Can you 'fix' me?

Following on from the discussions about time and therapy, here is another thing that can cause confusion. Are you paying for the therapist's time ie 1hr for $60 or are you paying to get something 'fixed'?

The contract I made on the phone when the initial booking was made was to sell an hour of my time for the agreed amount. I have never met the client so how am I to know what will transpire at the initial appointment? After an initial physical assessment and the first treatment I should have a fair idea if I can help my client and thereafter the terms of the exchange are somewhat different.

Incidentally the term 'fix me' is as bad as the term 'my neck is out'. Wanting to be fixed implies that something is broken and that the client is willing to divest responsibility onto the therapist and make it their problem! No!!!! It is the client's body, when they leave I do not live with their pain or injury - they do!

I explain to clients that I am not God, I cannot fix anything. I merely try to set up a stimulus into their body to cause a response - preferably a healing response. There are just so many factors that I can't control such as their body use habits, nutrition, stress levels etc. Many times the type of therapeutic intervention needs to be changed. Perhaps the response would be better if I tried a different style of massage, maybe not - there are many questions at this early stage.

To say that I know what is best for a client at the first appointment, in most (not all) cases is sheer arrogance. We need to build a THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP to understand how we can best work togeather for optimal results.

After the first session, you would still be paying for my time but my time would not be for sale unless I truly believed, on the evidence presented, that I could help.

So what happens when the appointment time is up and you are better but not 'fixed'?

I'll answer that tomorrow!