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Curriculum: Client & Therapist Safety
At successful completion of the two-year program, students will:
Contraindications to massage therapy
- Identify and understand contraindicated conditions.
- Recognize pathologies common to each system, e.g., skeletal system fracture, articular system dislocations.
- Understand how to modify massage therapy treatment to accommodate a contraindicated condition.
Basic draping, positioning and turning
- Drape a patient proficiently, exposing only the body area to be worked, while other areas remain covered.
- Display respect for personal boundaries, physical and emotional, of both patient and therapist.
- Know appropriate bolstering techniques to ensure correct positioning of the patient by providing support and comfort to the limbs and joints during a massage treatment.
- Know proper patient turning procedure during a massage, ensuring that the patient remains properly draped at all times.
Creating a safe environment for practicing massage therapy
- Know how to prepare and maintain a safe massage therapy environment.
- Practice personal hygiene appropriate for a clinical setting, including wearing appropriate clothing.
- Each student will be required to successfully complete basic CPR Rescuer and basic first aid from a recognized agency, by the midpoint of the second year of classes.
Communication skills
- Understand how to establish open and professional communications between the therapist and patient.
- Understand and demonstrate how to empower the patient to have total control over the massage experience.
- Explain procedures, strokes, and remedial exercises in plain language.
Professionalism and ethics
- Know the difference between legal and ethical responsibilities.
- Understand and respect the importance of confidentiality and know how a therapist protects confidentiality.
- Understand a patient's right to refuse treatment and a therapist's right to refuse to give treatment.
- Understand the dynamics of the therapist-client relationship and the need to respect boundaries.
- Recognize inappropriate behavior on the part of either therapist or patient.
- Know how to respond to inappropriate behavior.
- Understand why massage therapists must disclose the limitations of massage treatments and not make unfounded claims.
- Recognize inaccurate representations of massage therapy in advertising or marketing material.
- Understand that effectiveness and success in massage depends on life-long learning, and requires a commitment to continuing education, reading, and the exchange of ideas with other professionals.
Self care
- Know correct body mechanics and breathing while working.
- Understand that massage is an athletic career and know how to maintain personal fitness to help prevent work-related injuries.
- Understand and practice self-strengthening and stretching exercises for specific problem areas.
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