Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Etiquette for the Massage Therapist

Massage therapy is somewhat intimate as far as natural healing modalities go. Unfortunately, there is no way around this fact. The environment may be professional, but because this is such a hands-on occupation, some uncomfortable or embarrassing situations may arise.
It is the job of the Massage Therapist to create a relaxing, safe environment and a gratifying experience for the client. It is up to the client to express their wants or needs in a professional manner so that the practitioner can provide their service in a comfortable manner.
Maintaining Boundaries
Clients have a multitude of reasons for getting a massage. Many are looking to relieve stress and relax. Others receive regular massages to keep their body healthy, improve their range of motion and enhance blood circulation. Regardless of their reasoning, a massage therapist must respect the client's boundaries. They must also make their own boundaries clear to the client.
While therapeutic massages are a naturally sensual experience, they are not meant to be sexual in any way. Whether the client is female or male, the therapist is required to address any sexually aggressive or suggestive comments in a professional way. The client must understand that such requests are inappropriate. At the same time, a practitioner cannot assume that certain body parts can be touched. They must be certain the client is comfortable throughout the massage.
It is absolutely inappropriate to touch the genital area during the massage session. Clients should not expect the therapist to touch them in a sexual manner and the therapist should not be touching the client in a sexual manner. Not only would this present ethical and legal issues, but it also destroys the trust between the client and therapist.
Seasoned massage therapists understand how to avert any uncomfortable sexual advances made by a client. A delicate warning is typically all that is needed to get the point across. However, the therapist should never be afraid to make the point known with a more aggressive warning or shutting down the session altogether. A client who is being inappropriately touched should also make their concerns known. Sometimes the contact is accidental. In this case, the therapist should apologize and acknowledge the client's discomfort.
Is Clothing Really Optional?
A client should feel comfortable during their massage. The amount of clothing worn is typically dependent upon the type of massage the client is getting. It is not uncommon for those receiving a full body massage to be completely undressed. However, this is not a requirement. Clients can certainly wear briefs or panties during the session. It is all about making the client feel at ease. Whether they choose to wear clothes or not, a massage therapist will cover the client so that only the areas being worked on are revealed.
The Relationship Between the Client and Massage Therapist
The very nature of a massage is intimate. The client will give permission for such an intimate experience should the therapist remain professional. However, the therapist also relies on the trust of the client. A relationship between two parties is formed, even if it is just a professional one. It is important that both parties respect each other's boundaries so that the session can be carried out in an appropriate and comfortable manner.
Remaining Professional
Providing others with the healing power of massage therapy is an ancient and respectable profession. As more benefits of massage therapy come to light, people are becoming more accepting of the practice as a way to maintain optimal health. Well-trained, experienced and ethical massage therapists will always provide their clients with a comfortable and professional experience they both can enjoy.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Why Is It Important To Teach Functional Skills To The Special Needs Student?

Functional Skills are essentially the skills we use each and every day as we go about living our lives. Consider that the more Functional Skills/Life Skills learned by individuals with special needs the greater the level of their independence.
Functional Skills include:
* Getting dressed
* Cooking
* Cleaning
* Laundry
* Shopping
* Money skills
* Getting around the community
* Specific work skills
* Social skills
For most of us, learning Functional Skills came easily, but for individuals/students who have special needs (sometimes the term cognitively disabled may be used) learning these skills can be a challenge.
Special Needs students need to have the these important life skills broken down into small steps. Repeated practice of each of these steps allows them to gain a degree of independence. For example; they must first learn a general skill such as addition, and then practice applying the addition skill in different content areas, such as with the concept of money. They then need to specifically practice the addition of money as a separate and new skill.
These individuals are also more likely to have difficulty in generalizing these Functional Skills from the classroom setting to the actual environment where they will need to use these skills.
The more we can teach Functional Skills in an actual setting, such as the laundromat, kitchen or grocery store, and with the actual material/equipment, the better and easier it will be for the student to learn and apply their skill. It is also best to use material that is already part of their everyday lives such as, their own sweater, actual money, the local city map and bus schedules, menus from nearby restaurants and the local grocery store ads. By using materials that the student is already familiar with, they will be able to grasp the relevance of the skill easier.
In short, the more Functional Skills that are mastered by the special needs student the more independent they are likely to be. Keep in mind that when teaching these life skills, it is important to remember to break the skill down into small achievable steps, teach the skill in an actual environment (or in a realistic environment if possible) and preferably with the use of the actual material/equipment. The student with special needs will have an easier time learning Functional Skills as well as transferring and applying these skills into their everyday lives. Everyone wants and deserves the opportunity to be the best that they can be!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

