What do other therapists do when a client is not getting any improvement in their condition even after 3-4 treatments?
I have had 2 clients this week where this has happened. One has a neck problem and the other a piriformis problem.
I have tried to stay positive and reassure the client that it may take more treatments to resolve the condition.
Should I recommend that they try other therapies such as acupuncture?
I guess my problem is that I want to fix everyone, but realistically this may not happen.
everybody responds in a unique way to treatment, it is therefore essential to review your treatment direction, I review after 4 treatments, I also look for other improvements in posture, attitude etc. I personally do not ask my clients to try other treatment modalities, I simply work a little further from the injury site.
On average I see new clients 2-4 times before they have improvements to the extent that they are pain free and educated as to the cause of the problem and have adapted their lifestyle to avoid further instaces of doscomfort, I nearly always get rcommendations from clients to thier friends etc. Have confidence in your ability and ask your client if they are getting improvements.
regards
Gaz
Wanting to fix clients' problems (and the world generally!) is one of the very common "ailments" among therapists - otherwise we wouldn't be doing the job I guess!.. Yes, clients respond to treatments in different ways and it may take more time for some of them, but I have an inkling that our burning desire for them to get better can sometimes get in the way of effective treatment (it has certainly been the case for me personally).
Somehow we sometimes take on full responsibility for client's healing - but whilst we are there to help and guide client on their way to better health and happiness, the ultimate responsibility for the journey is theirs.
Check with yourself - just how responsible you feel for "fixing" the client and how much you desire for them to get better - and try letting go of that.
Masha
Dear Frangipani,
I am also a new member, and I worry about people who I can't help. I have found that I am able to offer a very different solution for many problems, so I pass some of mine to others, and they pass some to me. My approach means that there is a greater chance that one or other of the therapies will work, and is a new way of treating any unwanted physcial or psychological symptoms by learning techniques to change the unwanted symptoms, including pain!