You are cordially invited to attend the continuation of our series of live webinars on “Massage Therapy in the Age of COVID-19.” This is a different class than last year’s symposium, which focused primarily on the dissemination of information. This interactive panel will focus on applying what we presently know to your own practices.
We currently face challenges in society and massage therapy that are unprecedented in our lifetimes. At least 33 million Americans have been infected with COVID, and 580,000 have died. Many massage practices have been shut down or idled, and there is often fear and confusion about how to practice safely and effectively. For massage therapists, this means that:
• Our current infection prevention and control policies and procedures need to be spot-on to reduce the chance of spreading.
• We need to stay on top of vaccine information to know how to interact with our clients/patients as new data comes out, such as how long vaccines last and if vaccinated people can still easily spread the virus.
• COVID-19 survivors and long-haulers are beginning to show up in our treatment rooms and we need to know how to treat them.
In this interactive panel, our goal is help you review and solidify your own plans for staying safe and adaptive in these changing times. About 10 days prior to the webinar, we will email out a worksheet to you. We strongly encourage you to use this worksheet to review what you are currently doing in your work environment so that you will be prepared to get the most out of the class.
During the webinar, each of our four speakers will discuss a topic, and then after each topic we will break out into discussion groups. You and your colleagues will be able to brainstorm and discuss the information presented, so that you can determine what changes (if any) can make your work environment safer.
Panelists: Marybeth Berney LMT, Dawn Schmidt LMT, Lauren Christman LMT, and Robbin Blake LMT. Each panelist has all been deeply involved in the policy and epidemiology of safe, practical, and effective massage therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. For panelist biographies, click here.
The panel topics include the following:
• Reviewing your risk management plan with Lauren: After an updated review of current information about transmission and disease prevention, you will be guided by Lauren through a worksheet that accounts for: PPE choices; clinical set up (air flow, simplifying your space); sanitizing supplies; guidelines for linens and practitioner clothing; and coordinating sessions for optimal physical distancing.
• Reviewing your client management, boundaries and communication plans with Dawn: Working during this pandemic has brought routine client management concerns into high relief. This disease has changed the context for familiar concerns, such as client safety, practitioner safety, health screening, informed consent, notifying clients post-exposure, and setting boundaries on the care we provide for any number of reasons. Dawn will help you to clarify your communication, boundaries and principles so that you can practice from a centered and empowered place.
• Navigating through the changing vaccine landscape with Marybeth: In all likelihood, 2021 will be a year where some of us are vaccinated and others aren't, for a variety of reasons. And new strains may complicate the scenario. What are your personal concerns, boundaries, and policies regarding this reality? Marybeth will review some of the basics of vaccine accessibility for us as healthcare providers, and then expand the conversation to include implications of our clients being vaccinated (or not). She will also discuss the dynamics of client/patient compliance and non-compliance with our practice policies, as well as our own compliance or non-compliance with public health protocols.
• Reviewing your process for intaking and treating COVID-19 survivors and long-haulers, with Robbin: Robbin will review the common and not-so-common conditions that are possible for those recovering from this illness. We know that there can be a wide variety of outcomes — what are the key questions for screening to help us orient our work? How can we best interact with other HCPs that are managing our clients’/patients’ condition(s)? What role do you want to take in treating this population, given your current skill set? Lastly, how can you communicate that role to your clients/patients?
As we face these challenges, a growing body of research suggests that massage/bodywork is first-line healthcare, and profoundly beneficial. Besides the many well-known benefits of bodywork (pain relief, improved function, recovery from injury), massage is one of the best, if not the best, treatments for anxiety, depression, and stress. This is our opportunity to act wisely, care for ourselves and others, and contribute to the greater good.
“Incredible job with content, presentation and use of the platform with breakout sessions. You have this dialed in with excellence. Please find ways to share this again with others. It is too valuable not to." - Lindy Dewy
"One of the best classes I've ever taken, onsite or online." - Terri Rossi
"I am in awe and so very grateful for the amount of work and heart that went into this. The information packets that were send out are off-the-charts amazing. I thought that I was just going through the motions of doing what I was "supposed" to do to be better informed and more prepared to Practice Safe and Smart. What I received was a hug of community that filled a vacancy that I forgot was so desperately needed. THIS was the booster shot. Thank you!" - Sarah Nicodemus
Instructors: Marybeth Berney, Dawn Schmidt, Lauren Christman, and Robbin Blake; moderated by Laurie Fronek. For instructor bios, please click here.
CE hours: 4 CE hours, live via Zoom (NCBTMB-approved)
Tuition: $60.