What You Should Know To Help Struggling Students

Children, adolescents, and adults with learning and performance difficulties are usually faced with information processing problems in a few specific areas. These areas include visual processing, auditory processing, organization, memory, attention, executive function, abstract reasoning and more.
For children and adults with LD and/or ADHD, their parents, and their teachers there are three very important words to remember: 1. Information, 2. Knowledge, and 3. Wisdom. Read on to find out what this means.
INFORMATION
The 1st level of understanding comes when you gather information (a) about LD and ADHD, their types, the combinations of difficulties, how they are diagnosed, and how they are treated so that you know as much as possible in order to proceed successfully, and (b) about the individual, including strengths, difficulties, testing results, behaviours, and performance. You will read books, watch DVDs, attend workshops, and ask questions.
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is the level above information. You must organize the information under headings and into categories. Secondly, you must apply the information by taking action to find solutions to practical problems. For example, a girl is unable to memorize the multiplication tables, so she is allowed to use a calculator at all times. Be aware that often the first solution fails, and we have to try something different. What if the girl with the calculator confuses 3 and 8, 2 and 5, and 1 and 7, resulting in many mistakes? You will search the software and assistive technology, or ask a specialist to find a solution for a problem.
WISDOM
The highest level of understanding is what we call wisdom. This occurs when the individual, or the parents/teachers, learn to view the problem in a larger context, such as graduation from school, career choices, playing hockey, or getting on with life. Sometimes we find that a problem we thought was very important is not very important in the big picture of things. When the problem is put into a larger context, then we are able to give the problem an appropriate weight. An adult with a serious problem with mathematics will see that there are many interesting jobs which require almost no mathematics ability. Once again, a specialist can help to answer questions and provide valuable insights.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Best Career Option in Media and Communication Industry

They say it takes only a determined mind to make a successful career. However when it comes to carving a niche in the media industry what it also takes is refined knowledge about the discipline. Of late, people have realized the power of mass communication and thus are opting for media courses to make a career in this field.
There are several wings of mass communication that one can opt for. It is thus a good idea to pick a stream and specialize in it so that you have deeper knowledge about that discipline. From journalism courses and public relations courses to advertising courses, you can opt for the one which you think you would want to make a career in. Most of the colleges and institutes that offer these courses believe in providing thorough knowledge as well as the practical training of the subject. Be it public relations course, advertising course or a journalism course the main idea behind is to develop a rapport with people belonging to all walks of life and diffusing information at the right time.
A career in media industry makes for a very dynamic and challenging one where one needs to remain on his toes all the time. Not to mention the fact that you get a chance to meet a variety of diverse people from all walks of life, it also lets you see things through different perspectives. Media industry is booming at the moment. Till a decade back there was no such momentum in this industry. However, today diffusion of information is taking place at a very fast pace. There are several new organizations entering the industry every other day which call for new talent and fresh ideas to offer something new to the audience.
There is no dearth of young brains that are determined to make a career in media. However, only a few manage to make themselves be seen in a pool of people. It is thus important to sharpen your skills and hone your virtues to see yourself earn a space. For this, enroll for a course in a reputed institute always helps. A good college would not just help you see things the way they are seen and done in the industry; they would also instill confidence in you to make your dreams come true. These colleges must have an infrastructure to boast of. Good infrastructure like radio lab, editing room, dark room for photography, camera lab and plenty of advanced equipments would ensure that the college would train you on practical aspects of the discipline.