Client/Therapist Loyalty

[gosam777]

Hey all. I have a quick question.

I have been going to a practice that has multiple therapists practicing out of one office. I've loved the therapist I've gone to dearly, and he has been magnificent. Sadly, he does not do weekends and I am at the point where I would like to try and get in tomorrow for a massage, but I feel somewhat bad about going to another therapist. Unfortunately, the next time he and my schedules intersect is President's Day, but I am not too keen on waiting that long. Do you know, from your experiences, if I should stick with my therapist or switch?

I know its such a simple question, but I'm curious how you all feel about client loyalty. I do not want to treat my therapists as expendible (as they most certainly are not!) but my body is telling me its time to go in.

Thank you all as always for your keen advice!

 

[Its hard living off rice]

Listen to your body. As the provider, I would love to always be available right when my client needs me, but I have to work within reality, which means I try to accomodate, but can't always. If you want to remain with your current therapist, go ahead and schedule BOTH appointments - one for the weekend, and one for Presidents Day, with your usual therapist. But one for this weekend is fine, even if you don't book your next appointment yet. It's okay. He knows he is not available weekends!

 

[D.MackinAllDay[:]

I have absolutely NO ego about this sort of thing. Ya gotta go when ya gotta go! I'm sure your therapist will not be offended. Schedule one now and set up one with your regular MT when you can. It's wonderful that you're listening to your body. Body knows best!

Steph!

 

[yp_will_chicago_369]

Client/Therapist Loyalty

...Sadly, he does not do weekends and I am at the point where I would like to try and get in tomorrow for a massage, but I feel somewhat bad about going to another therapist. Unfortunately, the next time he and my schedules intersect is President's Day, but I am not too keen on waiting that long. Do you know, from your experiences, if I should stick with my therapist or switch?

I know its such a simple question, but I'm curious how you all feel about client loyalty.

I have a pretty open door discussion policy with my clients. When a client of mine can't get in to see me d/t scheduling conflicts, they let me and know we try to come up with another therapist who can perform similar work, in order to get them "through" until they can get in to see me again.

The client is happy, and I know I have tried to help them out. It works just fine. Most just try to re-arrange their schedule to see me, and I try to do the same when I can... but sometimes you can't make it work.

Your therapist may have a list of other therapists he suggests. Try talking to him first.

 

[snowbunny]

This happens all the time in the bodywork studio I frequent. I imagine your regular therapist will just be glad that you may schedule with a co-worker.
The positive aspects of this is that you may actually experience some part of another therapists massage that you like better or that is more effective for your needs. You might then point this out to you regular therapist and tactfully ask if it is something that can be worked into sessions with you. Another is that a second therapist may notice something about you that the regular therapist may have become complacent about and therefore be a benefit directly to you.
I like to get massage from several MT's just to experience how different everyone is in their approach to massage.
Enjoy!

 

[Pompal 09.]

The good thing is, you know your body is asking for massage....listen to it.
I would rather miss out on seeing a regular client knowing that they were in need/want of a massage and sought it out.
Scheduling glitches effect us all.
Get your massage with another therapist and then schedule with your regular. You never know, the new therapist may become your favorite.
I do like working on "regulars" because of the continuity of care just as I like to see my regular doctor. If I have an issue when she isn't around though, I see her associate.


Robyn

 

[Danny G]

This happens all the time at the chiropractor I go to, where there are four or five therapists. I try to stick with one, but she may be on vacation or our schedules don't always conincide. In that case, I will use 1 or 2 other therapists who do a good job. It's kind of sad, but the therapist I started off with started cheating me with time, giving 15 minutes once for a 30 minute massage. She routinely goes only 23-27 minutes. Other clients have complained about this, but the chiropractor acts like she is the best therapist. She also doesn't use much lotion and isn't very thorough. Stops the massage too much. Now I avoid her for scheduling. It's a little awkward, because I used to go to her pretty often, and now she knows I basically picked another therapist to be the main one I schedule with. So if I do have her in an absolute pinch, she doesn't seem as friendly as before and probably doesn't like feeling like a "last resort". Just seeing her in the office seems a little awkward, but not something I am going to worry about.

 

[PIOLET211]

At our office (we have 6 therapists) I try to encourage the clients to try different therapists. It helps to keep the therapists from getting "possesive" over the client, and dramatically decreases that "awkward" feeling if you have been going to one therapist and then switch to another. Of course we have many, many clients that stick with only one therapist, or prefer not to go to another. Our focus has been to accomodate the client's needs in the best way possible, without egos getting in the way.

The client must always remember...this is your treatment. You are not going there to do the therapist a favor. You are going there to do your body a favor!

Enjoy your treatment!

 

[Greek Godess]

I wouldn't feel bad at all about scheduling with someone else at a time when your regular therapist isn't available. If someone let me know they had an appointment with a different therapist, and why, I would appreciate the feedback. Maybe I'd consider adding on weekend hours if enough of my clients were mentioning it.

Whether it's a time conflict, a style I'm not proficient in, or a lack in my communication skills, hearing about it gives me a chance to improve my service. Sometimes, personalities just don't mesh, and I try not to take that personally, but at least if the client tells me why they are choosing someone else, I have the opportunity to do something different.

But even if you don't have the nerve to share your reasons for changing therapists, don't feel bad about choosing the best person to take care of you. I would hate to think that someone was sticking with me just to avoid hurting my feelings, or not getting a massage when they need one because I'm not available.

 

[tales06]

Just playing devil's advocate here...

As a client, do you get offended when you find out your therapist is working on another client? Probably not, I am assuming. The door swings both ways! :