Chapter Headings and Excerpts
from the Original Edition
from the Original Edition
Chapter One: The Educated Heart
"We may hear "professional"
and think of a clinical atmosphere or a distant and aloof
therapist. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Professionalism doesn't mean acting stuffy or keeping our
clients at arms' length. It simply means that, when we're
working, our focus is on our clients. We pay attention to them,
we're sensitive to their vulnerability. Being professional is
just an educated way of being kind."
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Chapter Two: Boundaries: Protective
Circles
“A common complaint about manual
therapists is that we talk too much about ourselves during a
session. Clients will rarely ask us to be quiet. They
won’t say, ‘I can’t take another minute of
your talking about your cat.’ Clients are both too polite
and too much under the power imbalance that’s inherent in
the relationship.”
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Chapter Three: Client/Practitioner
Dynamics: The Power Imbalance
“Don’t we have some clients
who really like us, clients we have a great connection
with—and isn’t that OK? That’s a good
question. Are our sessions with them about us or about them?
Are they lost souls coming to hear what the guru has to say or
are we the ones who listen with curiosity and interest to what
they bring to the session?
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Chapter Five: Ethics: From Theory to
Practice
“We often look at ethics in a simple
way—what are the rules and how do we stay out of trouble?
Although there are standards to guide us, ethical behavior can
involve a delicate balancing act that has more to do with
relationships and feelings than with black-and-white
absolutes.”
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Chapter Six: Sexual Issues: Protecting Our
Clients
“Any client can misinterpret the
intentions of any practitioner. Heterosexual women
practitioners can be accused by heterosexual women clients, for
instance. Sexual abuse and violation issues are about power,
and they can cross all lines of gender and sexual
orientation.”
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Chapter Seven: Sexual Issues: Protecting
Ourselves
“When you advertise, avoid the words
and phrases ‘release,’ ‘total
relaxation,’ and ‘full body massage.’ They
can sound like veiled sexual references.”
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Chapter Eight: Getting Comfortable with
Money
“Many of us have an uneasy
relationship with business finances. We feel awkward going from
being the Caring One when a client is on the table, to being
the Cashier at the end of the session who says, ‘Now
gimme sixty bucks.’ We often feel a little guilty about
money.”
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Chapter Nine: Dual Relationships: Wearing
Many Hats
“It used to be and sometimes still
is, that trades were seen as a charming, hippie sort of thing,
a way to bypass the supposed crassness of money, a way to live
more simply, bartering and trading services for
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Chapter Ten
“If we learn new ways to help
clients feel safe and supported, we will reach new depths in
our work and have more satisfying relationships with
clients.”
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© 2007 Nina McIntosh
