Remembering info whilst treating?

[MatthewHeckler]

Hi there,

I started my reflexology course a few weeks ago (loving it by the way) and since then I've been practising on my husband. My question is, when you are treating clients / case studies, how do you remember all the stuff you make a mental note of during the treatment? I found that I was concentrating so hard on getting my technique right and doing it in the correct order, that all the tender / crunchy points I found during the treatment I'd forgotten about by the end [&:].

I was wondering if anyone had subtly kept your clipboard on your lap and maybe when you find a tender point, just do some rubbing with one hand whilst writing down the info? Is that acceptable do you think? I'm sure once I'm more confident in myself I will probably remember these things, I just wondered if anyone found the same thing whilst training and what they did to help them remember!

Many thanks in advance.

Laura

 

[cutie pie]

hi laura,[/align][/align]yes, it is hard at the beginning, remembering the routine, the points and any areas that show imbalance.[/align][/align]ask your tutor for any tips to doing it all at the same time! during training, i think you should use whatever methods help you to learn. so if taking a few notes whilst working helps you, then do it, as long as the tutor agrees (which she should). [/align][/align]but dont forget, this is not a method to be relied uopn as you will not be able to do it during the exam. hygiene issues come into play, you see... you will become an obsessive compulsive with hand washing! as soon as you touch anything other than clients feet, you are meant to wash your hands![/align][/align]however, when practising ay home on family and friends, who are aware that you are training and practising, do what you need to help you learn.[/align][/align][/align]

 

[Jasmine S]

Hi Laura
I remember clearly how I struggled with this at the beginning of my course and what I did ( and still do) is run through the entire treatment in my head again at the end of the session whilst I am writing my notes up. I find that as I rerun the treatment I remember the abnormalities I found the first time round. I also find closing my eyes whilst I do this sometimes helps.

Hope this is of some help to you. It does get easier the further into your training you get, as you will not need to concentrate so hard on the techniques and what comes next. Keep going, you will get there.

Best wishes

 

[pxeixuegilnixgefc]

Hi there, when I was training a few years back and had clients into college, our tutor said to keep our notes handy as clients understood fully that we were all trainees. I would always mention that in order to give them the correct treatment session I may need to refer to my notes occassionaly, being up front with them always seemed to work for me.

 

[Chy]

Hi there,

Thank you all so much for your tips - Reflexologist - I think that will be most helpful - I'll try running the treatment through in my head after and see if that helps. Although it would be easier to have a clipboard to hand, I guess I really shouldn't get into the habit of having that to rely on.

Thanks again!

Laura

 

[Henry T]

One method that helps me is to have a sheet photocopied that shows the outline of the feet but the rest blank. Keep it near you and justput a cross or circle on theareas you find of interest as you go through the treatment. This can help to prompt you when you write up your notes afterwards.

A quick circle takes only a second to draw and the client will hardly notice, especially if you explain that you are just recording things that you may want to compare at the next session. Avoid making a loud 'Aha', licking your pencil and writing a short essay! This can easily alarm clients!

Best wishes

Peaky

 

[OneSingleTear]

Hi Laura,

I am currently doing a reflexology course - our tutor has told us to totally concentrate on getting the technique and the complete treatment right first - once that is '2nd nature' or comes automatically you will move on to concentrating on the rest. This makes sense to me and is how I am dealing with it.

I do feel there are some good suggestion here (specially like the blank foot photocopied, and running through the treatment in your head as you are writing your notes), but I also agree withmy tutor that getting the technique correct is priority at this stage as the rest is going to be another big learning curve which is going to last for a long time. So many feet, so little time!!!

 

[happymom]

Hello Laura

I always use a blank foot map for every treatment I do, always have.I keep it close by with a red pen and mark down any imbalances as I go, it only takes a second and can be done say when you're holding on a reflex point and the client will hardly notice what you're doing and you won't have to interupt the flow of treatment. I've sort of devised my own 'shorthand' if you like in the form of squiggles, dots, lines etc that correspond with what I can feel on the clients foot e.g. crunchy, gritty, lumps, tender areas etc. I also note down and high-light anything like ingrown nails, corns, veruccae and such like.

At the end of the treatment when the client hasgoneI refer to this and then write in full what I have found and any info and feedback from the client on the otherside of the foot map, then next time they come for a treatment I keep it alongside a new footmap so that I can compare any differences from the last session.

I'm not sure what is allowed by your tutor so run it past her/him first.

In my opinion this is exceptable and good practice. This is something I started doing after I qualified but I think it's a good habit to get into, I have a record of every treatment I've ever done. It's amazing what conclusions you can come to after when you look through their entire treatment history. The maps really do tell a story sometimes and can help you decide what areas you need to concentrate on more.

As for remembering, don't worry about it. You'll find that very soon it will all come automatic and when you run it through in your mind later you'll remember it anyway.

Good Luck with your course
Susan52

 

[akluis]

anyone know a place to get blank foot charts?

(i think this has been asked before hasnt it?) sorry if it has.

 

[hzzwpces]

Hi Laura M
Ditto to Susan52
As students, we were told that it is quite acceptable to keep a note pad near you to write notes - as long as they aren't lengthy. How about a picture of the feet - mark them with a letter that you understand e.g. t=tender s=sharp c=crunchy etc. Iam quiet happy to email an attachmentof a pair of tootsies if you want?You can adapt the format to suit you. Let me know and I can pm it to you.
Good luck and enjoy!!


[sm=wave.gif].

 

[Pompal 09.]

Hi Periwinkle

I would be pleased to pm you some charts that I have made. Feel free to adapt them to your preferences.

Just tried - meassage says not supported. Any ideas?

 

[*magic*]

Hi there, love the suggestion about doodling on a picture of some feet during treatments, because I still find it really hard to remember all my findings at the end of a treatment. Mind like a sieve!

 

[hrpyapya]

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to say thank you again for all your suggestions.

I've tried all of them and think that the repeating the treatment in my head afterwards has been themost successful. I found writing on the chart during treatment was good, but didn't want to become too reliant on that method.

Thanks again! [sm=xmas-smiley-031.gif]