I take being trauma-responsive very seriously. Here’s a bit more on this very important part of my work.
What does it mean for a massage therapist to be “trauma-informed” or “trauma-responsive”?
Our owner, 💃🏻 Megan de Roiz Yankee MFA LMT, is a massage therapist with lived experience as a trauma survivor, a support professional for other survivors, and an expert in safeguarding young and vulnerable populations in a variety of settings. So, how does she integrate this into her work as a massage therapist?
- We regularly ask for consent from our clients when we change touch techniques, pressure, or timing. We also check in about draping (or the way we’re legally and ethically obligated to cover their bodies with sheets.)
- If the client shows research-driven, recognizable signs of their trauma-survivor status, we slow down our work and soften our touch, even when deep tissue is requested. We also warmly divulge our own status as survivors and model how we have learned to treat ourselves with compassion, patience, and gentleness.
- We NEVER expect clients to divulge their status as survivors, as we recognize we could get these signals wrong. That’s why we chose to model self-care and community-care instead; in case we’re wrong, we still give clients a sense of how trauma-survivors deserve to be treated. We also always share that we are grateful the survivor-client is present with us on the table.
- We take our ethical and legal role as mandated reporters very seriously. In the case of minor-age clients, our obligations are clear. In the case of adult clients, we inform them of our obligations and request consent before carrying out our duties. In the case of immediate, imminent danger, we will forgo consent for the sake of safeguarding.
We commit to elaborating upon our tagline: “consent-driven, trauma-informed, culturally-responsive, as well as all-ability and 2SLGBTQIA-friendly.”