs to be in order to create an appropriate plan of treatment, and provide safe and effective treatments that will help the client reach his or her goals.
Pre-Appointment Screening (Phone consultation)
This step in the new client intake process doesn’t always occur as a discrete step in the process (it is often integrated into the intake and interview phase). For example, a client may schedule an appointment with the therapist online through their website, or through a booking app rather than speaking with you directly. It is however ideal to first screen any new potential clients when they contact you. The point of this screening is to make sure that the person is a good candidate for massage.
*Tip: Finding out the new client’s reason for seeking massage during the phone consultation can give you time before their appointment to research their chief complaint. For example, they may be experiencing knee pain, neck pain or foot pain when they get out of bed. This will give you time to brush up on any anatomy, special tests, or treatment techniques if you have not worked with this issue in a while. Doing this will increase your confidence and also inspire more client confidence because you came prepared.
The main objectives of a pre-appointment screening or phone consultation are to:
- Rule out obvious contraindications such as acute injuries, illness or other pathologies
- Find out the new client’s main reason for seeking massage at this time
- Let them know what to expect when they arrive for their first appointment, and to arrive a 10-15 minutes early to fill out health history, consent form, etc.
- Inform the client of types of massage or bodywork available
- Make sure they know that this is a professional business (if you get the creepy vibe from them)
*This screening can be automated for the most part by putting all necessary information on your website. It is difficult to say for certain, but I think that a client who has had a personal conversation with you over the phone is less likely to forget their appointment, cancel their appointment, or no-show.