hey there bods,
i am newly qualified and in the new year will be working with a number of people with severe and enduring mental health problems (i already do this as a support worker) but wonder if anyone has any insight to massage in this area.
cheers
peach_no_1
are you referring to the benefits of massage for this sector? or what existing therapies are in place?
i mean are there any specific ways that people have found to work with people suffering from metal health issues i.e extra reassurance or whatever
Mental health and massage
hey there bods,
i am newly qualified and in the new year will be working with a number of people with severe and enduring mental health problems (i already do this as a support worker) but wonder if anyone has any insight to massage in this area.
cheers
peach_no_1
Hiya peach
I worked with such a group of people when I worked with the Richmond Fellowship some 10 years ago, mind you this was before I became trained in aromatherapy and massage. I was teaching them stress management, and one of my teaching assistants was an aromatherapist. She taught me how to do a simple hand massage, and we spent one of our weekly sessions doing a simple introduction to aromatherapy. All the students said they found it did more to help them to relax than my guided relaxations! huh!
Now for the warning bit. When I was doing the research for this training, I came across a warning which said that people suffering from psychoses (eg schizophrenia, bipolar) should not do deep relaxation as it could trigger a relapse. I asked various medical people including my own GP if they could verify this, and give me a reason for it, but nobody could. Nevertheless I gave the students the chance to leave before the relaxation part of the session. You may wish to consider this.
I have got no experience with treating people with mental health illnesses but how about contacting MIND - the mental health charity - they may have therpists who work with them and be able to link you up with someone