8 minute read
Understanding what clients really want
Each client is unique, but understanding what makes them tick can help you to help them on their journey to better health…
They are fed up and want to feel better
Many holistic therapists come to the industry after suffering from issues with their own health and well-being, so should be particularly wellplaced to understand the frustrations of many of those who seek holistic care.
Some new clients will have been through the mill, but it is important to build trust and rapport and to foster the belief that together, you can help them get better. Clients who are encouraged to develop this self-efficacy and optimism tend to have better outcomes than those who assume the situation is helpless and therefore make no effort on their own behalf.
The journey back to good health often goes beyond bodywork, talking therapies or energy work. Clients need to be able to make real and lasting behavioural change, whether that’s starting to exercise by walking round the block each day, not hitting the biscuits when things aren’t going well, or stopping home exercises because of a twinge.
Research shows that clients who take an active part in deciding their treatment plans develop a sense of personal responsibility towards their wellbeing goals and making changes in their lifestyle. Reassuring clients that if plan A doesn’t get the result that they were after, plans B, C, or D may do the trick, can help build confidence that, in the longer term, life will improve. It’s important to help clients realise that their health problems may have taken years to manifest, so they are unlikely to disappear overnight. This is particularly true where symptoms can be attributed to a number of underlying causes, or where several issues are in play.
Recognise, then, that when a new client books an appointment, they make be experiencing conflicting hopes and fears that may need to be addressed to create the correct conditions for successful treatment.
They want to be treated as individuals, not a collection of symptoms
This one should be obvious, but it often escapes the notice of allopathic practitioners. People are not diabetics, they are individuals with diabetes. They are not whiplash cases, but rather people who have suffered whiplash. Just because two people share symptoms, doesn’t mean that their health problems are identical, nor that they should be treated in the same way. People experience pain very differently, they deal with problems differently and have different motivations, expectations and goals.
The focus needs to be on the client as an individual with a unique lived experience. People are not embodied symptoms. This means that holistic therapists need to focus on the client as a unique being with a unique lived experience. This is facilitated by empowering the client to become involved in making treatment choices where possible and taking account of their attitudes, values and beliefs by using active and reflective listening techniques which encourage investment and engagement with their healing journey.
They respond to interest and empathy
We’ve established that your new client has probably run the gauntlet of conventional medicine before coming to you. The chances are that they don’t feel that they’ve been given an adequate chance to explain how they feel or how their illness is affecting their life. It’s important to show that you’re listening carefully as this demonstrates empathy, rapport and helps build trust. These are vital foundations if your client is to have the confidence to make lasting change.
Use a structured approach to your sessions that involves checkpoints before and after treatment to explore how your client is feeling and responding to the treatment.
They need guidance as to your expectations
Sometimes we forget that new clients may not be familiar with the processes involved in treatments. For example, people may expect that a full-body massage includes the front torso, or they may not be aware that shiatsu is delivered to a clothed client, where as other forms of massage may involve clients removing the majority of their clothing. Similarly, if your modality is less well known, it’s essential to provide a detailed explanation of what will happen during a treatment session. Ideally, this can be delivered as part of an information package a couple of days before their first session which will help assuage doubts and put them at their ease.
Doing something for the first time can leave people feeling vulnerable and anxious. No-one likes feeling foolish or that they are stupid for not knowing what to do. If you are continually pulling them into positions without stopping to explain why this is important, they may not want to come back again. You could be costing yourself customers.
Think about your treatment session from a first time customer’s viewpoint. What do they need to know beforehand to get the most out of their session.
They want you to respect their boundaries and confidentiality
If you are a good therapist, it’s likely that many of your new clients come to you because existing clients have been singing your praises. It’s tempting, therefore to chat about your mutual connection, but you need to remain mindful of breaking the boundaries of what’s confidential. If you’re constantly talking about people you’ve treated in the past, your client will feel that they too will inevitably become the subject of future gossip. Clients need to feel they can talk to you about personal matters without fear that you will repeat confidences or pass them on, even in an abstracted form.
They are unlikely to feel comfortable about if they feel you do this and may stop providing you with feedback about how they feel, meaning that treatments become less effective.
Similarly, it’s important to recognise that not all clients are touchy-feely people and may feel that being hugged or touched too much is a source of anxiety. Establish where your client’s boundaries lie and do not cross them.
You’re not their first port of call
Generally, your clients will have tried a conventional allopathic approach before coming to you. They may have felt that their GP was disinterested, treated them like a symptom rather than a person, or dismissed their issues as being psychosomatic or ‘Women’s problems.’
Recognise that they may have been on a journey that has taken several years and they may have given up hope of feeling well. Be positively encouraging, but allow them to realise that a problem that took years to create is unlikely to be resolved in a session or two. Ge4tting back to health can be a journey and there may be setbacks along the way.
They are ready to change, but need help to do so
When a new client arrives, it’s a sign that they have accepted a need for change. The extent of this change is something you need to explore with them. Obviously, small changes, like say cutting down on smoking or drinking may be easier to manage that an abrupt change that involves a morning run and only eating plant-based foods from now on. The degree and pace of change needs to be negotiated. It should be slow enough to be manageable, but fast enough to ensure measurable results in a short time span.
Similarly, people are complex and there may be emotional blockages or psychological issues which make change more difficult to achieve. You need to help clients understand that although there may be barriers to change and that sometimes their progress will be slow, that you have every faith in their abilities to achieve their health and wellbeing goals. Sometimes we need to empathise with the client to help them overcome self-imposed barriers to being healthy, particularly if they have let a health problem define and limit their lives. Becoming healthy, or recovering from trauma can be quite scary, particularly if it means we can no longer rely on comforting, but negative behaviours or self-imposed limitations. It can be easier to do nothing in the belief that we can’t do something rather than take the first steps to proving ourselves wrong.
Sometimes, they find it difficult to talk or to explain their issues
Health and wellbeing are intertwined. Our mental and emotional state can impact on our physical health and on the outcomes of treatment. Those with a resilient outlook tend to recover more quickly and more completely than those who feel unable to talk or who resist sharing the full extent of the problem, perhaps due to cultural conditioning, psychological trauma or past rejection. It’s a defence mechanism, designed to keep the client feeling safe and insulated from difficult issues.
This resistance can sometimes manifest as not talking about themselves, or changing the subject, particularly to talk about you. Sometimes, they won’t mention what’s really been bothering them until the session is almost over and they are halfway out the door.
Firstly, you will need to accept that until your client feels safe and comfortable, they may not engage with you fully. This is normal and healthy. Try using gentle questioning to create a sense of safety, making the practice room a place where your client can share their issues in the knowledge that you will understand, without being judgemental, and will do what you can to help them achieve a positive outcome. Many clients get stuck in a cycle of negative thought patterns, telling themselves that things will never change or get better, so you may need to challenge their thinking and the behaviours holding them back. Encourage them to share their issues with those around them who would be supportive, such as their friends, family or even a pet, or to practice self-forgiveness and meditation.
Sometimes, if you remain silent, your client will feel the need to fill this space by talking about their issues, which can lead to a breakthrough. For others, though, it can ramp up anxiety levels, causing physical tension and potentially meaning your client will not return for further sessions. Providing exercises which chart the emotions alongside physical and mental symptoms between sessions can help prevent this.
In summary then, a new client should be treated as an individual, really listened to, challenged and helped to become engaged in their own voyage of recovery and encouraged and supported throughout that journey, but always within the boundaries of confidentiality and their personal comfort zone. n
