As a massage therapist, you may know that intake forms are one of the most valuable and helpful tools for any therapist and their clients. They allow the client to go in-depth with information about their medical history, chronic pain, or any other physical or mental conditions. You can also use the form to establish your client’s goals. With that in mind, here is how you can make your intake forms even more valuable for both yourself and your clients.
What is an intake form?
Massage intake forms are a simple document that allows the client to fill in their medical and lifestyle information. This can be a hard document to fill out, especially for those who don’t feel like answering too many questions.
Take into consideration the size of your target clientele. Start small with just a few clients who are looking for regular massage therapy. Use free forms to make the process easier for clients who want to give you a brief summary of their health concerns. Take note of those who say that massage is what helps them feel better. You may be able to find clients willing to pay extra for a massage that goes deeper than a typical massage.
Why are intake forms important?
Accurate intake forms are important because they can save you time at the beginning of the massage therapy journey. Many clients will walk in and want to start right away. If they make an incorrect assumption about your practice, you might end up wasting a lot of time trying to convince them otherwise. After all, you’re still getting to know each other. A comprehensive intake form will make the whole process go more smoothly. Plus, it’ll make you more efficient in your appointments.
Most practitioners create intake forms based on the type of massage that they do. Some people like to focus on therapeutic massages, while others specialize in hand or foot massage. Before you start collecting and filling out your intake forms, make sure you decide which kind of massage therapy you want to specialize in.
How to make your intake form more valuable
Spend the time to make the intake form comprehensive. It should include all of the information your clients need in order to feel comfortable with your approach. Use the form to establish goals and decide who will fill out your intake form.
There are two types of intake forms: an electronic form and a paper form. You need to decide which forms your clients will fill out. In a typical office setting, you will probably prefer the electronic form, but in a house or hotel setting, it might be easier to use a paper form. It’s best to have several forms so you can be sure to capture everything you need to make your client comfortable and provide them with a good experience.
Ask about their current pain
Being able to tell a client that their pain level is worse than they’d thought is something that can impact how they feel about a massage and their willingness to pursue a regular massage therapy routine.
Or, if a client is experiencing chronic pain, ask what the underlying cause of their pain is. Even if it’s not chronic, it can provide important clues into how and why their pain started.
Regardless of whether they are an active athlete or someone who is just out of shape, you can also ask what they want to improve on. This can serve as an excellent reminder for yourself about what type of techniques will benefit your client the most.
Don’t ignore any of these types of questions, even if you’re in a hurry. If you do, then you may end up wasting a client’s time, money, or both.
Create a safety plan with them
Before going into the details of your intake forms, you should have a safety plan with your clients. This plan should include how you’ll support the client through a session of pain management, and how you’ll come up with a safe plan for them if they experience a “triggered” event.
In the event that a client has a painful trigger, you should work with them to come up with a safe plan for when the trigger happens. For example, the client may need to step out of the room, lie down on the table, use a different music player, or even use a very short-hand description of how to start massaging.
Make sure to fill the form yourself
When you’re working with clients, you should make sure that you have all of the information that they provide you and can express it in a way that makes sense for your client. This is especially important when you’re working with people who have just come out of a hospital or are going through recovery from surgery.
If you’re doing intake forms on people who are going through rehabilitation after major surgery, you should know their pain history, and how long they’re going to need to remain in bed, or whether they need assistance to eat or get up from a reclining position. If you are working with a doctor or an interventional pain specialist, you should be able to establish how to access medication that might help your patient with a particular pain.
