Tracy Walton & Associates

Caring for clients with Cancer

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Reference for Practitioners

As a reference
   Specific…Easy to use…Relevant for daily work…Encouraging
As a result
   Understanding…Effectiveness…Confidence…Purpose

As massage therapists, we’re often tempted to categorize clients according to conditions, applying the same condition-based contraindications to every client in that category. This approach can lead to an overly restrictive massage, dissatisfied clients, and a dwindling practice. Or it can lead to overly vigorous work, with potentially dangerous implications for the health of the client and our liability as practitioners.  Almost always, condition-based contraindications prevent us from integrating our training, experience, and intuition most effectively.

mcmtAs a rapid and thorough reference, Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy (MCMT) bases massage therapy
on client presentations, rather than the name of each condition. MCMT guides massage therapists facing unfamiliar or complex cases, and addresses many presentations of each condition. By providing a system
of sound decision-making, the book supports practitioners at all points.  Specific interview questions, instructive illustrations, and practical decision trees
help therapists adapt their work to any situation. Based on a client’s answers and an understanding of how massage therapy can interact with the condition, the therapist chooses safe and effective positioning, pressure, and movements.

birds-eye-viewKeeping the client at the heart of the discussion, MCMT also provides a clear overview of current research on massage and specific conditions to give massage therapists a better professional context. Understanding what is actually known about the benefits (and contraindications) of massage prepares therapists to communicate thoughtfully and accurately with clients and other health care practitioners.  It allows practitioners to integrate knowledge from solid research evidence with the real testimonials of our clients.  MCMT connects research to practice.  It can also help in shaping the policies and procedures for any setting: private practice, spa, franchise, etc.

By understanding how to adjust and adapt massage therapy to serve clients facing disease and injury, therapists can practice more safely and confidently. This reduces liability and increases effectiveness with a wider range of clients. In a rapidly changing world, with a population living longer with challenging medical conditions, massage therapists can build and sustain their practices. They can serve clients with care and skill, even as clients’ needs become more complex.

Key Advantages

Medical Conditions and Massage Therapy:
  • is easy to use
  • prepares therapists to face medical conditions with confidence and purpose
  • is adaptable for any setting
  • helps practitioners promote wellness

See an overview and highlights of this unique, valuable book!

How to Order

Click on the cover to purchase through Amazon (affiliate link – Amazon sends us a small thank you).

Walton-MCMT

Buy now at Amazon

(For a non-affiliate link, click here)

What’s New

Why take a course in oncology massage therapy?

There are so many good reasons. Here are a few:

Service. During cancer treatment and beyond, people need support. They need symptom relief. They need sleep. Oncology massage therapy (OMT) can help people cope during cancer treatment, at end of life, post-treatment, and during diagnosis.
Practice building. With the right skills, you can meet growing client demand and build your practice. You can be part of cancer care. It is better for your business to be able to work with people right then, right where they are, than to refer them out or send them home.
Career satisfaction and longevity. OMT is immensely satisfying work. Your steady presence and your hands can make a huge difference in someone's day or week. You might even find our approach to be easier on your hands and alignment. We offer new ways to provide comfort without effort and "deep tissue" work.

To practice OMT, massage therapists need to know what to ask clients before the massage, and how to use the client's answers. They need to know how to think through what to do, and how to communicate with clients in difficult circumstances. They need confidence, sensitivity, strong interview and table-side instruction. They need to learn from actual case studies and real-world exercises, and good chances to practice.

We provide these learning experiences in our 4-Day Intensive, Oncology Massage Therapy: Caring for Clients with Cancer.

Learn more...

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