Despite many advances in care, cancer treatment can be invasive, painful and even frightening. Explore the crucial role massage therapists can play and what you need to know, as part of your client’s cancer care team. Gain an in-depth understanding for how cancer develops and spreads, and the range of treatments now available.
Create effective and personalized massage therapy session plans for cancer patients by learning the important cautions and contraindications, how to conduct intake sessions, and appropriate touch techniques. Consider your own self-care as you support clients coping with cancer.
DISCLAIMER: The information in this course is not designed to replace input or permission from a client’s physician for massage. It is designed to help massage therapists anticipate common issues arising in massage for this population. In all cases, you must use your professional judgment in determining what questions to ask and how to proceed with a client based on all information available.
When you finish this course, you will be able to:
- Describe how cancer develops and spreads, and why elders are at greater risk for developing cancer.
- Assess the range of treatments available for cancer and how to work as part of your client’s cancer care team.
- Apply general guidelines, follow cautions and contraindications, conduct an effective intake interview and create a safe, effective massage therapy session plan for a client diagnosed with cancer.
- Utilize non-taxing touch techniques, practice safe positioning, draping and lubricant techniques and accommodate medication and cancer treatment side effects and assistive devices.
- Create a massage therapy session plan following cancer recovery.
- Provide palliative touch for clients at the end of life, and practice self-care during and following the loss of a client to cancer.
Julie Goodwin is a longtime massage therapy educator and an NCBTMB-approved provider. She is the author of Touch & Movement: Palpation and Kinesiology for Massage Therapists and creator of TxPlanner.org.
Course Expiration
Please note that you must complete each AMTA online learning course and pass the exam one year from the date of purchase. If you do not complete the course and pass the exam within one year, you will be required to re-purchase the course.
Online courses expire one year from the date of purchase. When a course expires, you will no longer have access to the course materials and will be required to re-purchase the course.
Course Approval Code(s)
LCEU0003708; MS #586
Copyright
This course contains information that is proprietary. None of the material contained within this course may be used without the express written permission
of AMTA unless otherwise indicated in the course. As a reminder, before practicing any new modalities or techniques, check with your state’s massage therapy
regulatory authority to ensure they are within the state’s defined scope of practice for massage therapy.
Refunds
Online courses are non-refundable. AMTA will not cover fees incurred from duplicate payments, insufficient funds, stopped payments or credit/debit cards over
credit limits.