We hope you have all been enjoying our "Ask The Muscle Whisperer" series. This month we asked the UK massage industry's top thought leaders to share key tips for massage therapists to help their massage therapy businesses navigate the changes in our industry brought about by Covid-19 and come back stronger in 2021!
You can watch the full video with all the specialist's answers compiled together HERE.... or watch each specialist's answer individually in shorter snippets below underneath their name!
As Covid will not be going away any time soon as massage therapy business owners we need to diversify so we can keep our clients even when we can't work with them with hands on massage treatments. Teaching self care techniques online is a great way to use your knowledge of anatomy and chronic pain and demonstrates your skills and expertise as a massage therapist. Finally Meghan and Rachel suggest being part of a community of like minded massage therapy professionals to help keep your spirits up and to have a safe space to ask for support. We have set a Facebook group to support therapists through this difficult time and you are welcome to join us here.
Watch Rachel and Megan answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!
To see JING's upcoming training courses please click on the image below or follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Welcome to the 21st century and how immunize your business!
I have spoken to so many therapists who are all waiting to come back and do the job they love, many have taken temporary jobs, some have even chosen to qualify as vaccinators and a few are retraining in a similar profession whilst others are grappling with how to offer their services online. Whatever the direction each of us is taking, we are all trying to find solutions in this very difficult and stressful time.
The ambiguity of the guidelines and the conflicting views about whether we can work hasn’t helped but what is clear though is that we have to change our mode of delivery and the public perception about our services. What this most difficult of times has emphasised for me is that the more specialized you are the easier it will be for you to be able to offer an essential service. Education and diversification are key for the future and the more knowledgeable you are about how to work with a wide range of pathologies the more employable you will be. Make no mistake, our astroid has arrived.
I had to be brutally honest and examine some well-established beliefs, I never thought I would ever consider delivering a practical course online because I absolutely love doing the face-to-face courses and I believe that hands on work requires that personal touch. I had to take a hard look at what was essential in delivering a good quality job online.
So, the online delivery has really taken off! Though I have to confess that although my current clients love being instructed via Zoom, I’ve concluded that it is impossible to teach the basic hands on skills to a beginner virtually.
What do you need to be able to deliver quality courses or treatments? Become familiar with the different platforms, such as Zoom, Whatsapp, Skype, Facetime and the like because it is important to continue to have face-to-face conversations albeit online. In a previous post I suggested numerous ideas about what’s worthwhile offering your clients, it’s very important that you maintain the relationship even if it just 10 minutes of touching base.
Next, I would suggest that you have a website that is informative and interactive. Are you on social media? Do you send out a regular newsletter or email? Are you visible?
As to how we can navigate the future, there is unfortunately no simple answer, we are going to have to tap in to all our reserves, it will require flexibility, creativity and perseverance. I am hopeful that we will survive this and that we will have an industry to return to eventually, meanwhile make sure to elevate the profession by acting professionally, becoming involved in education and make sure to be a part of the solution.
Take care of yourself, you are the most important person in this equation and people need you.
Watch Susan answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!
To find out more about Susan's courses and sign up for her great Massage Monday series click on the image below or follow her on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.
As a bodyworker Emma specialises in and is fascinated by the effects of stress on the body which is why she has set up an online seminar on the topic on 20th of February.
For Emma learning about the impact of stress, anxiety and overwhelm on the body is the best way we can support our clients right now as after the effects of Covid-19 we are heading towards a crisis of mental health and our clients will need our support more than ever! Whether you swot up at home or join Emma in her seminar understanding the physiological impacts of stress and then sharing the benefits of massage therapy with your clients is a sure fire way to support your massage therapy business through these tough times as the power of therapeutic touch is a hot topic right now!
Watch Emma answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!
You can see the latest courses on offer at School of Bodywork by clicking the image below! You can also follow on Facebook and Instagram.
One opportunity to elevate the massage industry in the UK could lie in partnering with our frontline services. The pandemic has shown us how overstretched healthcare workers can be and with the current circumstances there is perhaps no group who might need the benefits of a massage treatment more. Earle mentions the long shifts nurses and doctors are working, the poor diets they are likely having as they rush between paitents and the trauma they may be experiencing as they face being on the frontline of this pandemic. Earle believes if we could establish wellness clinics within NHS trusts we can demonstrate our skills to other healthcare professionals and begin to establish ourselves more firmly in the medical model.
Using this time to be advisors to the benefits and skill of our chosen massage modalities is the key for Earle to coming back stronger as massage therapy business owners in 2021. Let's gather our evidence based research and get shouting from the rooftops about the benefits of massage!
You can find more details on Earle's latest book 'Muscle Testing – A Concise Manual' by clicking the images below or find out more details on the next Hands On Training courses by clicking here.
Publications:
For Sunita the key tip for massage therapy businesses in 2021 is to innovate! In order to this first you might need to reconnect to your why! Taking time to slow down, meditate and focus on what brought you to a career in massage therapy will help reignite your drive and passion for this awesome calling and make tackling the challenges that lie ahead easier.
For Sunita there is no doubt that the climate has changed around our work as massage therapists and whilst many clients will be eager to get back on our massage tables there may be some clients who for their own understandable reasons might be anxious to return after lockdown. So how do we connect with these clients and keep them? By utilising online tools as massage therapists we can access great benefits for our massage therapy businesses. We can open up geographically and no longer be restricted by location and can also host group sessions over zoom enabling us to earn more for our time. Tri Dosha is hosting a free webinar on getting online for massage therapists on the 28th of February and if you would like more details or to join please email info@tri-dosha.co.uk!
Lastly Sunita invites us all to stay hopeful and remember that this is a blip and will pass! There are great opportunities for our massage therapy businesses if we push past our comfort zones and take on the challenge!
Watch Sunita answer your "Ask the Muscle Whisperer" Question below!
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